<DIV>I can see your point as far as business practices, but I find 'anglicized' names somewhat uncomfortable; rendering 'Joji' as 'George' (for example) seems to be a reminder of the days of colonialism, if that makes any sense.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jim.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><B><I>mark schilling <schill@gol.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">The romanization of Japanese names has rules that I certainly try to follow<BR>in my own writings, but in the real world, it may pay to violate them. If<BR>you are doing business with Americans who can't remember "Kazuyoshi" to save<BR>their lives, or even pronounce it for that matter, you may want to shorten<BR>it to "Kaz" so your clients can call you something other than "you."<BR><BR>By the same token, "Issey" is more easily remembered by the Western (or at<BR>least Anglo) eye than the more alien-looking "Issei," making it a better<BR>choice for a fashion designer who wants to sell his clothes abroad.<BR><BR>For actors, image is another consideration. "Joe Shishido" has a rugged,<BR>"borderless" image that fits Shishido's screen persona. (It also happens to<BR>be the name he uses on his meishi.) "Jo Shishido" is the correct<BR>romanization, but "Jo" is a woman's name in
English-speaking countries -- <BR>creating the sort of confusion a movie tough guy doesn't need.<BR><BR>It works the same way for foreigners in Japan, doesn't it? I am perfectly<BR>happy to be called "Maku-san" by strangers I am interviewing or otherwise<BR>doing business with. I want them to remember and feel comfortable with me -- <BR>not writhe while I lecture them that the unwieldy "Shiringu" is the<BR>"correct" way to address me.<BR><BR>Mark Schilling<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>----- Original Message ----- <BR>From: "Aaron Gerow" <AARON.GEROW@YALE.EDU><BR>To: <KINEJAPAN@LISTS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU><BR>Sent: Friday, October 07, 2005 4:06 AM<BR>Subject: Re: Names<BR><BR><BR>><BR>> On 2005.10.6, at 09:43 ¸áÁ°, Jason Gray wrote:<BR>><BR>> > I think your last point unfairly places limits on Japanese<BR>> > people in the name of film reference perfectionism.<BR>><BR>> I don't think so. I just think people who make up such names for<BR>> themselves should k!
now the
consequences. Most don't and I think they<BR>> would think differently if they did. Maybe Markus doesn't mind having<BR>> people refer to him by different names (I imagine he has been called<BR>> "Abe"--as in Abe Lincoln--many a time), but I in general don't (several<BR>> American libraries still refer to me as Aron Jero for my Japanese<BR>> publications). Maybe it is the librarian in me, but not taking time to<BR>> learn romanization rules when you are, for instance, working in a<BR>> company selling Japanese films abroad is simply rude to your<BR>> customers--and sometimes to the filmmakers too. I think this is an<BR>> issue not of anal-retentive perfectionism, but common courtesy:<BR>> speaking to people using the rules that the majority of the world uses.<BR>><BR>> Aaron Gerow<BR>> Assistant Professor<BR>> Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures<BR>> Director of Undergraduate Studies, Film Studies Program<BR!
>>
Yale University<BR>> 53 Wall Street, Room 316<BR>> PO Box 208363<BR>> New Haven, CT 06520-8363<BR>> USA<BR>> Phone: 1-203-432-7082<BR>> Fax: 1-203-432-6764<BR>> e-mail: aaron.gerow@yale.edu<BR>><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><p>
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