外刊閱讀:How to write Japanese names in English

英文媒體在寫華人名字時,是姓在前名在後,比如“張三”會寫成“Zhang San”,而不是把姓名顛倒寫成“San Zhang”。日本希望英文媒體也這樣寫日本人的名字,卻受到了冷遇。

How to write Japanese names in English

by James Griffiths

In a full-page spread on March 2, 1979, the Los Angeles Times introduced its readers to Pinyin, which it said was "changing the familiar map of China." In the new system "Canton becomes Guangzhou and Tientsin becomes Tianjin." Most importantly, the newspaper would now refer to the country's capital as Beijing, not Peking.

spread /spred/ n. (報紙雜誌上)鋪滿一頁或幾頁的一整篇文章
Los Angeles /ˌlɒs ˈændʒəliːz/ 洛杉磯(美國西部城市)
introduce someone to something 讓某人第一次體驗某事物
importantly /ɪmˈpɔːt(ə)ntli/ adv. 重要的是(由important加後綴-ly變成副詞)
refer /rɪˈfɜː(r)/ to 指稱

This was a step too far for some American publications. In an article on Pinyin around this time, the Chicago Tribune said that while it would be adopting the system for most Chinese words, some names had "become so ingrained(根深蒂固的) in our usage that we can't get used to new ones."

publication /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 出版物、刊物
article /ˈɑːtɪk(ə)l/ n. 文章
Chicago /ʃɪˈkɑːɡəʊ/ n. 芝加哥(美國中部城市)
adopt /əˈdɒpt/ v. 採納、採用
usage /ˈjuːsɪdʒ/ n. 使用、用法

The Tribune would continue using Peking into the 1990s, though by then it was something of an outlier(異類). The New York Times noted in 1986 – while announcing its adoption of Beijing – that the name "has now become equally familiar" as the old moniker(名字).

adoption /əˈdɒpʃ(ə)n/ n. 採納、採用(由adopt加後綴-ion變成名詞)
equally /ˈiːkwəli/ adv. 同等地(由equal加後綴-ly變成副詞)

Now, Japan wants its turn. As the country marked the dawn of the Reiwa Era last year with the coronation(加冕典禮) of Emperor Naruhito, its foreign ministry felt it was an opportune(適宜的) time to request that the names of Japanese officials be written differently. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's name, for example, would become Abe Shinzo, with his family name coming before his given name – just as the international media prints the names of Chinese and South Korean leaders.

mark /mɑːk/ v. 慶祝
dawn /dɔːn/ n. 黎明、曙光
Reiwa Era 令和時代
emperor /ˈemp(ə)rə(r)/ n. 皇帝
foreign ministry /ˈmɪnɪstri/ 外交部
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ n. 官員
Prime /praɪm/ Minister /ˈmɪnɪstə(r)/ 總理、首相
family name = last name 姓
given name
media /ˈmiːdiə/ n. 新聞媒體

The family-name-first format has always been used in Japanese. But during the Meiji Era that began in 1868, the order was reversed in English to begin with the given name, a format more familiar in the West.

format /ˈfɔːmæt/ n. 格式
Meiji Era 明治時代
reverse /rɪˈvɜːs/ v. 翻轉、顛倒

While that decision may have made life easier for some 19th century Western diplomats, Japan's neighbors soon proved that foreigners could handle writing the "last name" first. And for almost two decades Tokyo has been trying to reverse the Meiji reversal. Last year's request to the international media was only the latest attempt.

diplomat /ˈdɪpləmæt/ n. 外交官
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
Tokyo /ˈtəʊkiəʊ/ n. 東京
reversal /rɪˈvɜːs(ə)l/ n. 翻轉、顛倒(由reverse加後綴-al變成名詞)

It's not only foreigners who are slow to change. Many Japanese are accustomed to writing their names in English with the family name last, and while the government has changed how it refers to the Prime Minister and other officials, the domestic English language press still largely uses "Shinzo Abe."

accustomed /əˈkʌstəmd/ adj. 習慣的、習慣於…的
domestic /dəˈmestɪk/ adj. 國內的
press /pres/ n. 新聞界
largely /ˈlɑːdʒli/ adv. 基本上、在很大程度上(由large加後綴-ly變成副詞)

In 1979, changing from Peking to Beijing required newspapers to print an explanation for their readers – but at least they didn't have to go back in the archive and fix all previous mentions. Today, adopting a new format for "Abe Shinzo," let alone all Japanese names, would require editing every published mention of the politician, or else tolerating an inconsistency(不一致) that could confuse readers.

explanation /ˌekspləˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 解釋
archive /ˈɑːkaɪv/ n. 檔案館
let alone 更不用說
edit /ˈedɪt/ v. 編輯
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 出版、發表
politician /ˌpɒlɪˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 政治家、政客
tolerate /ˈtɒl(ə)reɪt/ v. 容忍、忍受
confuse /kənˈfjuːz/ v. 使糊塗

Currently, most media outlets are unwilling to make a change if no one else is, creating an inertia(惰性) loop whereby inaction begets(造成) inaction. We could not find any major publication which refers to the Japanese prime minister as "Abe Shinzo," and no outlet which responded to a request for comment suggested such a switch was imminent.

currently /ˈkʌr(ə)ntli/ adv. 現在、目前(由current加後綴-ly變成副詞)
media outlet /ˈaʊtlet/ 一家媒體
unwilling /ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/ adj. 不願意的(由willing加上表示否定的前綴un-)
loop /luːp/ n. 循環
whereby /weəˈbaɪ/ conj. 藉以、憑此
inaction /ɪnˈækʃ(ə)n/ n. 無行動(由action加上表示否定的前綴in-)
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的
respond /rɪˈspɒnd/ v. 迴應
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 暗示
imminent /ˈɪmɪnənt/ adj. 即將發生的

For now, it appears that, when the Tokyo Olympics open, the man leading the celebrations will remain – as far as English-language media is concerned – "Shinzo Abe."

celebration /ˌseləˈbreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 慶典(由celebrate加後綴-ion變成名詞)
as far as something is concerned 就…而言

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