Maybe you guys can help. Facing somewhat similar problem. I need to apply for NWOHR passport for myself and my daughter. I am really confused with the three “name” fields.
I know the top one is Chinese name, but for the bottom two I am unsure. Where to write our true ‘English’ name ? Are all three printed on the passport ?
Btw, the issuing institution has to be an accredited private or school. If your kid is mixed, most likely any school would write you any name you give them.
I spent an hour with a clerk from ministry of Interior and she admits that based on current policy, there needs to be an institution that is willing to write a child’s English name so that other departments have something material to register English name.
This is such a joke! Given that Taiwan is a leading democratic entity in Asia, its citizens have no choice but to use stupid transliterated Pinyin name?
The nurse at the hospital even told me that English birth Cert needs to match its Chinese version, therefore they could only issue me a birth cert with no name, just like the Chinese version(wtf?)
Even though I have successfully registered my daughters real English name, I am still eagerly waiting to hear back from Ministry of Interior, there needs to be a protocol when it comes to naming in English!
Why a Taiwanese should be given a ‘real’ English name? No pride on your own cultures?
They have their Chinese names properly registered, how’s that losing one’s identity ? I don’t see how a transliterated funny sounding English name truly reflects Taiwanese culture?
Why do you need “English” name? As well, why should foreigners have “Chinese” name in Taiwan?
it should be written at the 2nd place. You don’t need to put Pinyin of your Chinese name there.
If you have another name, like maiden name, business name, etc., you could write it at the 3rd place, but it is not necessarily. Some or many Taiwanese people put their non pinyin English name there.
Because my kids will be attending schools overseas when they are old enough, just like I did and possibly be living overseas. Many hongkongers and Singaporean Chinese have English name only on their IDs too, I don’t see why Taiwanese shouldn’t have a formal English name? At the very least we should be given the freedom to be called the name we are comfortable with and using that name legally when we are overseas
I can’t answer why foreigners are forced to give themselves, that’s just a rule by the Taiwanese government.
Because unlike those two places, the UK didn’t colonize Taiwan?
I just don’t see why non westerners should use western name in western countries. It’s English supremacy.
In order to write your “real” English name in 外文姓名, BOCA would ask for supporting document that includes your “real” English name, such as Birth Cert, English HH transcript, any cert issued by an accredited education institution or documents by foreign government
colonial era was over long time ago. Based on your logic, Singaporean Chinese should stop the British legacy of adopting English name just because it’s a whit supremacy thing to do?
By the way, what written on the passport with Chinese name is not ‘English’ name for many.
Singaporean and Hong Kongers have their historical reasons for keeping the English name, especially in Singapore, since English is still the prestige language in education, law, finance and government. That’s simply not the case in Taiwan.
Unless you are onboard with Taiwan being technically a US military territory under the rule of USMG Taiwan, then Taiwan has never been governed by a English speaking power.
I agree that Taiwan should get rid of colonial influences, and stop forcing Taiwan Aboriginals and expats to adopt Chinese names though.
Yes I get your point, but it sounds to me that your argument was based on ethnicity? that a person of non-western ethnicity should not have a formal English name is another topic to cover.
I do feel sorry for foreigners in Taiwan being forced to give themselves a Chinese name, but that Chinese name isn’t mutually exclusive with their original English name at the very leasrt.
correction: Foreigners’ Chinese
names can be mutually exclusive with their English name, except the surname part has to sound similar to your English surname
I’d say if your children were only given English names at birth, then ideally they should have those as their official names.
in fact yes, both had English at the time of Birth. my elder daughter had her name Elizabeth registered on birth certificate from Day 1 and my younger daughter was born in Canada.
The reason why I had to register again is because my elder daughter would like to add the name Elsa to her middle name after watching Frozen. Call her childish by all means, but I personally find it meaningful
my son’s English teacher wanted to give him a ‘true’ ‘English’ name. He already has his true non-Chinese name. Why he should use another name just for his teacher easy to call him.
Erm…because that teacher is an idiot? Seriously, I don’t understand why a teacher would do that to a student who already has a real English, that’s just disrespectful
