English language.

I've been contacted by agents 4,000 miles away who thought I was buying a house in the UK. (Not likely!) I had a running fight with an estate agent 4,000 miles the other way, Alaska, where my email would get back on their mailing-list every 12 months after they took it off. When I do buy property, the bank presents a list of people with "my" name and asks me to sign a paper "I am not these guys". (One turned out to be serving life in prison, so should not be in a loan office, but banks lack common sense.)

OTOH my doctor's helper had a major upset when we suggested email contact with another health professional. HIPPA! HIPA? HIPPAA?? HIPAA! A law that medical records must be protected with the best technology of the 1990s.
 
Joe Kawka got tired of people laughing when he introduced himself, so he decided to legally change his name.

The bailiff laughed when he announced next up on the docket was a name change request for Joe Kawka. The judge asked Mr. Kawka what he would like to change his name to. He replied Bob.
 
That is quite poor ... to laugh at a persons name while completely mispronouncing it oneself. It does not sound like caca as the "w" is there which can not be overlooked even in English. There is no silent "w" or something like that. Speaking more than 1 language is a richness some will never understand.

When the Dutch had to choose a family name by the occupying French some resisted and choose "Poepjens" (turd/fart) as a sign of protest. The French did not have an idea of the meaning and noted it down in the also by the French introduced municipal registry. The family Poepjens is not too fond of that name in 2022.
 
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Kafka does not sound like Kawka.
Sounds like a Lebanese dish.
Many Americans would pronounce your name "Jeen-Paul"
Like Captain Jeen Luc Picard?
Captain-Picard-Facepalm.jpg
 
As for the lost in translation phenomenon, there are many names and words from non-Romanized language that cannot be Romanized accurately or vice-versa. Often due to the pronunciation that doesn't exist in one. A prominent mountain in Japan called Fuji is pronounced who-jee. Some may even read it as foo-hee. If that person visiting Japan asks local person about Mt. Fuji, likely the communication won't be successful.
 
How about someone who speaks one language? American.
Even worse, those don´t even know their own Country name, not a Country in whole World is called "America".

Just look at a Dollar bill, the Constitution, the President´s office, the Senate, the Armed forces, even the United Nations representative Country name written in a small plaque in front of him, the Embassies, etc.

I´m talking the real name, nicknames don´t count.
 
Németország (Germany)
So many different names for that same country. Amazing.
There seems to be names based on:
  • German | English, Russian, Greek, Japanese
  • Allemagne | Romance languages
  • Tysk(land) | Scandinavian
  • Saksa | Finnish
  • Néme | Central Europe
  • Deutsch | Germanic
Understandable given the history, but still surprising.
Any others?
 
So many different names for that same country. Amazing.
There seems to be names based on:
  • German | English, Russian, Greek, Japanese
  • Allemagne | Romance languages
  • Tysk(land) | Scandinavian
  • Saksa | Finnish
  • Néme | Central Europe
  • Deutsch | Germanic
Understandable given the history, but still surprising.
Any others?
Tedesco in Italian.
I mean the adjective for Language and People.

Of course, Romans called the region "Germania", they created that word, doubt Germanic Tribes called themselves that way, they didn´t have a "national" spirit and it took germanic peple almost 2000 years to get united into a single Nation.

And even so, Germany - Austria and ethnic German populations in other Countries (as in Czechoslovakia, parts of Russia, etc.) remained separated until a certain guy in the 30s tried to join them together .... it didn´t end well, although the basic idea was good and sound.
 
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