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Original poster

To be annoyed to see my (foreign) name misspelt in work email?

113 replies

Startingagainandagain · 03/10/2024 14:59

We are working with an external agency on a project.

I am originally from an EU country and I have a first name of Latin origin, but frankly not that difficult to spell correctly.

The agency lead sent me an email, with several of my team members copied in, where they misspelt my name, anglicized it and turned it into a male name in the process...

I have spoken to the agency contact on Teams and emailed them several time so they know full well I am a woman. My name is on my email signature so there is no reason not to spell it correctly.

AIBU to think this is rather unprofessional and to feel annoyed that someone could not double-check they had spelt a foreign name correctly in a work context?

Should I point this out to them or let it slide?

OP posts:
housethatbuiltme · 03/10/2024 15:43

I think it depend on the extremeness of it and if it could be a legitimate accident (and I say that as someone with a Latin name thats regularly butchered too).

Something like Sofia to Sophia is likely and honest mistake (happens with loads of names actually even common UK ones like Stephen/Steven, Ann/Anne, Sara/Sarah, Eric/Erik, Catherine/Katherine, Ian/Iain, Rachel/Rachael, John/Jon etc...).

However if for example you know your coworker is outspoken about foreign names being 'spelled wrong' and keeps deliberately spelling your name as Neve instead Niamh despite being corrected many times then thats entirely different.

coxesorangepippin · 03/10/2024 15:37

I'd be so pissed at this

Like Alexandra being tuned into Alexander

GoldenLegend · 03/10/2024 15:36

kittykarate · 03/10/2024 15:06

My director just wrote a 'Goodbye and good luck' type email to a manager who was moving within the organization... and mispelled the guy's name. I think in that case autocorrect had done the dirty on them.

I know someone who has had "Melanie" mispelled as "Meanie" in several emails.

I used to know a Louise who got Lousie a lot!

eurochick · 03/10/2024 15:35

I have a common English name that has more than one spelling and get all sorts of variations. It doesn't bother me.

TheForgetfulCat · 03/10/2024 15:35

NewGreenDuck · 03/10/2024 15:21

I used to work with someone called Andrea. Always got letters addressed to Miss A Surname. He was a very male Italian! He started writing Andy as his name after a while. And yes, he did write Mr on his letters just so people knew, but the recipient still thought he was female!

I had a conversation with a very Yorkshire sounding bloke with an improbably Italian name for work purposes.
He explained that he felt much sorrier for his big brother, as his Sicilian father hadnt been quite up to speed with the implications of growing up in a small ex-mining town in the 80s as a boy named Andrea.

Naunet · 03/10/2024 15:34

I get this all the time and have a British name, my last name is a male name, so I get emails addressing me by it fairly often. It’s rude and annoying, but really not worth getting wound up over.

Sassybooklover · 03/10/2024 15:33

I have had several emails in the past to me using... Madeleine, Melissa, Mandy...my name begins with M, but it's not any of those names! It's easy to spell but over the years, I have received emails spelling it various ways (mainly odd ways!). In all cases, my email signature was at the bottom, so no excuse to get it wrong. Sending an email without checking who you're sending it to, and the spelling of the first name, is just as bad as sending an email full of grammar and spelling mistakes - it's unprofessional. However, there are only so many times you can correct people.

DoIWantTo · 03/10/2024 15:32

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yeesh · 03/10/2024 15:26

It’s very annoying but not surprising. My work email address is literally firstname.surname@ & people still spell it incorrectly 🤦🏻‍♀️

MemoriesResurfaced · 03/10/2024 15:26

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at OP's request

EmmyPankhurst · 03/10/2024 15:22

Happens to me all the time.

emilie/Emily.

and sometimes even Emma!

misspelling is everyone even people I’ve worked with closely for 20yrs.

wrong name is usually newbies

I usually let misspellings slide but point out wrong name.

NewGreenDuck · 03/10/2024 15:21

I used to work with someone called Andrea. Always got letters addressed to Miss A Surname. He was a very male Italian! He started writing Andy as his name after a while. And yes, he did write Mr on his letters just so people knew, but the recipient still thought he was female!

WetBandits · 03/10/2024 15:20

YANBU, it’s rude! Your name is right there in the recipient list for them to refer to if they are unsure, so there’s no excuse for getting it wrong unless it was an autocorrect error.

MrSeptember · 03/10/2024 15:20

Startingagainandagain · 03/10/2024 15:08

Thanks everyone!

I don't want to overreact, so I will drop them an email and point out the correct spelling without copying anyone else.

yes, this is what I would do. It is 100% okay to insist that your name be spelled correctly. the first time however, it is okay to do it politely and privately. If i tcontinues, you might need to escalate.

Nannyoggapple · 03/10/2024 15:18

workplaceshenanigans · 03/10/2024 15:18

DD once had to email her colleagues asking them how many shifts they had done that week. She didn't spell 'shifts' quite right.
😂

Ouch!

workplaceshenanigans · 03/10/2024 15:18

DD once had to email her colleagues asking them how many shifts they had done that week. She didn't spell 'shifts' quite right.
😂

Nannyoggapple · 03/10/2024 15:17

There are some very funny work related autocorrect fails online.

I think one was "kind retards" instead of "kind regards"

BarbaraHoward · 03/10/2024 15:15

piccolorhinoceros · 03/10/2024 15:14

I repeatedly address emails to my colleague 'Lousie' rather than 'Louise', have to correct it 90% of the time. It's probably a mistake

I regularly write Satan for Santa. And penison for pension. Blush

MontyVerdi · 03/10/2024 15:15

Possibly autocorrect?

scam321 · 03/10/2024 15:15

Happens to me all the time - like you, I have a foreign name but one that should be easy enough for English language speakers. I don't even correct people unless it's going to be printed/displayed somewhere, going out to a client, or similar. I figure it makes them look bad, not me!

BarbaraHoward · 03/10/2024 15:15

If it's been changed to a more common male name then I would assume autocorrect has come for them tbh.

piccolorhinoceros · 03/10/2024 15:14

I repeatedly address emails to my colleague 'Lousie' rather than 'Louise', have to correct it 90% of the time. It's probably a mistake

Nannyoggapple · 03/10/2024 15:13

Now i think of it, we just had someone visit our office pretty recently.

They introduced me to her, then she called me Megan later on, which is nothing at all like my name.

My name doesn't even start with M.

I did correct her and I laughed about it, and so did she.

Some people have a bad memory with names too.

smallchange · 03/10/2024 15:12

YANBU to be irritated, but it's 99.99% likely to be autocorrect.

This happens to me fairly frequently, and while I do think pronouncing and spelling my name correctly is important, mostly I just let it go because stuff happens. I'm ultra careful due to being very aware of how jarring it is to see your name spelled wrong, but I've been guilty of the odd Tracey/Tracy error or not spotting an autocorrect when I'm dashing something off quickly.

Nannyoggapple · 03/10/2024 15:11

I've been called a man's name before too!

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