How to Say Your Name PAYTON in Chinese?

*Formal* Chinese translation of your name PAYTON. This video shows how native Chinese speakers pronounce and write it (the stroke sequence in Chinese).

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★★★ About Name Translation ★★★

When translating names into Chinese, many factors come into play - culture, pronunciation and gender - to name just a few. A name translation that has the similar pronunciation is the first sign of quality translation.

The challenge comes in immediately since the same name can be pronounced differently in different source languages. This will result in different translation in Chinese.

For example, the name HARLEY is translated into different Chinese names based on origins and gender:

HARLEY (English) - 哈利 (hā lì) (male)
HARLEY (English) - 哈莉 (hā lì) (female)
HARLEY (French) - 阿莱 (ā lái)
HARLEY (Swedish) - 哈莱 (hā lái)

Chinese translation has a unique challenge. Chinese is used across many countries and regions. It also has many dialects and some of them are drastically different. This means even the same English name can be pronounced differently in Chinese in different regions.

For example, shown below, former US president Ronald Reagan's last name has these different translation:
REAGAN - 里根(lǐ gēn) (mainland China)
REAGAN - 列根(liè gēn) (Hong Kong)
REAGAN - 雷根(léi gēn)(Taiwan)

Currently, there is no single standard in name translation adopted across all Chinese-speaking regions. Among the several regional guidelines, the most widely adopted translation rules are developed by Chinese state-owned institution Xinhua News Agency (新华通讯社). These rules are presented as a set of YIYIN tables (译音表) which match source language syllables to Chinese characters. They are considered as the de facto standards in China and we see increasing adoption in many other Chinese-speaking regions.

In China, names translated with these YIYIN tables are considered FORMAL and are required to be used in all government publications and major media outlets.

For example, if your name is DAVID, there is no problem when you are traveling across Chinese-speaking regions and introducing yourself as 大卫(dà wèi) since this is a popular translation that everyone understands. But you should know that your name DAVID's official Chinese translation is 戴维(dài wéi) if you make a state visit to China as head-of-government. ;-)

*** All name translations presented in this channel are the result of applying these YIYIN tables (译音表) and additional name translation rules set by Xinhua News Agency. Although every reasonable effort is made to make this information accurate, these translations are provided for information purposes only. Use it for business at your own risk.

*** Please note that name translation and having a Chinese name (culturally localized with a Chinese last name and first name) are two different things.
keywords: common last names, common surnames, baby boy names, baby girl names