艾莱奈 is one of several Chinese transliterations of 'Elaine' (others include 伊莱恩, 艾莲, 伊兰). The choice of 艾 + 莱 + 奈 stretches the name across three Chinese syllables to match the English 'E-lai-n.'
memory
Sound-mapping: 艾 (ài) for 'E-', 莱 (lái) for '-lai-/-le-', 奈 (nài) for '-n(e)'. Three chars, three sound slots.
