Foreign &
 
Commonwealth
 
Office
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Foreign &
 
Commonwealth
 
Office
3 September 2008 
 
Our ref: 0661-08 
 
Far Eastern Group 
Dr Kaihsu Tai 
Old Admiralty Building301 
 
Whitehall 
By email: [email address]   
London 
 
 
 
 
Tel: 020 7008 2928 
 
Fax: 020 7008 3669 
Dear Dr Tai, 
E-mail: [email address] 
 
 
Your Freedom Of Information Request 
 
I am writing to confirm that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has now 
completed its search for the information which you requested on 05 August 2008, in which 
you asked about the British-Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao giving Chinese 
names to British political figures. 
 
The FCO does not have an official list of Chinese translations of names of UK government 
figures.   The British-Consulate General in Hong Kong (BCGHK) has a list, which I attach, 
but this is for internal reference only.  This is not an official, or an exhaustive list of 
translated names. 
 
We are not aware of any FCO documents setting out the principles of translations of British 
names into Chinese.  Where a person already has a translated Chinese name, the BCGHK 
will use this existing translation.  However, some of the names on the Wikipedia list you 
mentioned in your request will have been translated by the staff at the BCGHK.  Where 
BCGHK staff do need to translate a name, in most cases they use the common Hong Kong 
style of taking the first syllable of the person’s surname and translating it into a suitable 
Chinese surname (which becomes the first character of the person’s Chinese name).  The 
second two characters are usually based on the person’s given English name.  The characters 
used usually resemble the sound of the person’s English name but the meaning of the 
characters is also considered in translating a name. 
 
British Missions in mainland China commonly use the translation of the name provided by 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.  Since the name given by the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs is replicated in official media throughout China, this becomes the de facto official 
translation.  Unless there is exceptional reason to do otherwise (e.g. having an existing 
Chinese name), British Missions use this Ministry of Foreign Affairs translation. 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
   
 
 

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If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to 
make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to me within 40 days. 
 
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the 
Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot 
make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCO. 
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, 
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. 
 
 
 
 
 
Lisa Thumwood 
Far Eastern Group 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We keep and use information in line with the Data Protection Act 1998.  We may release this personal information to other UK government 
departments and public authorities. 
 
 
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