daigo.org RSSDaisuke vs. Dice-K
It got me thinking after I had a pretty interesting conversation with my colleagues about Daisuke Matsuzaka’s nick name, Dice-K. His name, Daisuke, does sound the same as Dice-K, so pronunciation is correct, but I had a little trouble with the use of it. Example, they are using it in a sentence like “Welcome to Boston, Dice-K!” If you want to give him a proper welcome, you should really spell the name out, or better yet, use his sir name and add a “san” after it. So, in a proper way, it should be Welcome to Boston, Matsuzaka san!” This is even more true if you are writing it in Japanese. There was an billboard sign along the Interstate 93 (going south from Boston) that read　ボストンã¸ã‚ˆã†ã“ãã€æ¾å‚大輔　which is “Welcome to Boston Daisuke Mastuzaka.” To be honest, I was perplexed when I saw the sign. To use someone’s name without an honorific title, such as “Mr.”, especially some one who you meet for the first time, is a no-no in Japanese culture. You can put “san” (so would be Matsuzaka san or æ¾å‚大輔ã•ã‚“) or his job description, such as player (”Matsuzaka senshu” or　æ¾å‚é¸æ‰‹) or pitcher (”Matsuzaka toushu” or æ¾å‚投手). How would he feel if he saw this sign himself? Would he feel welcomed or disappointed for ignorance in the culture?
But then again, this is the US, where Alex Rodriguez is A-Rod, and as the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Talking to reporters from Japan, they didn’t feel what I felt at all. They said it is an status to be called “Dice-K.” What is important, or impressive, is that his native language is on the billboard or news publications. It mattered less that the language is a little off. True, it could have been worse, he could have been “D-Mat.” Imagine what the tabloid newspaper could have done that with that… a Daisuke “doormat” Matsuzaka… Someone once told me that Nikkei (Japanese descent) people in Brazil was more Japanese than people in Japan, perhaps I am becoming too critical and old-fashion when it comes to Japanese culture stuff.
