Hello, all.

At work I correspond with a client's employee who
transliterates his name as Semen. Would you consider it
advisable that he use a different transliteration in
business communication with English-speakers? A better and
more correct rendering of the Russian name is Semyon (from
Simeon).

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On Thu, 2 Jun 2022 18:40:37 +0300, Anton Shepelev
<anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:

> At work I correspond with a client's employee who
> transliterates his name as Semen. Would you consider it
> advisable that he use a different transliteration in
> business communication with English-speakers? A better and
> more correct rendering of the Russian name is Semyon (from
> Simeon).

Definitely "Semyon". Many years ago I was once in a similar situation
working as a translator and editor for a newly started-up
import/export bank here in Turkey. I forget what its name was but the
acronym worked out to something like "T.i.T.i" or "T.i.T.T.i".
Although I warned them how it would be interpreted and advised them
against it, the owners insisted on using it, Or did until they had
their first meeting with some US or Canadian businessmen and noted the
amusement on the potential customers' faces when they heard the bank's
name. After one of them said with a smirk "Oh I think we're going to
love working with TiTi"", the name got changed the very next day.

--
Bob
The people your parents warned you about

On Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 9:03:05 PM UTC-7, Opinicus wrote:
> On Thu, 2 Jun 2022 18:40:37 +0300, Anton Shepelev
> <anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:
>
> > At work I correspond with a client's employee who
> > transliterates his name as Semen. Would you consider it
> > advisable that he use a different transliteration in
> > business communication with English-speakers? A better and
> > more correct rendering of the Russian name is Semyon (from
> > Simeon).
> Definitely "Semyon". Many years ago I was once in a similar situation
> working as a translator and editor for a newly started-up
> import/export bank here in Turkey. I forget what its name was but the
> acronym worked out to something like "T.i.T.i" or "T.i.T.T.i".
> Although I warned them how it would be interpreted and advised them
> against it, the owners insisted on using it, Or did until they had
> their first meeting with some US or Canadian businessmen and noted the
> amusement on the potential customers' faces when they heard the bank's
> name. After one of them said with a smirk "Oh I think we're going to
> love working with TiTi"", the name got changed the very next day.
>
> --
> Bob
> The people your parents warned you about

great story !

Tokyo Institute of Technology wanted to avoid TIT, so it's titech.ac.jp

On Fri, 03 Jun 2022 07:02:59 +0300, Opinicus
<gezgin@spamcop.net.which.is.not.quite.invalid> wrote:

>On Thu, 2 Jun 2022 18:40:37 +0300, Anton Shepelev
><anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:
>
>> At work I correspond with a client's employee who
>> transliterates his name as Semen. Would you consider it
>> advisable that he use a different transliteration in
>> business communication with English-speakers? A better and
>> more correct rendering of the Russian name is Semyon (from
>> Simeon).

Yes, apart from anything else, Semyon is a more accurate reflection of
the Russian pronunciation.

>Definitely "Semyon". Many years ago I was once in a similar situation
>working as a translator and editor for a newly started-up
>import/export bank here in Turkey. I forget what its name was but the
>acronym worked out to something like "T.i.T.i" or "T.i.T.T.i".
>Although I warned them how it would be interpreted and advised them
>against it, the owners insisted on using it, Or did until they had
>their first meeting with some US or Canadian businessmen and noted the
>amusement on the potential customers' faces when they heard the bank's
>name. After one of them said with a smirk "Oh I think we're going to
>love working with TiTi"", the name got changed the very next day.

Your story reminds me that one of the characters in Arthur Ransome's
stories is called "Tittie". What was he thinking?

And talking of business names, a few years back there was much
tittering on the internet about a web site whose address included
"powergenitalia", which belonged to an outfit called Powergen Italia.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Steve Hayes:

> And talking of business names, a few years back there
> was much tittering on the internet about a web site
> whose address included "powergenitalia", which be-
> longed to an outfit called Powergen Italia.

That one was new to me, and would fit into the humour
page of our "Science and Life" magazine that listed many
such names, of which my memory retains a site named
`penisland' in some .gov domain. I can no longer find
it, but there are:

penisland .net therapistfinder .com
whorepresents.com molestationnursery.com
anus .com

A technichian in our company, who had seved 23 in the
army, told me about a colonel he knew with the Ukraini-
nan surname Beda or Bida, meaning Woe in English. Newly
transfered to the military base where my colleague
served, he wanted to improve the discipline. To verify
rumours that the soldiers were wont to drink unmoderate-
ly on holidays, the colonel decided to make a surpirse
round in the dormitory (it was way into the Arctic zone,
no barracks). Hearing his knock on the door, the drink-
ing party asked who it was. "Colonel Woe," announced
the intruder, to which one of the innocent solders
roarded in a drunken voice: "Go to hell, we have trouble
of our own!" They thought it was joke...

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On Sun, 05 Jun 2022 06:57:38 +0200, Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net>
wrote:

>On Fri, 03 Jun 2022 07:02:59 +0300, Opinicus
><gezgin@spamcop.net.which.is.not.quite.invalid> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 2 Jun 2022 18:40:37 +0300, Anton Shepelev
>><anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> At work I correspond with a client's employee who
>>> transliterates his name as Semen. Would you consider it
>>> advisable that he use a different transliteration in
>>> business communication with English-speakers? A better and
>>> more correct rendering of the Russian name is Semyon (from
>>> Simeon).
>
>Yes, apart from anything else, Semyon is a more accurate reflection of
>the Russian pronunciation.
>
>>Definitely "Semyon". Many years ago I was once in a similar situation
>>working as a translator and editor for a newly started-up
>>import/export bank here in Turkey. I forget what its name was but the
>>acronym worked out to something like "T.i.T.i" or "T.i.T.T.i".
>>Although I warned them how it would be interpreted and advised them
>>against it, the owners insisted on using it, Or did until they had
>>their first meeting with some US or Canadian businessmen and noted the
>>amusement on the potential customers' faces when they heard the bank's
>>name. After one of them said with a smirk "Oh I think we're going to
>>love working with TiTi"", the name got changed the very next day.
>
>
>Your story reminds me that one of the characters in Arthur Ransome's
>stories is called . What was he thinking?

It is possible that at the time he was writing the use of "tit" for a
woman's breast was not widely known.

Apparently Arthur Ransom got the name Titty from a real person.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons#Major_characters

This name was the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan,...(5)

(5):
http://www.allthingsransome.net/literary/tit_tat.htm

Members of her family have described how Mavis Altounyan identified
so closely with the Titty Mouse of this story that she insisted on
being given the name Titty

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

On Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:01:59 +0100, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]"
<mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote:

>On Sun, 05 Jun 2022 06:57:38 +0200, Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net>
>wrote:

>>Your story reminds me that one of the characters in Arthur Ransome's
>>stories is called . What was he thinking?
>
>It is possible that at the time he was writing the use of "tit" for a
>woman's breast was not widely known.

It must have been well enough known for the makers of baby feeding
bottles to change the spelling to "teat".

>
>Apparently Arthur Ransom got the name Titty from a real person.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons#Major_characters
>
> This name was the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan,...(5)

I thought it might be a nicknamme for Matilda. My great great
grandmother's name was Matilda, but I suspect that later generations
who may have had it didn't like it, and might have thought that even
Titty was better.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:35:47 +0200, Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net>
wrote:

>On Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:01:59 +0100, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]"
><mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 05 Jun 2022 06:57:38 +0200, Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net>
>>wrote:
>
>>>Your story reminds me that one of the characters in Arthur Ransome's
>>>stories is called . What was he thinking?
>>
>>It is possible that at the time he was writing the use of "tit" for a
>>woman's breast was not widely known.
>
>It must have been well enough known for the makers of baby feeding
>bottles to change the spelling to "teat".
>
>>
>>Apparently Arthur Ransom got the name Titty from a real person.
>>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons#Major_characters
>>
>> This name was the nickname of the real life Mavis Altounyan,...(5)
>
>I thought it might be a nicknamme for Matilda. My great great
>grandmother's name was Matilda, but I suspect that later generations
>who may have had it didn't like it, and might have thought that even
>Titty was better.

I had originally guessed Titty was short for Letitia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

On Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:45:19 +0100, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]"
<mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote:

>On Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:35:47 +0200, Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net>
>wrote:

>>I thought it might be a nicknamme for Matilda. My great great
>>grandmother's name was Matilda, but I suspect that later generations
>>who may have had it didn't like it, and might have thought that even
>>Titty was better.

>I had originally guessed Titty was short for Letitia.
>
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia

Yes, that fits.

I knew a Letitia once, her nickname was Tish.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk