How do you feel about others mispronouncing your name? If it happens to you.

[Lullaby]

One of my instructors at my training had constantly mispronounced my name since I arrived.

I'm a really quiet person, so I brushed it off at first. I only have four letters in my name, it's not hard to say at all, but it definitely happens. The other instructor would correct him whenever he would do this.

But it keeps happening, it makes me feel like crap it It sucks putting myself back out there in the world and have this happen, when I'm already struggling so bad. Its such a small thing but it really makes me feel insignificant.

There were some new students who joined the other day, and it happened again. It was embarrassing being called over to help them out by a completely wrong name.

On top of that, there's another girl who works there and helps out who doesn't even know my name. She'll just go "Hey, lady!" Like, really? At the end of the day, one of the other girls wanted to thank me for helping, and she asked for my name. This other girl just shrugged and made a face because she didn't know…

When I'm already feeling like crap and without a sense of belonging, this stuff really only reaffirms my negative thoughts because it's actually playing out in front of me.

I'm trying to speak up for myself more about this, because I know it'll just get me angry and I'll have an episode in front of these people.

 

[Ashu]

I don't mind, but I'm white and living in India, so I have very low expectations.

 

[imtrying]

It happens very frequently for me and I honestly don't care. If people are well meaning and trying, that's all that matters to me. It didn't really seem like that was the case in your story, and when that happens to me it hurts me too. There is a really big difference (at least for me) between an honest mistake and not caring enough about someone to even try to learn their name.

 

[lofticries]

My first name is pretty simple but many seem to want to shorten it which I don't mind. However my last name is a bit hard for some ppl since it isn't a typical American last name.

 

[ConstantPain]

For me it doesn't hurt but it ticks me off. There are only 2 people that have ever shortened my name and they continue to despite me pointing it out. It's not really "Katherine" and shortened to "Kathy" but similar.

Mispronounce a name once, no problem. Continuing to do it is disrespectful.

 

[nightnightnitrite]

I don't mind if it's once or twice but I can see how frustrating that would be to continuously be called the wrong name. Next time I wouldn't respond until he got it correct and if they are wondering why I'd reply "Oh I thought you meant somebody else because my name is XYZ". Or Id start calling them by a totally different name, nothing too crazy just a basic name like Tyler or Michael. You deserve respect especially if this is your job or you are helping others.

 

[Life_and_Death]

I don't care. Everyone pronounces my name wrong XD. This one day at the beginning of class I was talking to my friends and the teacher was doing roll call. I heard my "name" and said here only for my friend to be like "they said it wrong". It happened every school year so I gave up caring.
(I never cared cared, but I stopped caring to correct it)

 

[MountainMonkey]

Slavic names are typically more difficult to pronounce by Americans so I'm use to it

 

[Dead Ghost]

They call me so differently that I have already assumed that all the names they say refer to me, it is a bit like Gandalf of the Lord of the Rings (Gray, White, Olorin, Mithrandir, Incanus, Tharkun ..).

It's worthy of kings to be known by so many different names wherever you go ... better to think that than they don't care about my name, hahaha.

//

M'anomenen de forma tan diferent que ja he assumit que tots els noms que diuen es refereixen a mi, és una mica com en Gandalf del senyor dels anells (el gris, el blanc, Olórin, Mithrandir, Incanus, Tharkun..).

És digne de reis ser conegut per tants noms diferents allà on vagi... millor pensar això que no pas que no els importa el meu nom, jajaja.

*** Note: It is that phonetically they look like other names when pronounced differently despite being written the same.
*** Nota: Es que fonéticament semblen altres noms quan el pronuncien diferent tot i escriure's igual.

 

[chloramine]

It happens very frequently for me and I honestly don't care. If people are well meaning and trying, that's all that matters to me. It didn't really seem like that was the case in your story, and when that happens to me it hurts me too. There is a really big difference (at least for me) between an honest mistake and not caring enough about someone to even try to learn their name.

This. I've had it happen a few times (mainly with my last name), but it was more amusing than anything else because it was unintentional. If the one person has been corrected (by people other than you as well!) multiple times and continues to say it wrong then that's no longer a simple mistake. Honestly it sounds malicious which is hurtful and not okay

 

[ConstantPain]

I don't mind if it's once or twice but I can see how frustrating that would be to continuously be called the wrong name. Next time I wouldn't respond until he got it correct and if they are wondering why I'd reply "Oh I thought you meant somebody else because my name is XYZ". Or Id start calling them by a totally different name, nothing too crazy just a basic name like Tyler or Michael. You deserve respect especially if this is your job or you are helping others.

Great idea, I think I will try that! They are people involved with my work and it's gotten to the point that even my coworkers are annoyed. We'll be in meetings and everyone else calls me my actual name except them.
Thanks!

 

[whatevs]

I know what you mean. These two are obviously showing a very subtle form of disrespect to you. Try to correct the first one a few more times and if they continue to mispronounce just make a mispronounced version of their name and play it off as a joke when they bring it up.

The second one just should be reminded every time that she calls you lady that you have a name.

It's tough to do this if you have social anxiety but you have no option IMO.

 

[nightnightnitrite]

Great idea, I think I will try that! They are people involved with my work and it's gotten to the point that even my coworkers are annoyed. We'll be in meetings and everyone else calls me my actual name except them.
Thanks!

Yeah, that's ridiculous. Definitely don't tolerate that. If everyone else can, so can they. You deserve respect especially in your area of work. This is a professional setting, they need to act like it. I hope everything goes good for you<3

 

[Dead Ghost]

I want to apologize because I had misunderstood the POST at the beginning. I realized that something was wrong reading the comments because they had little to do with what I thought I had read.
I used another translator and the text is more coherent with the answers I read.

Having said that, I just want to say that I understand you, I have experienced the same thing but not with my name but with my surnames, which when mispronounced are a source of derision and mockery towards me or contempt... in my case it is clear that there is an intentionality on the part of some people to make pejorative puns addressing me.
In fact, I took steps to put a simple accent on my first surname and tried to put an umlaut... but it was all a nonsense of spelling and toponomic incorrectness (a surname is the name of a town).

Today they still make mistakes when they address me with my surname and it bothers me. Regarding my name, it does not bother me at all how they pronounce it because there is no bad intention on anyone's part.

And I apologize again, I am sorry.

Spoiler: Original Text

Em vull disculpar perquè havia entés malament el POST de l'inici. M'he n'he adonat que alguna cosa no anava bé llegint els comentaris ja que poc tenien que veure amb el que creia que havia llegit.
He usat un altre traductor i el text es més coherent amb les respostes que llegeixo.

Dit això només dir que et comprenc, he viscut el mateix però no amb el meu nom sinó amb els meus cognoms, els quals mal pronunciats són motiu d'escarni i burla cap a mi o menyspreu.. en el meu cas es evident que hi ha una intencionalitat per part d'algunes persones en fer jocs de paraules pejoratius adreçant-se a mi.
De fet vaig fer tràmits per posar un simple accent al meu primer cognom i l'intent de posar una dièresi... però tot era un despropòsit de incorreccions ortogràfiques i toponimiques (un cognom és el nom d'un poble).

Avuí dia encara s'equivoquen quan s'adrecen a mi amb el meu cognom i em molesta. Respecte el meu nom no em molesta gens com el pronunciin doncs no hi ha mala intencionalitat per part de ningú.

I em torno a disculpar altra vegada, ho sento.

 

[sourokraandfish]

It depends. My name is hard for English speakers with no experience with EA/SEA languages to pronounce properly because it originates from a tonal language with many vowel sounds. it doesn't bother me as long as they don't do it intentionally in a mocking manner. Even if they do, I'm not confrontational so I don't think I will do anything about it...

But it seems like in your case, most of them are not putting any modicum of effort into learning your name. They suck. I'm sorry. I completely understand how something seemingly small can have such a toll on our mental health, especially when we're not in a good place. I personally can get unproportionally irritated and lash out or just bawl my eyes out from anger.

 

[akana]

pisses me off because its not at all hard to get right and people misspell it too