由于英语在全世界的普及，很多英文名字已经被中国人所熟知；另外，对于有一定英语基础的中国人说，一些比较生僻的英文名字可能一下子记不住，但根据音标原则把名字读出来问题不大。既然能读出来，那么，多读几遍的话也就记住了。

        然而，遇到非英语的名字，比如西欧的德国人、法国人、意大利人、西班牙人等等以及全部东欧人的名字，问题就比较麻烦了。

        在这些人当中，东欧人的名字问题最为严重，因为：东欧人的名字普遍比较长，而且，拼法和发音规则跟英语完全不一样，一点可供借鉴的地方都没有。这样的名字念都念不出来，就更不用说能记住了。根据我的了解，东欧人的名字连母语是英语的人（他们都是对拼音文字很有研究的人）记起来都有困难，中国人遇到了就只有举双手投降的份了。

        我曾经在一家英语国家的酒店打工，做前台接待工作，那时经常会碰到来自东欧的客人。本来还想练练自己的听力，结果发现：在东欧的同志报完了自己的名字之后，我只能对着电脑嗫呆呆发愣，根本就没办法往酒店系统里输入名字来查询房间预订的情况：他们报的名字我根本就没记住，更不用说还能够再拼写出来了。

        这样干活很耽误事儿，时间一长，我想了一个办法。再遇到看上去像东欧的同志一律纸笔伺候，说："来，麻烦你先把名字写写"。用这种办法，名字的危机总算是度过去了。

        没想到，几年后风水又把本人转到了东欧常驻工作，于是，名字的问题又一次浮出了水面，而且比原来还要严重。这回不但要天天和东欧人打交道了，而且经常是一下子面对一堆人，而你总不能在会面的时候一人发一张纸让人家写名字吧。

        真的就跟"逃学威龙"中的那个"化学老师"一样，人家刚告诉我了叫什么名字，我转头又问人家："您叫什么名字来着？"没办法，如果说"化学老师"是记了然后又忘了的话，我的情况则是：根本就没记，因为，没办法记。

        比"化学老师"更惨的是："化学老师"可以不在意对方的感受，我却不行。把别人的名字"忘了"是件很不礼貌的事情，无论什么理由。所以，后来，我干脆不再问了，就用代词说事儿，翻译过来相当于中文的这种感觉："这个事情我和那个谁谈了，那个谁完全同意，你也可以跟那个谁再谈谈......哪个谁？就那个谁，名字很难记的那个谁！"

 With the popularity of English in the world, many English names are known to Chinese people. Besides, as to Chinese who have certain English knowledge, it may be difficult for them to remember certain unusual English names, but to speak them correctly according to phonetic rules is not a big problem. Since they can speak those names, they only need to read several times more to remember.
However, non-English names, such names of western Europeans, such as Germans, Frenchmen, Italians, Spaniards and all eastern Europeans are really problematic.
Among them, names of eastern Europeans are most difficult, because their names are relatively long and the spellings and pronunciations are quite different from English names. There is little reference for us. As far as I know, even native English speakers find it difficult to remember those names. (They are really experts of alphabet language.) We Chinese have no choice but to surrender.
Once I worked as a receptionist in a hotel in an English speaking country. I often met guests from east Europe. At first, I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice my listening. The result was: after they told me their names, I can only stare at computer and did not know how to put their names into computer and check their reservations. I cannot even remember their names, let along to spell them.
This way did not work. After working there for a while, I found a solution. Next time when I saw a guest who looked like an east European, I always gave him or her a pen and a piece of paper for them to write their names down. With this method, the crisis of names was finally over.
It was quite unexpected that after a few years, I was sent to work in east Europe. The name issue appeared again in an even more serious manner. I not only had to deal with east Europeans every day, but also often had to face a group people at once. How can you hand out paper to each one when you met them?
I was like the chemistry teacher in Fight Back to School. They told me their names. Then I would ask them in no time, "What's your name again?" If the chemistry teacher remembered names and then forgot them, I simple did not remember those names, because I have no ways to remember them.
My situation was more sober than the chemistry teacher. The chemistry teacher did not need to care about other people's feelings, but I cannot. It is very impolite to forget other people's names, no matter with what excuse. Therefore, at last I did not ask anymore. I just used pronouns. It sounds like this in translation: "I have talked this matter with him. He totally agreed. You can also with him. Who is he? He is the one whose name is really difficult to remember!" 

      本文转载自张叶的个人空间，要阅读更多作者文章，请移步作者个人空间http://i.myechinese.com/index.php?s=/space/1253  。

• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl]   a.不平常的；异常的   (初中英语单词)
• western [´westən]   a.西的；西方的   (初中英语单词)
• reference [´refərəns]   n.参考；参照；出处   (初中英语单词)
• alphabet [´ælfəbet]   n.字母表   (初中英语单词)
• surrender [sə´rendə]   vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃   (初中英语单词)
• computer [kəm´pju:tə]   n.计算机；电子计算器   (初中英语单词)
• working [´wə:kiŋ]   a.工人的；劳动的   (初中英语单词)
• solution [sə´lu:ʃən]   n.解答；解决；溶解   (初中英语单词)
• european [juərə´pi:ən]   a.欧洲的 n.欧洲人   (初中英语单词)
• chemistry [´kemistri]   n.化学   (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:]   ad.&conj.因此；所以   (初中英语单词)
• popularity [,pɔpju´læriti]   n.普及；流行；名望   (高中英语单词)
• correctly [kə´rektli]   ad.正确地；恰当地   (高中英语单词)
• relatively [´relətivli]   ad.比较地；相对地   (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis]   n.转折点；危机   (高中英语单词)
• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid]   a.突然的；意外的   (高中英语单词)
• translation [træns´leiʃən, trænz-]   n.翻译；译文；译本   (高中英语单词)
• totally [´təutəli]   ad.统统，完全   (英语四级单词)
• speaking [´spi:kiŋ]   n.说话 a.发言的   (英语六级单词)