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How not to choose an English name

With China's opening of its doors to the Western world in recent times and the upsurgence of social media,professionals from all walks of life have been exposed to the intricacies of Chinese culture and its uniquebusiness etiquette. This is certainly a process that works both ways and navigating these cultural exchangeseffectively encompasses many things that are heavily influenced by the first impression you get from yourpotential partner.

Make a good first impression

First impressions are everything in business and as professionals we want our work and our individuality to beacknowledged and memorable the world over. Our name is our 'brand' and it is the first impression that we createin a persons mind when meeting for the first time. A name is the embodiment of who you are, it is a representationof your legal personality and it has the opportunity to be famous or the possibility to be virtually unknown. AsWesterners our English names were given to us by our parents on the day that we entered this world and as suchwe have shaped our lives, encountered setbacks and achieved our goals all in our own names. As a secondlanguage English speaker you have the unique opportunity of being able to pick your own English name andshape your own life with it! Unlike us Westerners this gives you a distinct advantage to pick a name that willresonate with Western professionals, help you prevent any awkward introductions and give you a step up on thecorporate ladder!

"Hello, my name is ..."

Only problem is that English, not being your first language, more often than not leaves you with no clue on how topick a name that is suitable for the professional world. Choosing a name is definitely not a science but there arecertain things that you would be wise to avoid. Here follows a few that you should steer clear of when consideringwhat to brand yourself as:

Picking names from a weather term or an aspect of nature may seem like a simple choice, something thatdescribes your character or something that is beautiful. However, in the business world names such as Forest,Rainy, Starry, Breeze and even Lightning (yes, I have been introduced to one before) are not names that convey

professionalism and might even get a few laughs out of people when you introduce yourself! Avoid this at allcosts, or pay the price in your professional life!

So you admire a famous person and feel that naming yourself Cruise, Shakira or Messi will grant you all of thetalents that they possess and make you easily recognizable? The sad truth is that this is not so. The thing about aname is that it is made famous by your efforts. Being compared to someone might make you feel inadequate ifyou don't live up to their name. Rather choose a name that you yourself can make famous! You never know, oneday someone might name themselves after you!

Fruit is by far one of the most common categories that Chinese people look to when picking a name. Don't get mewrong, I love fruit, but just not as a name! Names like these are very adorable otherwise but in business they maybe regarded as weak and we don't want you looking like that in the corporate world. The only Apple's, Cherry'sand Melon's I want to get acquainted with are the ones in my fruit basket at home!

As amazing and cool as you feel in your designer clothing or how much you like a certain coffee, naming yourselfafter your favourite brand is a BIG no-no! Again it comes down to being easily recognized but how will you evershine when someone has already planted a flag in your name. All of the Coco's, Dolce's and Gabbana's, Nike'sand Starbuckkers out there, choose a name that you can make your own !

I hope that some of these points resonate with you and you think carefully before choosing a name. Being uniquedoesn't mean that your name has to be out of this world, in most cases simple is better! At the end of the day youhave to remember that it is what you do that makes your name recognizable so choosing something that willrepresent you in a professional light is always the best bet!

Still having trouble choosing the right name? Download our complete eBook of 150 professional Englishnames for ladies and gentlemen!

Posted by Dewet Boshoff on Wed 20 Aug, 2014

Dewet is originally from South Africa and has been living in Asia for almost 10 years. He found hiscalling in China, becoming a fluent Mandarin speaker whilst studying Business & Chinese atShenzhen University, and was among the first cohort of foreign students to graduate with honoursthere. He is an inbound marketing scholar and social media enthusiast. Dewet delights in using his language skillsto promote inbound in China and to educate the West on Chinese social media. When Dewet isn't on the job heenjoys outdoor activities, traveling to exotic locations and socialising with his friends-online and in the real world!

Topics: Business English