Welcome to Ray’s English Corner

歡迎來到阿滴的全英文影片系列

it’s been a while since I’ve done a video completely in English

我已經有一陣子都沒有做全英文影片了

but this topic in particular today, I feel like

但是特別是今天這個主題，我是覺得

it’s meant to be discussed in English and I’m talking about English names

就要應該要用英文來討論，那我們今天要講的主題是「英文名字」

Now first off, it is already pretty weird that every single person here in Taiwan

首先，一個很怪的現象就是，在台灣的每一個人好像基本上

is kind of required to have an English name

都必須要有一個英文名字才行

I mean really, every single person that I know in my life has an English name

我說真的，我認識的每一個人，都有一個英文名字

What’s most interesting to me is how people got their English names

但是更有趣的是，大家都是怎麼得到自己的英文名字的

So, taking me as an example, I just so happen to have the character 瑞 in my Chinese name

像拿我當例子，我的中文名字裡面就有一個「瑞」

so I go by the English name, Ray, R-A-Y. Reasonable, right?

所以我的英文名字就直接用 Ray。很合理吧？

But for most people their names just don’t make any sense, it has nothing to do with their Chinese name

但是其實有很多人，他們的英文名字不太合理，可能有的跟自己原本的中文名字完全無關

and some just got randomly assigned a name by their English teacher perhaps?

也有可能，他們就是幼稚園或是國小時英文老師隨便取了一個英文名字

And that stuck for the rest of their lives

從此之後，也就一直都用那個英文名字了

Come to think of it this is giving so much power to the English teachers

這樣想想，給予老師的權利真的很大耶

If in your classroom you don’t like a particular student

如果在教室裡，你特別討厭一個學生

you can just name him Dick and ruin the rest of his life for him

你就給他取名叫做 Dick，然後毀了他的一輩子

As it stands, everyone here has their own English names

所以呢，幾乎所有人都有自己的英文名字

and I actually kind of, personally prefer it this way

那其實我也比較偏向於這個狀況啦

just because of how English names are so much easier to spell out compared to Chinese names

因為我覺得英文名字真的比起中文名字要好寫多了

Don’t know what I’m talking about?

不知道我在說什麼嗎？

Well this is usually what goes down when people ask me to write their names for them

大部分有人請我寫他們的名字時，就會發生這樣的事：

Ray can you sign for me?

「阿滴你可以幫我簽名嗎？」

Yeah, sure, what’s your name?

「好啊，你叫什麼名字？」

I-Ting

「怡筳」

Which “I” and which “Ting”?

「哪個宜哪個婷？」

(Describes Chinese character by positioning each parts)

「怡人的怡然後怡心字部加上一個台灣的台、朝廷的廷然後有個竹字頭」

......

......

Do you have an English name?

「你有英文名字嗎？」

Oh, oh yeah, Cindy!

「喔喔喔! Cindy」

Oh! Cindy! Okay, good, Cindy~

「喔！Cindy! Ok 好 Cindy~」

But sometimes in Taiwan, you meet people with really, really strange English names

但是有時候在台灣，你會遇到有人有很奇怪很奇特的英文名字

I think everywhere in the world, there’s gonna be weird names

當然我覺得全世界各地應該都會有奇怪的名字

but in Taiwan we have a particular style of English names weirdness

但是在台灣，我們有個特別的英文名字古怪法

So in the States you can be creative and spell a name backwards and create another name off that

像在美國，你可以發揮創意然後把一個字倒過來寫，創造出另一個名字

for example Nevaeh is heaven spelled backwards, and that’s pretty cool

其中一個範例就是 Nevaeh，那這就是 heaven (天堂/天國) 倒過來寫的樣子，那這還蠻酷的

But a problem with that

但是這時就會有個問題

you start questioning regular names and start spelling them backwards and they’re ruined

你或許就會開始對所有普通的名字產生疑慮，然後把他們全都倒過來寫，最終也毀了它們

For example, Natasha is Ah Satan

像是，Natasha 倒過來寫就是 Ah Satan (阿! 撒旦)

And here in Taiwan people can get really creative as well with their English names

在台灣，大家也非常有創意的在取自己的英文名字

In my past experience dealing with strange, weird English names here in Taiwan

過去在台灣我所遇過的奇怪，奇特的英文名字

I usually come across really literal sayings, you know

通常就會把很某個物件就直接當作英文名字了

things that are not supposed to be names, but they’re used as an English name

就是把原本不該是名字的物件來當作是名字

For example, true story here

像是，這是真實故事

I’ve known people who call themselves “Steak”, “Purple”, “Diploma”

我有遇過人，他們說他們叫做，「牛排」，「紫色」，「畢業證書」

Wait...but why?

等等，到底為什麼？

Usually they’ll go something like, “Oh I enjoy steaks, I like the color purple”

通常他們會講說，「喔我很喜歡吃牛排」「我很喜歡紫色這個顏色」

No. No, you don’t. No. Shut up. Go kill yourself. Don’t get that name

不。你才不喜歡。停止。閉嘴。你可以去撞牆。不要給我取那個名字

Now, I would like to think that I have a really regular name, Ray right?

那我的名字應該很普通吧，Ray?

R-A-Y, it’s very common, it’s very easy, it’s very short, nobody should get it wrong

他很常見，非常簡單又短，應該不會有人把它搞錯

But sometimes when I introduce myself in English, I be like, “Hi, I’m Ray."

但是有些時候，我用英文自我介紹時，會說「嗨，我是Ray」

and people would go, “Did you say Rain? Like 雨?"

但是對方回答「你剛剛是說Rain嗎？像是那個雨？」

Just because you have a weird name doesn’t mean I have to have a weird name, okay?

只因為你自己有個奇怪的名字，並不代表我也要有個奇怪的名字好嗎？

My name is Ray, R-A-Y, not any other words that’s not supposed to be a name

我的名字就是只是普通的 Ray，不會是一個通常不應該是英文名字的名字

But it’s understandable, right? Ray and rain, it kinda sounds similar

不過，也情有可原啦，因為它們的確聽起來有一點點像，Ray 跟 rain

but other times I be like, “Hi, I’m Ray.”, and they be like

但有時我自我介紹時，「嗨，我是Ray」，對方回答

“Rebecca?”

「Rebecca嗎?」

No, I’m just kidding, doesn’t happen

好啦，我開玩笑的，我還沒有遇過這種的

Another thing I can’t stand is people having my exact name

另一個我沒有辦法忍受的事情是別人跟我有同一個名字

I remember in middle school there was this senior who was also called Ray

我記得國中的時候，有一個學長他也叫 Ray

he was way more attractive and muscular than me

但是他比我帥多了也壯多了

and he was taking all the attention and credit and glory away from my name

所以他都把所有的注意力、功勞跟榮耀都奪走了 XD

After a while I got so upset that I downright changed my name into X-ray

過了一段時間，我不開心到，我直接把我的名字改成 X-ray

I know, it’s a little bit weird. (It’s very weird!) But, but it’s completely justified, right?!

我知道，有一點奇怪，(超奇怪的)，但是我也是有苦衷的阿

There was dude stealing my name, I had to adapt!

有個人把我的名字搶走，我要應變阿

So the name X-ray stuck with me from middle school to college

所以 X-ray 就一直從國中跟著我到大學

so all of my friends back in those days would still remember me as X-ray

所以我那個時期的朋友，其實都還是比較記得我是 X-ray

After I graduated from college, however, I got into a master’s program, and as a MA student

那我從大學畢業後，我就考進了研究所，那大家都知道，身為研究生

as you all know, we have to write a thesis, and on the cover, you have to put what?

我們都要寫論文嘛，那在論文的封面上面，我們都要幹嘛？

Your name

寫上自己的名字

And it was at that moment when I had to put X-ray on the cover of my thesis

也就是在那個時候，當我要把 X-ray 寫上去時

did I realize how incredibly stupid the name was

我才發現這個名字好像真的是蠻蠢的

So, it was then when I dropped the X and became just Ray

所以，我那時就把 X 給去掉，只剩下 Ray

But enough about me. What is your English name? How did you get it?

好了，不要在講我的事了。你的英文名字是什麼，你又是怎麼得到這個名字的呢？

What do you think of Taiwanese people having English names in general?

你對於台灣人普遍都有英文名字這個現象是怎麼看的呢？

Do you have a weird name? Do you think my name is weird?

你有個奇怪奇特的英文名字嗎？還是你覺得我的英文名字很怪嗎？

Leave it down in the comment (section) below, I’m curious

請在留言區留下你的想法跟意見，我是好奇寶寶

If you like this video, please give a thumbs up

如果你喜歡這個影片，請幫我按個讚

If you would like to see more videos in the future, please click on the subscription button here

如果你想要看到更多影片，可以點這邊的訂閱按扭

we have new videos up every Monday and Thursday at 9 PM sharp

我們每個禮拜一跟禮拜四的晚上九點都會有新的影片！

I also have a Facebook and Instagram account

那我在臉書跟 Instagram 也都有帳號

you can find me by typing in 阿滴英文 or Ray Du English

可以用阿滴英文或者是 Ray Du English 來搜尋到我！

And that is a wrap, thank you guys for watching as always, and I’ll catch you guys next time! See ya!

那影片就到這邊結束，謝謝大家一直以來的觀看，那我們就下次見！掰一！