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Translating names to Esperanto

von ljbookworm, 12. Oktober 2009

Beiträge: 99

Sprache: English

T0dd (Profil anzeigen) 29. März 2011 16:27:51

My name, Todd, is lame in any language. It's recognizable to English speakers, but I've found that throughout my life I've often had to repeat it, because people tend to hear the more common name "Tom". When I was a kid, I went through a period of wanting to change my name to Tom, just so I wouldn't have to go through life repeating my name.

To render it in Esperanto, the first question is what to do about the vowel 'o'. As everyone knows, the American accent butchers the letter 'o' in many cases, flattening it down to the 'a' sound in most other languages. So, the way my name is pronounced by me and most others in the US is "tad", as that would be said in proper Esperanto. In the UK and pretty much anywhere else, it is pronounced "tod", with a rounded 'o' that actually sounds like an 'o'.

That seems easy enough, and it is, except I've found that non-anglophones have a bit of difficulty recognizing this short syllable, "tod", as a name. Not only that, but I feel strange pronouncing my own name that way.

I can add an 'o' and make "Todo", which sounds even sillier, to me. For one thing, it's the Spanish word for "all", and it sounds distressingly like Dorothy's dog's name, in the Wizard of Oz.

The nickname Toĉjo is too close to the name of the Japanese prime minister during WWII.

I realize that these are all puerile considerations, but one wants to use a name that one is comfortable with.

The name "Todd" is from a Middle English word meaning "fox", so I suppose I could go by "Vulpo", but then I'd sound like either a rapper or the nemesis of some superhero. In any case, I'm not very foxlike. I promise you that if you asked anybody to say what animal I remind them of, no one would answer "fox".

So I give up. It's "tad".

BlackOtaku (Profil anzeigen) 29. März 2011 19:24:18

My name is John King. The first name is just that, John, and while sure, it's technically short for Johnathan, that's not my given name and I was very sensitive about that as a child. I don't like the name Johnathan, I never will. So when I thought about Esperantizing my name, the name Johano came up... but it reminded me too much of Johnathan. Too many syllables, and that 'a'...

With Johano out, I thought of the name Ĵono (Which my phone's Esperanto keyboard keeps trying to auto correct to 'Pomo' rido.gif). I liked the sound of it a lot better, so I went with that. I Esperantize my last in meaning; so King became Reĝo.

Mia Esperanta nomo estas Ĵono Reĝo.
(My Esperantic name is Ĵono Reĝo.)

erinja (Profil anzeigen) 29. März 2011 19:32:09

Give in to the Apple, become One with the Apple...

...you are getting sleepy... you KNOW you want to name yourself Pomo....

lango.gif

virololo (Profil anzeigen) 21. April 2011 22:39:07

keithtx:I think my name "Keith" sounds a lot like "Kate" if you use esperanto pronunciation
If you were from some areas in England, Kif would be a perfect Esperanto transliteration, but the kinds of people who says fings like keiff and froo (through) and baff (bath) and def (deaf/death) are really not IMHO the kinds of people who learn Espo...

Kateno:
chestergirl:My name's Lauren, and when people from other countries ask what to call me, I normally say Laura since my name is somewhat masculine sounding (to me that is).

So if I was to translate mine it could be Laŭreno or something like that...still sounds like a guy's name...
Why don't you try LaŭrINo? IN ending makes it sound feminine at esperanto.
I have a friend whose middle name is Loren. He could use Laŭro and you could use Laŭrino.

My name is Lloyd Phillips, and I usually use Lolo (LO LO o ipsilono do & L. L. Zamenhof lulz) but alternatives like Lofo and, what I've just noticed, Delfeno (my first-but-not-used name is Daniel - it combines D-L-F, the F of Filips) are acceptable. I found something like Lojto once, that's some kind of fish thing (there's something about water-dwelling creatures for me). Lolo also means, like, crazy in Hawaiian and grandad in Filipino, I've read.

I know people view their name as part of their identity, but after all, it's just scribble/a noise that people use to refer to you/get you attention.
That aside, I do see where people come from who want to use a certain name. I like to keep the D-L-F(Ph), so Delfeno would work, but it seems a bit like I don't have a word to describe it without sounding offensive, so anything like Delfo, Dalfo, Dilfo (I don't it to sound like DILF, as it's not all true - I'm not a Dad), Dulfo (sounds weird) goes.

Amike,
Lolo/Lofo/Delfeno/Lojto

fearedbliss (Profil anzeigen) 23. April 2011 21:29:27

My name is Jonathan Vasquez, so I was messing around with the sounds of Esperanto and I was thinking of just doing a direct sound translation:

Jonathan - Gxonatan OR
Jonathan - Jxonathan

I also wanted to maybe make it more compatible with Esperanto, I didn't like the -o ending sound in my name:

Jxonatano (and then direct object, Jxonatanon).

So I guess I'll choose:

Jxonata. Which will also keep it sounding pretty good even if I do become a direct object, Jxonatan.

As for my last name, Vasquez, I always thought as a Spanish Conquistador type of name. Therefore I looked up Conqueror in the lernu vortaro and it pulled up konkerinto.

I think Jxonata Konkerinto is too much for me hahaha. So I'll stick to:

Jxonata Vaskez.

razlem (Profil anzeigen) 23. April 2011 22:11:05

Benĝamino

But I'm quite partial to the Spanish pronunciation: Benĥamino

Srcoco (Profil anzeigen) 24. April 2011 02:11:17

is the translation of my name to esperanto the folowing?

maximiliano ----- maximiliano?
and
maxi ----- macĵo?

ceigered (Profil anzeigen) 24. April 2011 04:54:35

Srcoco:is the translation of my name to esperanto the folowing?

maximiliano ----- maximiliano?
and
maxi ----- macĵo?
"x" as pronounced in Latin is normally "ks" in Esperanto, but I'm guessing you're from Argentina so maybe you pronounce "x" like "ĥ" or "h"?

So maybe "maksimiliano" or "maĥimiliano"?

And "maĉjo" sounds find too (I think - I'm not knowledgeable about any existing diminutives in the language that might conflict)

henma (Profil anzeigen) 24. April 2011 14:01:19

ceigered:
"x" as pronounced in Latin is normally "ks" in Esperanto, but I'm guessing you're from Argentina so maybe you pronounce "x" like "ĥ" or "h"?
x is pronounced "ks" in Argentina too. I think it's only in Mexico where sometimes x have a "ĥ" sound.

It's common now (while texting) to use x to replace "ch" (with a "ĉ/ŝ") sound (I think this is an influence of Portuguese). At least, it happens here in Chile, I think it may be happening in Argentina too (they're even closer to Brazil rido.gif)

Amike,

Daniel

ceigered (Profil anzeigen) 25. April 2011 13:35:25

henma:
ceigered:
"x" as pronounced in Latin is normally "ks" in Esperanto, but I'm guessing you're from Argentina so maybe you pronounce "x" like "ĥ" or "h"?
x is pronounced "ks" in Argentina too. I think it's only in Mexico where sometimes x have a "ĥ" sound.

It's common now (while texting) to use x to replace "ch" (with a "ĉ/ŝ") sound (I think this is an influence of Portuguese). At least, it happens here in Chile, I think it may be happening in Argentina too (they're even closer to Brazil rido.gif)

Amike,

Daniel
My bad! I thought "x" was "ŝ" in Mexico and "ĥ" elsewhere!
Anyway, this article here seems to have helped with your advice to clear up my confusion lango.gif
Spanish pronunciation - X.

At least it's not quite as bad as the English gh okulumo.gif

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