Vanity-Request for help with town name

Self

[kk22tt]

Vanity - request for comments from Americans regarding strange translation of town name.

[kk22tt]

I am an American living in Japan. There is a large section of prime land being re-developed by Fujisawa City which is a sister city of Miami Beach. As it is near the coast, the "sea" was suggested to be part of the name. In English, not in Japanese. Well, since "sea" is pronounced "C," somebody had the great idea to call the area "C Cross." (Cross, meaning "crossing" is a tranlsation of the Japanese name of the area.)

So they are planning on calling the area "C Cross." Putting aside the "cross" name, their substituting "C" for "sea" is a problem and I intend to lodge a complaint. This is where I need comments from English speakers.

Would you write a few lines saying that although "sea" and "C" are pronounced the same, the meaning is completely different. "C" has no meaning related to the sea, and proposing that it does would look ridiculous to speakers of English. In today's international environment, using "C" to mean "sea" will make no sense to anyone, actually.

I would greatly appreciate 10 or so comments along the lines of the above. Would you either post in response to this topic or FR mail me, please? If you live in Miami Beach (sister city) or in Florida, please let me know that in your message. (If there is a way to ping Floridians, would someone help me with that, please?)

Thank you for your time. kk22tt in Fujisawa

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

LOL

[PeteB570]

Well, they could always call it Lizard Lick.

[jigsaw]

"C Cross" sounds and looks like a grid location on a map. It has no class. Sounds like a boring industrial area.

"Sea Cross" makes a lot more sense and to me is actually a nice name.

[So Cal Rocket]

"C" is a grade given to students for average or mediocre work... not really something you want to be associated with.

[Defiant]

Here's one for you: The town of Rolla, Missouri, where there is a big army base, was, as I understand it, founded by people from Raleigh, NC. Since they could not spell to well, and they pronounced their town of origin "rolla", Rolla it became.

[kk22tt]

Thank you, Jigsaw!

[kk22tt]

Thanks, So Cal Rocket!

[kk22tt]

That's funny! Thanks, Defiant!

[dakine]

Mackinac, LeBlanc..

[HairOfTheDog]

"It's just a name... We could have been called ~The Shoes~" ~John Lennon

[Pharmboy]

Aside from "C" not having any relation to "sea" other than sounding the same, "C Cross" may have religious conotations to some and could be misinterpreted.

[stainlessbanner]

Want to take a crack at this one, Joe?

[kk22tt]

Good point, Pharmboy. Thank you!

[kk22tt]

I wonder if you might kindly assist with this.

[A knight without armor]

Name it The C Section.

[kk22tt]

Oh, my goodness. That's a great argument against it! Thanks, Knight!

[jigsaw]

Name it The C Section.

LOL!   Good one!

[DTogo]

Since you can find any kind of jibberish Engrish all over the place in Japan (kinda like nonsensical "Asian" tattoos in the US), does it really matter what the Japanese call it?

Let's Kiosk and be safety for healthy fashion. Since 2003.

Japan * ping * (kono risuto ni hairitai ka detai wo shirasete kudasai : let me know if you want on or off this list)

[GATOR NAVY]

Dear Fujisawa City Council

Despite the fact that "C" and "sea" sound the same, they really aren't interchangeable. "Sea" has a very pleasant connotation, like umi. "C" is just a letter of the alphabet. Please reconsider your name for this development.