 Something for both worlds
What's in a name?
By Azadeh Ensha
August 30, 2003
The Iranian
I have to get something off my chest. No, it's
not the war in Iraq, or global terrorism. It's
my
name.
For the past twenty-three years, I have witnessed
the constant butchering of my name. It has been pronounced in every
which way
conceivable, some understandable,
others unintelligible. But I understand. If you weren't Iranian, and you
saw two words, Jane and Azadeh, would you even know that the second was a name?
Sure, this seems like a simple matter. And I have
already conceded that it is a superficial one, but it is one that
I deal with on a daily basis. As such,
it can become a huge source of frustration. There are so many beautiful Persian
names that translate well in English. My cousin, for instance, is named Yasmin.
And although even she has admitted that some people mispronounce her name,
as well, adding an extra "e" to the end, that is still not half
as bad
as where I stand.
To combat the problem, I have come up with mnemonic
devices to teach people my name. "It's pronounced Azadeh," I say
for the umpteenth time. "You
know, It's another day of
the week, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...Azadeh." The last portion tends
to garner some laughter. I often wonder if its sympathy for having
to drum out a speech just so that people can pronounce
my name.
Of course, I blame all this on my parents. The aggravation
intensified when I found out that my parents had originally decided
to name me Leila, a very
pretty
name that also reads well in English. But, my mom contests, she knew a
Leila who was not, mentally sane, shall we say, and so the prospect
of naming her
first born after someone like that was not altogether comforting for her.
Okay. I'll
give her that one.
But still, and this one goes out to all you future
parents, think long and hard about what name you give your child.
It will be their name for
life.
Maintain the Persian heritage, by all means. Don't cop out and name your
kid Ryan
or some other American name. We are Persians, yes. But we are also living
in America. So go for an Amir if it's a boy, or a Leila if it's a girl.
Don't like that. How about Sam or Ava? Something that translates in both
worlds.
And if you don't, be sure to save plenty of money
for future therapy sessions. Trust me, they'll need it.
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