• ⇤
• ⇽
• ≡
• ⇾
• ⇥

struggling with a foreign name in Japan

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

I've been struggling with a last name that just doesn't work in the Japanese language. So I've decided to do something about it.

The process that led to this decision was a bit circuitous. On Friday I wrote an article for loneleeplanet.com, a friend's blog about goings-on in Japan. The article speaks to the difficulty of living with the name 「ヴェーネバーグ」, which contains no fewer than three tricky bits in the starting "ve" sound, the first "er" sound and the final "urg" sound (itself containing no fewer than three problems for the Japanese 'inventory' of sounds).

The article got a lot of response, from both Japanese residents and people living abroad. Two suggestions came up: choosing an alias of Japanese origin; and simplifying the existing spelling. When I asked around, I was told that adopting a Japanese alias is something that's generally considered a bit peculiar. So that leaves either a) toughing it out with failed bank transfers (this in a country that relies on bank transfers the way that Canadians use Interac/EFTPOS and credit card) and b) shorting "veenebaagu" to something simpler.

So we've agreed upon the latter, and we've even come up with a shorter name. It's "ueneba-gu", or 「ウエネバーグ」. I'm going to find time to run to the "Shinagawa International Friendship Association" and ask about the procedure. I'm told that it involves a court appearance and who knows what else, but I expect it'll work out in the long run. As it is, we've already got several variants on 「ヴェーネバーグ」 in the mix, so this will help us clear things up. If it works out!