Naming forms

[skribs]

I'm in the process of finalizing the forms I'm creating for my (near future) school. As has been stated in another thread in the TKD forum, going KKW-affiliated is pretty much off the table now, and to make sure there's no confusion as to my affiliation (which is important to me because of the miscommunications that are again mentioned in the other thread), I am creating my own forms.

I'm stuck on naming the forms, specifically the 8 color belt forms. It doesn't help that my Korean language skills amount to maybe 100 words (and a good chunk of those are numbers).

"KIbon Il Jang" through "Kibon Pal Jang" could work, but I don't want to go to a competition and have folks wonder why a brown belt is doing a Kibon form.

I've also considered just using the Palgwe name, but I'm not 100% thrilled with that idea because:

1. There are already forms named Palgwe.
2. The Palgwe name I believe translates to the "8 trigrams", and the way I am designing my form would be more of a digram than a trigram.

I've also considered simply using "Hyung Il Jang", "Hyung Ee Jang", and so forth, but that's a little bit boring.

I don't really want to use English names, because I would like something to suggest a traditional history of the techniques and methods, even if there isn't a traditional history for these forms themselves.

 

[skribs]

Nevermind, I got it figured out. I picked a trait that is important to me, then looked through a few translators to make sure I got the translation I want.

I went with "Chingyo". So, Chingyo Il Jang, Chingyo Ee Jang, and so on.

 

[wab25]

It might be a good idea to run your names past someone who is fluent in Korean and also someone that you trust.... Sometimes, words can mean different things in other languages, depending on context and usage. My art is Japanese, not Korean.... but in the early days folks did their own translations from English to Japanese.... and produced some hilarious and sometimes embarrassing results with the school names that they were choosing, because they did not speak the language.

Your translations may be perfectly fine.... but it would not hurt to double check.....

 

[skribs]

It might be a good idea to run your names past someone who is fluent in Korean and also someone that you trust.... Sometimes, words can mean different things in other languages, depending on context and usage. My art is Japanese, not Korean.... but in the early days folks did their own translations from English to Japanese.... and produced some hilarious and sometimes embarrassing results with the school names that they were choosing, because they did not speak the language.

Your translations may be perfectly fine.... but it would not hurt to double check.....

And deprive folks of potential laughter at my expense?

It's a good idea, but honestly I'm going to make this a "future Skribs problem".

 

[jks9199]

Why go with a Korean name at all?

 

[HighKick]

Nevermind, I got it figured out. I picked a trait that is important to me, then looked through a few translators to make sure I got the translation I want.

I went with "Chingyo". So, Chingyo Il Jang, Chingyo Ee Jang, and so on.

Not certain if you are joking but what is your understanding of the translation? I see 'rare fish' or 'what the heck'.

 

[skribs]

Not certain if you are joking but what is your understanding of the translation? I see 'rare fish' or 'what the heck'.

Fellowship. This is based on multiple sources, not just Google.

 

[HighKick]

Fellowship. This is based on multiple sources, not just Google.

Mine either, I have more than a few sources I use for translation and they all seem pretty consistent on this. It would be a shame for people to confuse your naming convention.
The quickest one that comes to mind is how WT(F) ardently dropped the 'F' after they learned the acronym. It is still there (officially) but is no longer used as part of the brand.

Do you want your forms to be the 'what the heck' forms, even as levity?

 

[skribs]

Mine either, I have more than a few sources I use for translation and they all seem pretty consistent on this. It would be a shame for people to confuse your naming convention.
The quickest one that comes to mind is how WT(F) ardently dropped the 'F' after they learned the acronym. It is still there (officially) but is no longer used as part of the brand.

Do you want your forms to be the 'what the heck' forms, even as levity?

What source are you using that this is the translation you found?

 

[HighKick]

What source are you using that this is the translation you found?

For the sake of how most people are going to search, use Google and look at it from different dialects such as Japanese and Chinese (and Korean translates to 'rare fish' as well).

It also references to Spanish and Mexican but I don't quite understand the translation.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

My Sifu had the character for courage on the wall in our school. My Sigung saw it and said “ that’s the wrong courage”. The one we had meant social courage, like asking a girl out or talking in front of people. We got a good laugh. Apparently there are at least 5 different characters for different types of courage.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

My Sifu had the character for courage on the wall in our school. My Sigung saw it and said “ that’s the wrong courage”. The one we had meant social courage, like asking a girl out or talking in front of people. We got a good laugh. Apparently there are at least 5 different characters for different types of courage.

If your school could honestly promise to help students develop that sort of courage, it might be a better draw than teaching how to fight.

 

[wab25]

Just for fun, I put "Chingyo" into google to search, the first link it came up with was:

What does 친교 (chingyo) mean in Korean?

English words for 친교 include communion, fellowship, friendship and intercommunion. Find more Korean words at wordhippo.com!

www.wordhippo.com

"Chingyo" means "communion"

When I go to google translate and put in "Chingyo" as a Korean word and ask for the English translation, it gives "Chingyo." If you let it auto detect the language, it chooses Japanese and gets "rare fish."

This is kind of why I suggested finding someone fluent in Korean, preferably with knowledge of Korean Martial Arts to help with the names.

That said this is the dojo that I teach out of: Shindai Aikikai Aikido – Orlando's Aikido Dojo "Shindai Aikikai Aikido" has been around since 1986. When you put "shindai" into google translate, you get "bed." After training there for a while I tried to search for Shindai on google.... and got a link to a book called: "Shindai, The Art of Japanese Bed-Fighting" - which you can still find on Amazon by searching for shindai (it is the first book that comes up). I brought this up to the Head of the dojo, who spent months with google trying to get the book separated from the dojo. This is a well known Aikido dojo in Florida. Ikeda Sensei and Saotome Sensei regularly teach seminars here and attend testing here and know the Aikido sensei very well. And we still got our name confused with Japanese Bed-Fighting.

(I named my school "Florida Danzan Ryu Jujitsu" to avoid these kind of things)

 

[skribs]

Just for fun, I put "Chingyo" into google to search, the first link it came up with was:

What does 친교 (chingyo) mean in Korean?

English words for 친교 include communion, fellowship, friendship and intercommunion. Find more Korean words at wordhippo.com!

www.wordhippo.com

"Chingyo" means "communion"

When I go to google translate and put in "Chingyo" as a Korean word and ask for the English translation, it gives "Chingyo." If you let it auto detect the language, it chooses Japanese and gets "rare fish."

That's why I went with this word over the other translations of "fellowship" that I found. For example, one was referring more to the type of Fellowship that a post-doctorate medical practitioner would undergo before becoming a physician. Others were similar to what I was looking for, but as a place instead of a feeling.

I was looking for one that described a sense of community and belonging.

 

[skribs]

If your school could honestly promise to help students develop that sort of courage, it might be a better draw than teaching how to fight.

There's a few different jokes about stereotypes about BJJ guys I could make, but I'll do my best to refrain...

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

If your school could honestly promise to help students develop that sort of courage, it might be a better draw than teaching how to fight.

I don’t promise either one!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Didn’t the Japanese character for Takezo mean Musashi when reversed, or in Chinese, or some such?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

There's a few different jokes about stereotypes about BJJ guys I could make, but I'll do my best to refrain...

Honestly I think “rare fish” has a very positive connotation, I like it. It sets you apart and implies value.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

If your school could honestly promise to help students develop that sort of courage, it might be a better draw than teaching how to fight.

My Sifu made it clear to us, “ just because you do this doesn’t mean you can fight, if you want to get good at fighting just go out and fight”.