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Original poster

Why do some 'Brits' feel the need to re-name anyone anyone with a 'funny foreign' name with an anglised version?

96 replies

bauble99 · 22/12/2006 21:34

We've just taken on a Polish guy to cook/serve and tidy up the kitchen afterwards in one of our nurseries.

He came to the interview with his (Polish) wife because he was worried that his English wouldn't be good enough for the interview (it was.)

He has all of his paperwork in order, a 'Food Hygeine' cert and a CRB check from his last job in an OAP's (elderly care) home. Although, crazily, we need to do another CRB check as a new employer, even though the last one was only done 4 months ago. Sounds like a bit of extra income for Mr Brown?

Anyway, his name is Jacek, pronounced 'Ja-sek' - not difficult, eh?

The staff, not the elderly folk (I could maybe understand them not getting to grips with his name) decided that they would call him 'Jack.' because 'it's easier.'

We, of course, will call him by his name.

We also have a Pakistani Nursery Nurse called Afsha who was called 'Ruby' - because "Afsha's a bit hard to say, innit?"

No, her name is Afsha.

OP posts:
ELF1981 · 23/12/2006 08:55

I used to work with a lot of Chinese people who were working p/t while studying here. One girl was called Linda because her real name (which escapes me now, it was four years ago though) was too hard to pronounce. She said that in her first Uni lecture they were going through names and the lecturer said to her "that name is too hard, how about Linda / Lisa / Katie / Sue?" and so she picked Linda.
Two of the other girls had literal translations of their names, Cherry and Butterfly.

People mis-pronounce my DD's name all the time, she's Evelyn (pronounced Everlynne) but it still gets pronounced Eve Lyn. I wouldn't mind so much but when I've just said her name rather than them seeing it written down, I just dont get it!

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 23/12/2006 09:01

oh my grandad calls my sister leeeza, she has it. and it grates on here that he cant pronounce her dd name either. Its tanisha (tan-ee-sha) but he prounces it tin-e-she-a

FairyTaleOfNewYork · 23/12/2006 09:02

has/hates (her name is Lisa as well)

tallulah · 23/12/2006 09:06

Well I've got a short, perfectly boring English name which is often a shortening of a slightly longer boring English name, and people persist in using the longer version. It isn't my name!!!

I also have a double-barrelled surname which is myname-hisname and only ever use myname. I introduce myself as Mrs myname-hisname and automatically get the response "hello mrs hisname". Telesales people are the very worst for this, no matter how many times I tell them no that isn't my name, and they use the wrong name half a dozen times in the same call. To really wind me up, my uncle sent our Xmas card to Mr and Mrs DHfirstname hisname. I have ceased to exist altogether

People in general are just rude.

snowfallatxmasmum · 23/12/2006 09:18

i can understand the pronunciation difficulties, as a foreigner i have never had my name pronounced properly (it's those pesky rolling rrs) but what annoyed me was that i worked for a company for 10 yrs and my name would still get misspelled at the end, that is just rude!
it's not like it was a big company some people made the effort some did not

i remember once being at a doctors surgery and i was called the receptionist called out my name (not hard really) said 'missX... ish or something whatever you are called'

DizzyBinterWonderland · 23/12/2006 09:20

i have a 'funny foreign name' and i shorten it for work. i work face to face with customers and got sick to death of being referred to as 'that asian lass' (i'm not asian) or 'that coloured lass' or even, 'that half caste lass'. this goes back to jobs i had at school, uni etc. i've carried on with my 'work' name. it's not anglicised though, just shortened for easier pronounciation for those who can't be arsed.

PeachyIsNowAChristmasFruit · 23/12/2006 09:44

Ds2's name gets messed about with- its Stirling, he got called Durley regularly on holiday, and nobody can speel it- my oldest friend, she writes Samuel and Steerling in allcards, despite seeing it so many times (and despite the fact that DS1 is clearly NOT a donkey.....)

alex8 · 23/12/2006 09:49

My friend lectures in English at a Japanese university and they students do this themselves. One poor boy called himself "Sad"

lulumama · 23/12/2006 09:52

we have a 'foreign' surname.....sounds french , but isn;t , but has an accent!!! get called all manner of things...sad thing is,wanted to give babylulu a french first name, but couldn;t stand the thought of us and then her having to spell both her first and last names, with relevant accents, for years ! so it is her middle name instead ! i resort to an english name if order anything over the phone etc..as often cannot be arsed to spell it, 3 or 4 times , to the person on the other end.......

alex8 · 23/12/2006 09:59

My friend's surname begins with Mc and at least 50% of people do not know to pronounce it as Mac and try and sound it out (usually as a sort of mss sound) linking it with all the other letters in the name. Bizarre

TinselgalacticWalrusOfLURVE · 23/12/2006 10:02

I have an irish surname which is often mispronounced and misspelt (It gets a c put in it, when there's none there)

If I ever marry DP, I'm actually quite looking forward to taking on his boring Anglo Saxon surname.

TinselgalacticWalrusOfLURVE · 23/12/2006 10:05

DS2 has an irish name too (Eoin) that gets mispronounced. He's been called all sorts. Eeeon is my fave.

DecktheWallacewithBoughsofHoll · 23/12/2006 10:19

How do you pronounce "Eoin"? Up here it is just the same as "Iain" or now I think about it that might be "Eion"...?!

PrettyCandlesAndTinselToo · 23/12/2006 10:35

One of the reasons my children have fairly common names is that I have always had to spell and re-spell my name, state and re-state it over and over again, and still people mis-pronounce and mis-spell it. My future MIL misheard it when her son told her about me, and decided that I must be black (from what she thought my name was). I think these assumptions about names, and automatic 'simplification' of them, are a form of innate racism, but not a nasty sort, IYSWIM. It's the racism that assumes that everyone is like you, the racism of ignorance, not malice or self-assumed superiority.

nearlythree · 23/12/2006 10:43

My dds' names are mis-pronounced the whole time - one is Greek and one Cornish - drives me nuts.

whatwouldjesusdo · 23/12/2006 11:27

My ex h also anglicised his name to get a job, as do loads of people I know.

However, as a parent I would appreciate your efforts to get the children's names right, bubble. I dont think it gives a good message to the children to change their names.
People are always re-christening my children with english names, and I have to correct them. Even my parents cant be bothered to learn their own grandchildren's names or how to spell them. They aren't particularly long or difficult names either.

Pinotmum · 23/12/2006 11:34

I've got a 3 syllable name and lots of people assume they can shorten it. They then call me by a name I am totally unfamiliar with and wonder why I don't respond. When I told one guy he could sorten it to x but not Y as no-one ever calls me that HE got the HUMP!! It's my name fgs

JanH · 23/12/2006 11:54

Eoin is Owen - I only found out when Eoin Colfer was on a book programme!

I used to know a Dutch woman whose first daughter was called Margje - pronounced Mar-ggghhhhh-ya. When they came to live in England the mother anglicized it to Margaret

JanH · 23/12/2006 11:55

(She was only 2 and couldn't have looked less like a Margaret!)

shonaspurtle · 23/12/2006 16:03

My favourite mispronunciation of my name was by a call centre person who obviously looked at it written down (Seona) and thought that couldn't possibly be right, so called me Sekonda. Far more plausible that I would be named after a brand of watch.

Worst was being called Senga repeatedly by a friend of my mum's....

SenoraPartridge · 23/12/2006 16:07

I know what you mean, but it's not just the Brits who don't like pronouncing foreign names - lots of Spanish people rponounce our names in a spanish way. But I don't mind.

Pinotmum · 23/12/2006 16:42

I worked for a Singaporean boss who couldn't say many of our names - hillarious, embarrassing and annoying! One guy ws called Kevin and no matter how many times we told the boss he could only call him Kelvin [shrug]

iota · 23/12/2006 17:18

I worke with a Norwegian guy once whose name was "Kjell"

the nearest any of us could get to the correct pronunciation was "Shell"

WeWishUAMerryXmasNANappyNewYr · 24/12/2006 00:40

but least you tried. some people rename people just cos their names are a little unusual and often to nothing that is even like their original name which is far different to when someone tries to pornounce your name and it comes out a little bit different.

paulaplumpbottom · 31/12/2006 17:22

Hispanic people tend to pronounce my name diffrently, and that has never bothered me, however to give someone an entirely diffrent name does seem rude.