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I have had my name butchered my entire life — not only since I've lived in the U.S. over the by eight years, simply in countries where I worked all over the globe including my domicile country of Singapore. While it made me experience excluded and awkward, it besides spurred me to investigate whether having a not-Western name would negatively touch on my career. Years ago, I followed up with a hiring manager in Atlanta, who admitted that the hard-to-pronounce name on my resume was a factor in me non receiving a remember for an interview.

I know I'thousand not alone. Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton computer science professor, recently wrote a Twitter thread nigh how his name being unrecognized — despite his work existence highly recognized — had tangible impacts on his career progression, including losing out on teaching and job opportunities, being invited to present his work, and being cited in papers.

Learning to pronounce a colleague'south proper name correctly is non just a mutual courtesy merely information technology's an important effort in creating an inclusive workplace, one that emphasizes psychological rubber and belonging.

For those wondering, my first name is pronounced Roo-CHEEK-Ah — phonetically, quite similar how information technology's spelled. The virtually common mispronunciation I hear in the Western workplace is "Roo-SHEEK-ah." For years, I permit it slide. I didn't want to brand things bad-mannered in a professional setting, plus I had reasoned that information technology didn't affair anyhow. The work at hand was more important than how my name was said, I told myself.

Unfortunately, it did start to impact me, from the internal blench and visible wince when my name was mispronounced, to wondering if my contributions were valued at all if people couldn't take a moment to correctly learn my proper name. Worst of all, I aching over how to correct the situation when someone introduced me to a third party with the wrong pronunciation, and soon, an unabridged squad of people were saying my name incorrectly.

Non enough enquiry has been done on the effect of having your proper noun mispronounced at work, simply there's a growing body on how teachers mispronouncing names negatively impacts students. A 2012 study titled "Teachers, Please Learn Our Names!: Racial Microaggressions and the K-12 Classrooms" found that when students of color had their names mispronounced in the classroom, it affected their social emotional well-being and by extension, harmed their ability to larn. The report also ended that mispronouncing the names of students of color constituted a racial microaggression because information technology created shame and disassociation from their culture.

Nosotros know having a non-white name can negatively affect your chances of getting a job in Western countries. One study establish that resumes with white-sounding names were 28% more than probable to become a callback for a job interview. In French republic, resumes with Due north African-sounding names were less likely to receive interview opportunities.

In an effort to normalize non-Anglo Saxon names in our workplaces — and by extension, to create work cultures where everyone feels included and welcome — I've created a short guide for both the pronouncer and the person whose name is mispronounced.

How to pronounce names correctly

It's important to note that in all these years of having my name mispronounced, it's rare that someone is existence deliberately facetious by mispronouncing my proper name; frequently it'south as embarrassing for the other person. Here are some means to get information technology right.

Ask the person to pronounce it — and actively listen. Rather than try to say a name you're unfamiliar with, ask the person how to pronounce it. It's awkward and embarrassing when people endeavour to "soldier on" with my name and spend more than fourth dimension trying to right themselves afterwards. Listen carefully to where the person puts emphasis, and where the inflections are. Echo after them one time or twice, non more. If y'all know y'all will interact with them ofttimes, brand a note on how to phonetically pronounce their proper noun (perhaps later on on their business card). Brand an attempt to mind intently and inquire if you're saying it correctly; I've pronounced my proper name correctly multiple times for people, only to have them commit to memory a mispronounced version of it. If you even so struggle, there are also a number of websites that have sprung up to help people pronounce names correctly.

Don't make it a big deal. In one case you lot've heard the correct pronunciation, give thanks the person and move on. Don't spend a long time talking about how unfamiliar yous are with their name. I experience more than excluded when people try to justify their inability to pronounce it ("I've just never heard that name earlier and I didn't desire to butcher it."), when they launch into a longer conversation about my heritage ("Where is that proper noun from? Where do you come from?") or when they talk nearly their own awkwardness ("I'yard so embarrassed I didn't know how to pronounce that."). If someone has a non-Anglo Saxon name, chances are they've heard all of the to a higher place before, and would rather non depict out the process whatever longer than necessary.

Find and do. Make an attempt to hear how someone pronounces their name to other people, even if they just pronounced information technology for you lot. If you're introducing someone on stage or in any public forum, write down a note for yourself on how to pronounce it correctly and exercise it in private. If you find that you're introducing someone new in a public setting, ask them in advance — or ask someone who works with them — how to correctly pronounce their proper name. The retentiveness of the kickoff fourth dimension I received a professional award volition always be tainted by how the emcee butchered my name equally they called me upward on phase to receive it. I would've been delighted if she had antiseptic the pronunciation in the ten minutes nosotros were chatting earlier we went upwards on stage.

Clarify again. If you meet someone again after a while, it'due south fine to say, "Remind me of your name again," or, "Remind me how to pronounce your proper name again," quite like yous would if yous had forgotten their proper noun. I e'er prefer description over mispronunciation, specially if I'm coming together someone for the second time.

Do something when you realize you've been mispronouncing it. Repent when yous become it wrong, as soon as yous realize. A practiced dominion of pollex is to say, "I'one thousand sorry I mispronounced that. Could you please repeat your name for me?" If you've known someone for a while, perhaps even a number of years, and you realize you lot've been mispronouncing their proper name, operate with humility. Y'all might say: "I realize I've been maxim your name incorrect all this time. I'grand so sad. Could you delight say information technology for me?" Then, make a note and practice privately until you become information technology right.

Be an marry. If you hear someone else mispronouncing a colleague's proper name when they're not effectually, step in and right them gently, "I retrieve it'due south pronounced…" This is peculiarly helpful if your name is more than mutual; it can exist awkward to constantly have to interrupt people, particularly if y'all're already part of an underrepresented minority in the workplace.

Don't exist arrogant or flippant. I've had a number of instances where people say, "I'll never get it right — can I telephone call you another name?" or they refuse to listen when I right them. I take inspiration from actress Uzo Aduba here, who when she wanted to modify her proper name as a kid, was told by her mother: "If they can larn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they tin can learn to say Uzoamaka."

How to respond when people mispronounce your name

Consider having a phonetic/memorable pronouncer: When I introduce myself, I enunciate "Roo-CHEEK-Ah" and take recently started putting my hand by my cheek and saying, "like your cheek." I realized many English language-speakers interpreted my proper noun as "Roo-SHEEK-ah" fifty-fifty after I correctly pronounced it. I'k still unsure why they practice this, only I try and become ahead of the error, since it's the nearly common one I encounter. I also take recently added the phonetic pronunciation to my electronic mail signature and Twitter bio. When I'm going to exist interviewed on a podcast or video, or introduced at a public issue, I send information technology to organizers in advance. I've fifty-fifty started writing the phonetic pronunciation on my proper noun tags when I'thou at a networking event.

Right people. I know information technology's awkward to interrupt, and easier to allow it slide, but if you lot do an internal cringe when people frequently mispronounce your proper noun, I urge you to gently correct them. Phrases that accept worked for me include, "Great to see you again. My name is pronounced Roo-CHEEK-ah, similar your cheek." or "I wanted to quickly say that my name is pronounced…" or I'll simply repeat my proper noun correctly after they've mispronounced it. In one case they say it correctly, I move on quickly. Not only is information technology improve for yous to take your name pronounced correctly, it will hopefully encourage others to also insist on correct pronunciation besides.

After 3 decades of having my proper noun mispronounced by teachers, friends, managers, colleagues, and strangers, I've recently become insistent on having it said correctly, even when information technology means interrupting a customer or someone more senior than me. I also respond with the correct spelling when people misspell it by email, and if it happens once again two or iii times subsequently I've corrected them past email, I typically finish responding.

1 last piece of dash; the way I pronounce my name, an Indian name derived from Sanskrit, is actually different from the way it's pronounced in India (which is Roo-CHICK-ah). Growing upwardly exterior of India, I internalized a different pronunciation of name, but it's one that's comfortable and familiar to me. So when people effort to right my pronunciation of the way I like to be called, I detect it awkward and offensive. If your colleague pronounces their proper noun differently from a version of their name you've heard before, respect how they like to be chosen. Information technology'south like the subtle differences betwixt "Sara" and "Sarah" — I've heard people pronounce both names in dissimilar means.

It'southward always worth noting and remembering how different people adopt their names to be said, fifty-fifty if it requires more effort. Taking time to pronounce names correctly conveys respect and inclusion, and a willingness to treat everyone how you would like to be treated.