How do you correct people on a name pronunciation

[summerdaisies]

Hello, so this is actually for me. I am not sure how to go about it when people say my name the wrong way (as I use the pronunciation from my first language, Spanish)

Carolina - Car-oh-lee-nah (my name's pronunciation)
Carolina - Car-oh-line-ah (the English pronunciation)

Caroline, Catalina - Other names I get called

I work in a multicultural environment with mostly English speaking people and I regularly have to sit through long meetings where my name is said the wrong way or they just give me another one (Caroline, Catalina).

I know I have the right to correct people but it feels rude to correct my superiors specially in public. I would like to bring it up and politely address it with them but I don't know how to do it without making them feel dumb for saying it the wrong way.

Any suggestions? xx

Are these people who've met you before and said your name correctly before /heard you say it?

Are you working mostly in the office or remotely? I ask because if you're working remotely it's a lot easier to announce yourself by name when you join a call or video call than if you walk into a room!

Just say it's "Carolina" and pronounce it the way you want it done. There is nothing rude about that. If they continue and it feels like they are making a point change the pronunciation of their name.

And yes, I have a name that can be pronounced two ways.

Different name, but I have exactly this problem and a similar work environment.

It depends on each situation:

1. In 1:1 or small (say up to four people situation) I would tend to just correct people the first time it happens in each meeting. They'll not mind and quickly move on it doesn't become a 'thing'
2. In a bigger session, or e.g. a video conference, I would use the chance to introduce myself and clearly state my name before speaking for the first time
3. If someone is making a big presentation then obviously I don't interrupt that

You'll also find the more you do it, the more colleagues will also come to your assistance and do it for you too. It's not easy and takes time.

Lifes to short to worry about these things, names exist so that we can identify each other. You know they are refering to you so whatever the pronunciation the names doing its job.

I was called a similar but wrong name by a security guard in my office for about 5 years. I think for the first 5 attempts I corrected him then left it be. I'm one of the partners so my name is dotted around everywhere but he clearly had a block I didn't care i knew he meant me and just couldn't get his head around my actual name...no harm done.

I never pick people on it. It doesn't bother me when someone mispronounces my name. I live in England, and I find it perfectly ok if people pronounce my name the 'English' way (I am French speaking, and I have a French name with an English equivalent).

If you are fed up of bringing it up can a colleague help too? Someone on my team has two names as his name - eg John Paul. If someone calls him John, despite being introduced as John Paul it gives ME the rage and I make a point of repeatedly referring to John PAUL until they get it, or if there’s an opportunity I correct them politely.

It helps people to pronounce it correctly if you give them something it rhymes with.

I work in an office in my home country (Spanish speaking) so the problem only happens with clients/coworkers from abroad which is about 80% of the people I interact with. The nature of the work involves almost everyday calls, emails and zoom conferences as it's an international company and I do occasionally get to travel and meet them in person or the other way around.

I occasionally get a chance to introduce myself during calls but most of the time the introduction is done by someone else i.e. "Please meet Carolina our employee from x branch". I then try to introduce myself again with the right pronunciation but I feel most people are maybe too focused on the work to even give that any attention.

I have this a lot with my name. I try to correct as early on as possible... the longer you leave it, the more awkward it gets.

I do what you do - if someone introduces me wrong, I will then pronounce it right. E.g “this is Lena” and I’d say “Hi, I’m Lana, nice to meet you”.
Maybe try putting a bit more emphasis on the correct pronunciation? I don’t think it’s rude. It’s rude that people can’t be bothered to learn your name.

People also spell my name wrong in emails which really annoys me... my name is right there in my email address!

I always just reply with the name correctly pronounced. Everyone replies “oh sorry!”.

My friend (British) lives in Spain, her name is Caroline. Spanish friends call her Carolina.

I'm Laura. Pronounced differently by my Spanish friends.
Usually when people see your name written down, they will assume the pronunciation in their own language.

Is it really that much of a problem?

No offence to the people that don't have a problem with it when it happens to them but to me it is something I strongly dislike. If it doesn't bother you then I guess it's your decision.

My name is part of who I am and I would like to keep it as it is. I wouldn't mind the occasional mispronunciation but I don't really like it when it happens almost everyday.

I will try to make an emphasis on it on my upcoming calls and hopefully it will work out. On emails it's a little bit more tricky as I think it might come off as rude since it will be written down.

It's not a mispronunciation though.

If your name was Fiona and someone called you Fyooonay, that would be a mispronunciation. They are pronouncing your name correctly, in the majority language of the country.

I think you are fine to correct people. but I would try and do it in a light hearted way..As in "Oh in spain my name is pronounced. .." Whilst smiling!

I do understand that it is the right pronunciation in their native language and I have nothing personal against that as I don't expect people to get it right in the first attempt.
It is slightly frustrating though when I introduce myself multiple times and they still can't make the effort to say it right.

A lot of names have a different pronunciation in Spanish and I still make the effort to address everyone with the English version because that is their name and I feel I should be respectful and use it.

I'm with QueenBlueberries--

My name is Spanish (my parents are Mexican) and people in the US and England pronounce it wrong all the time. I used to correct people but I don't now.
I actually don't mind hearing it with different pronunciations. I know who is calling me with the way they say my name. My own husband, who's English, doesn't get it right either.

My maiden name is also Spanish but because it's the name of a character in Harry Potter, it's pronounced easily by non-Spanish speakers. I actually get my married English surname mispronounced all the time in England and with English speakers in the US. It's very odd.

My daughters name is mispronounced mainly because I think it’s got two different pronunciations. Her name is Maia pronounced May ah. But a lot of people say My ah. I just correct them. ‘It’s May ah by the way’ she’s too young and suffers from selective mutism so cannot do it herself.
The only time it winds me up is when I’ve already corrected someone and they still insist on calling her my ah. No fuck off, I’ve told you how we pronounce it so get it right you gimboid.
I’ve never had a problem pronouncing names correctly, even seemingly complicated ones when I’ve been told how to say it. Get it wrong after you’ve been told and you’re just fucking rude.

Most people don't like being corrected.
Some people will not remember that you say it differently.
Some people are crap with names and will just decide you are called something vaguely similar to your real name.

I'd just smile nicely and say 'I'm Carolina'.

No offence to the people that don't have a problem with it when it happens to them but to me it is something I strongly dislike. If it doesn't bother you then I guess it's your decision

OP, I came on to say this, and am so heartened that you beat me to it!

Where someone else is likely to be introducing you, I'd have a word with them beforehand and say "obviously the focus is going to be on you for the intros and I don't want to make you look silly interrupt your flow, but a few people have got my name wrong recently so just so you know, I'd like to be introduced as x, not y please" (if you say the correct way and the common mispronunciation, no-one will accidentally call you one of the other random names as they'll be aware by then).

In other situations, just say "actually, it's Carolina". I wouldn't say "it's pronounced Carolina" as it prompts people to view your simple request for respect as requiring special skill (and they will often dismiss the request because they failed Spanish in school, ho ho, etc).

It's all very well people saying 'well, I'm a partner and I don't care', but if a person is working in a team and their name isn't plastered all of the office, they shouldn't be railroaded into accepting this imposed identity in order to be associated with their own hard work!!

There are lots of reasons people do this, but sometimes it can be a power play. I've had many a time where I've felt almost 'groomed' into acceptance of a name I don't want because a colleague will correct our boss (or whoever) and the boss will say "oh, don't be silly, Longines doesn't mind, do you?", making the person who corrected them feel unreasonable and petty, forcing me into submission so as not to look unreasonable and petty and enabling their own shitty and disrespectful behaviour to continue. I put up with this for years before I realised "actually, I do fucking mind!".

I don't think that people realise how important one's name is.

People do care about it. I know people with names like David or Stephen who dislike being called Dave or Steve, which seems a bit precious but it is their name.

it's even worse if someone gets your name wrong and using quite an ugly name, or poking fun at it,

My Welsh name is often mispronounced. I usually correct politely a few times and then give up. I haven't been brave enough to add the correct pronunciation to my email signature. Maybe next time I move jobs!

It's been mispronounced all my life so I'm used to it. I always say it correctly in meetings but people don't 'hear it' and immediately mispronounce it.

So, for example:
"hi, I'm Sian and I work on X'
"Great, thanks Sigh-Anne'

So clearly saying 'Car-oh-leen-ah' may not necessarily work for the OP as I suspect she will just get 'Cheers, Car-oh-line-ah' back!

On the plus side people do occasionally come to me and say 'so and so calls you Sian, but Dave calls you Sigh-Anne, which is it?' and these people tend to spread the word to others.

It might be worth having a polite word with a couple of people who seem friendly OP - they might spread the word or at least pronounce it correctly and others may start picking it up from there.

My team now all pronounce mine right but a couple of them slip up now and then.

As Mike says, some people don't like being corrected. I have had a worrying number of people who don't speak a word of Welsh and have never been to Wales confidently tell me that I am pronouncing my name wrong, or that my pronunciation is the Welsh one and theirs is the English and 'we're in England so we'll call you the English pronunciation'.

"That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings will forever resonate with me.

Every time you hear it pronounced incorrectly you just say “Carolina”. It happens often with my surname. I’m never rude about it - I just say it correctly.

And no, it’s not Bouquet.

But there is a difference between a pronunciation which is plain wrong (eg Siân as sigh-ann) and those which are valid regional differences (eg David and Catherine become dav-eed and cat-reen in France). The people calling OP Caroline-a aren’t wrong, but if she has made her preference clear then they are rude not to respect it. If it really bothers you, OP, then you will have to speak up and correct them every single time and care a bit less about appearing rude. You could also specify your preferred pronunciation in your email signature.

Memory is sort of like a web and the more context you have to hang a piece of information then the more likely you are to retain it. When you correct people, just say ‘I’m Spanish, so it’s caro-leena.’ This also addresses the difference in regional pronunciation.

I HATE when people say my name wrong!!! It’s second nature to me to just correct them straight away. I work in an environment where I introduce myself to people all day everyday and I will correct anyone and everyone who says it wrong. I’ve done this since childhood it’s second nature and I’ve never felt bad about it. I’m always polite (I hope) and most people apologise, say it right then we move on