Here’s the thing.
I have a Chinese name, but I dont have an English name.
I’m going to apply for a course in Taiwan and there is “English name” part in the application form.
Can I choose my English name ? Would the name be legal to use in other documents ?
And I’m not Chinese or Taiwanese.
[quote=“BelleBell”]Here’s the thing.
I have a Chinese name, but I don’t have an English name.
I’m going to apply for a course in Taiwan and there is “English name” part in the application form.
Can I choose my English name ? Would the name be legal to use in other documents ?
And I’m not Chinese or Taiwanese.[/quote]
If you are not a Chinese nor a Taiwanese, and you only got a Chinese name, I would ask for a refund 
I just talked to the Names Department, and you just got “Romualdo Usnavy”. Not exactly an English name, but close enough.
I think this is simply a case of Taiwanese bureaucrats assuming that the world is divided into three countries: Taiwan, China, and Foreignland. People in Foreignland all speak English, and therefore have English names.
Presumably, what they actually intend you to write in that space is for your real (birth) name, using the Roman alphabet.
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[quote=“BelleBell”]Here’s the thing.
I have a Chinese name, but I don’t have an English name.
I’m going to apply for a course in Taiwan and there is “English name” part in the application form.
Can I choose my English name ? Would the name be legal to use in other documents ?
And I’m not Chinese or Taiwanese.[/quote]
When they say here “English name” it means one written using the Latin alphabet, as opposed to Chinese characters. That means that if your name is say, Russinan, ther eis a representation that is not Cyrillic, for example. Or Vietnamese.
It is not your fault that people here refer to the “English alphabet”… that does not exist.
EDIT:
What Finley said.
Yes. No matter what nationality your name is, as long as it’s spelled with Roman letters, it’s an “English” name according to local bureaucrats. So Muhammad Zakaria, Supachai Wattanaporn, Erdiner Ebcinoglu, Manoel Goncalves, Zoltan Szasz, Jean-Pierre LaFollette, and even Zhang Mei-zhen are all “English” names.
OK, thank guys !
It was useful
[quote=“BelleBell”]OK, thank guys !
It was useful[/quote]
Bye Usnavy!
I hereby decree that all of you shall henceforth be known as “Bob”!
[quote=“BelleBell”]Here’s the thing.
I have a Chinese name, but I don’t have an English name.
I’m going to apply for a course in Taiwan and there is “English name” part in the application form.
Can I choose my English name ? Would the name be legal to use in other documents ?
And I’m not Chinese or Taiwanese.[/quote]
CAUTION: If it doesn’t match the way your name appears in your passport, you may have problems. Even if they accept it at first, one day you could have an encounter with someone who doesn’t understand how foreign names work, and then… 
This is most people in Taiwan, in my experience. Despite most people taking 6 or more years of English class.
I hereby decree that all of you shall henceforth be known as “Bob”![/quote]
i would like to be called Bob one day.
So true! Recently realized when applying for my APRC that some documents have my full middle name whilst others only have the first initial. This alone caused much confusion! 
I hereby decree that all of you shall henceforth be known as “Bob”![/quote]
I would like to be called Bob one day.[/quote]
Hi, Bob.
No need to thank me.
I once cashed a check in Taiwan that was written out to my then-husband, who had endorsed it over to me. They demanded that I sign his name, not mine. There’s a lot of confusion out there.
Urodacus:
Hello, Bob one day!
[quote=“Zla’od”]Urodacus:
Hello, Bob one day![/quote]
His name is Robert Paulson.
[quote=“Zla’od”]Urodacus:
Hello, Bob one day![/quote]
He wants to be named after a Taipei bar?
Hi Belle,
If you need help choosing and English name, you can use the 取名測試section on www.choosemyenglishname.com.tw
Then you can select what you want in an English name (unique/traditional/appropriate for your age etc.)
It wouldn’t have any legal standing though. Just for personal use
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That’s neat, but I have some suggestions:
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Of course Taiwanese know Zhuyin, but if you want mainlanders or cheeky, Zhuyin-illiterate foreigners to use your site, you should also allow Hanyu Pinyin.
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The result says it’s for three English names, but I only got two.
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Only two gender options? Come on, earthling! It’s 2018!
(I chose male because it’s how I normally present myself. I’m Rigellian btw.)
Anyone who doesn’t read Chinese can stick to this simple method for choosing a name: @discobot quote
The mind unlearns with difficulty what it has long learned. — Seneca
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