Sinologists are foreigners who study Chinese culture. (Photo : Reuters)
Sinologists, those from outside China who study China and Chinese culture through its language, literature, history, economy, politics and other disciplines, generally make it a point to get a Chinese name to help in their academic profession.
According to David Uher, a Czech sinologist whose Chinese name is Wu Dawei, a Chinese name helps a sinologist get closer to Chinese colleagues and friends, allowing them to study Chinese culture better.
So how do sinologists choose their Chinese names? As the third Visiting Program for Young Sinologists in Beijing recently concluded, certain trends were noted among their Chinese names.
The most common method is getting a Chinese name that sounds similar to their given name, sometimes referred to as "transliteration."
Madhurendra Jha, an assistant professor of Chinese Language and Literature in Doon University, India, chose the name Mao Duliang after his professor gave it to him. He stresses the importance of consulting with Chinese friends to understand the sound and meaning of their Chinese name, allowing one to gain a sense of cultural familiarity, as opposed to simply directly transliterating it.
Some sinologists relate their Chinese names to an aspect of Chinese culture that they are fond of. Claudia Zuiga, a lawyer of the Department of Chinese Service at the Rossello Law Office in Peru, got her Chinese name "Mudan" from the Chinese name of the Chinese national flower, the peony.
"When I first arrived in China to study Chinese in 2008, the teacher asked for my western name so she could give me a name that phonetically sounded alike. I told her I'd rather choose a name that has a meaning and can represent my appreciation of Chinese culture and tradition and my willingness to learn about it," Zuiga said.
Other sinologists try to relate their Chinese name to a part of Chinese culture that they experienced. Annelous Stiggelbout, a translator and sinologist from the Netherlands with the Chinese name Shi Lu, chose her surname from a story by Liu Xinbin that she read in translation. "Since it sounded a little bit like my Dutch surname, I asked my teacher if I could have Shi for a Chinese surname," she said.
Choosing Chinese names to better operate in China is not exclusive to sinologists. Coca-Cola, whose Chinese name is Ke-kou-ke-la, is one of many companies that made an effort to find a good name as they enter the Chinese market.
