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I am currently creating a micro-setting for an episodic adventure with a local playgroup but I am enjoying designing the world and story enough that I might envision writing it out completely and perhaps releasing it publicly.
One of my concerns as I design this setting is how to go about naming things.
When it comes to naming conventions, I always find myself at a loss. I want the setting to feel authentic, but since my experiences with Asia are entirely based on my travels there, I'm unsure of how to go about this important step.
My usual go-to strategy when coming up with names of foreign sounding places/people usually involve a trip to some translation software or a name generator. I am worried, however, that doing so will make my locations sound wrong to a native speaker.
My setting takes inspiration from real-world Eastern Asia, primarily parts of Nepal, China, and Japan. So far, I've stuck to naming places by combining pinyin pronunciations together to form, at least in my eyes, setting appropriate names. I've gone with using pinyin names for major settlements and regions, and anglophone names for specific locations. Paizo seems to have kept to this sort of strategy. Browsing through the Jade Regent's article on the city of Kasai, a lot of proper names and geographical locations use an asian-sounding word or name, while specific locations within the city use English names. (Inu Island versus Monastery of the Thunderous Cricket).
So, as fellow players, GMs, and writers, what would you do if you were making such a setting? How do you ensure you are using appropriate words/names?
I usually take several sounds from different but culturally similar areas and combine them. That way, it sounds "sort of French or maybe Italian" so I'm invoking the right response, but isn't so closely tied to a single existing language that the country/city/mountain range/roadside inn feels like it's part of that actual real-world place.
Then it's just a matter of Googling it to make sure you didn't accidentally make up a name that actually exists.
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Nekojin (Japanese Cat-people) Name Generator
Japanese Name Generator (Edo Period - 1603 to 1868)
Wuxia Name Generator
Take any name out of this generator and copy/paste it into google translate English-to-Chinese, and then decide which ones would be appropriate.
@Quixote: Thanks for that suggestion!
@Ryze: Thanks for the list of generators! I've been using that site for a while already but it's good to know others like it.
If you've traveled in Asia, you have more experience than most when it comes to designing Asian-themed settings.
I'm working on something similar, but in my case I don't use name generators. I'm currently reading books on each of the countries you've mentioned, and once you read enough then the names just start happening automatically. I usually just Google the names to be sure I'm not saying anything inappropriate.
I also enjoy looking at maps, and sometimes you can find some great names that way, wonderfully obscure and completely authentic. If you really want to be immersive, try listening to a podcast or book on tape in one or more of the languages, to get a feel for how they flow in conversation.
Given your travel experience, I'd say you're further along then you think you are. Build on that, and look to real-world sources rather than other game products, and you should do fine.
Wow, I completely missed this reply. Thanks J.A. for the kind words, support, and ideas!