Thomas Dalton wrote:
IPA is great for giving precise pronunciations, but simpler methods are great for people that just want a general idea so they can read the article (unpronounceable words can make it hard to read something, even silently - it disrupts the flow).
Mispronouncing a word when you are reading silently doesn't matter. Nobody can hear you. If you insist on having the pronunciation for every word that you read you must be a very slow reader. The Chinese are just as literate despite the fact that Chinese characters have only limited connection to pronunciation. With English names the Chinese characters would work just as well.
Ec