Asian names

[funkychinaman]

I'm about to create an actor page for a Korean actor. What's the policy on Asian names? Is there one? I'm seeing names done both ways right now. Chow Yun Fat, for example, is listed as that right now, but Lee Byung-hun is listed as Byung-hun Lee. IMDb appears to do it the western way, but when's the last time anyone referred to Chow Yun Fat as Yun Fat Chow? And Wikipedia does it both ways.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by funkychinaman

I'm about to create an actor page for a Korean actor. What's the policy on Asian names? Is there one? I'm seeing names done both ways right now. Chow Yun Fat, for example, is listed as that right now, but Lee Byung-hun is listed as Byung-hun Lee. IMDb appears to do it the western way, but when's the last time anyone referred to Chow Yun Fat as Yun Fat Chow? And Wikipedia does it both ways.

It's what ever he or she is most famous for. IMDB is just being politically correct since the Chinese use the last name first, (just like the Japanese). I remember this with famous Chinese Actresses like Gong Li, or Zhiang Ziyi.

Remember, IMFDB veers from IMDB's protocols when it comes to Titles. We do the same with foreign names. Now the American/western name of the actor/actress as listed on IMDB takes precedence. But we use the most familiar name in the style of Western familial order (i.e. first name first, family name last). I surely don't want to see Jet Li listed as Li Jet. I won't recognize who is he unless I think about it. So it's given name first, family name second. Whoeever has created an actor page in the other fashion, is actually 'doing it wrong', so I would probably change it.

Hope this helps.

[funkychinaman]

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

It's what ever he or she is most famous for. IMDB is just being politically correct since the Chinese use the last name first, (just like the Japanese). I remember this with famous Chinese Actresses like Gong Li, or Zhiang Ziyi.

Remember, IMFDB veers from IMDB's protocols when it comes to Titles. We do the same with foreign names. Now the American/western name of the actor/actress as listed on IMDB takes precedence. But we use the most familiar name in the style of Western familial order (i.e. first name first, family name last). I surely don't want to see Jet Li listed as Li Jet. I won't recognize who is he unless I think about it. So it's given name first, family name second. Whoeever has created an actor page in the other fashion, is actually 'doing it wrong', so I would probably change it.

Hope this helps.

I went ahead and did it the western way, before I saw this, with a new redirect with the Asian way. I guess citing Chow Yun Fat was not the best example because he's a huge star and could thus call himself anything he wants. I've never heard of this guy that I made the page for.

For certain guys, like Jet Li, or Jackie Chan, they have western names, so it's pretty obvious. Guys from Hong Kong are more likely to have western names, but not Mainland Chinese, Korean or Japanese actors.

(I just did a search for Gong Li on IMFDB, and her name shows up both ways, despite only being in one movie.)

[Markit]

Song Kang-ho is a pretty well-known actor in Korea and is probably one of the more recognizable ones in the west since a number of his movies have been in limited theatrical release and on video in North America (Shiri, JSA, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and the Good, Bad and the Weird are a few examples).

Naming conventions probably are the most confusing when it comes to Mainland Chinese and Korean actors since they are better known in the "last name- first name" format. Japanese actors on the other hand follow the "first name - last name" format so it is more obvious.

[funkychinaman]

Originally Posted by Markit

Song Kang-ho is a pretty well-known actor in Korea and is probably one of the more recognizable ones in the west since a number of his movies have been in limited theatrical release and on video in North America (Shiri, JSA, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and the Good, Bad and the Weird are a few examples).

Naming conventions probably are the most confusing when it comes to Mainland Chinese and Korean actors since they are better known in the "last name- first name" format. Japanese actors on the other hand follow the "first name - last name" format so it is more obvious.

From what I had read, yes, he's pretty big over there, but like I said, I personally had never heard of him.

If you look at the The Good, The Bad, The Weird poster that I posted, the first version, the Korean version, had him front and center, but the American poster moved Byung-hun Lee front and center.

[Sergei Titov]

Ok, so in Chinese, the surname comes before the name. Like say the name 李高兴 (Li Gāoxìng). The surname is 李 (Li) and the person's name is 高兴 (Gāoxìng). In the western world, legally their name would be written as Gaoxing Li (even though the first name is two syllables the space is omitted.) Source: 8 years of Chinese School.

[Spartan198]

Originally Posted by funkychinaman

when's the last time anyone referred to Chow Yun Fat as Yun Fat Chow?

I don't know, but I'm going to start calling him that from now on.

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by Spartan198

I don't know, but I'm going to start calling him that from now on.

Say it to a woman with marbles in your mouth. It will sound like "You fat cow!"

[funkychinaman]

What's the policy with "de la __________" names? Wikipedia has has "de la" lowercase, IMDb has the first letter capitalized. I never took much Spanish, so I don't know the proper way to do it.