Your name is not about YOU
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
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ABOUT THIS VIDEO
In this video, we discuss how you should introduce your name in English. My advice is that if you introduce yourself in English, you should also introduce your name in English. This means you need to learn how to pronounce your name with English sounds OR adopt an English name. This helps you quickly connect with whoever you are speaking to, and it eliminates an unnecessary barrier.
If you have a name that is "strange" or difficult to pronounce in English, it's going to make English speakers feel awkward when they have to use it. Or worse-- they'll try their best to say your name and completely butcher it, making it sound UGLY and nothing like your actual name. These issues can easily be avoided with a name that is simple and easy for native speakers to say.
And I think this goes both ways. When native English speakers speak YOUR language, they should make sure that they are also using a name that is easy for you to say and doesn't include foreign sounds you can't make!
At the end of the day, names are meant to connect us, not create a barrier. So, I encourage you to watch this video from start to finish and share your ideas in the comments! :)
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ's)
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-California
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-Yes, I learned Spanish and speak fluently.
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-Mexico, Argentina, Ireland, UK, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy
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-Yes, I have lived in Argentina since January 2013
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-No. I work with advanced English learners, and they don't need or want me to slow down. You can slow down my videos with this chrome extension: bit.ly/2twblvb
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WOW-- the comments on this video have been interesting, to say the least! I did warn you guys that this is a controversial topic. However, now I want to take a minute to clear up some confusion and set some things straight, so please read this BEFORE commenting.
1. No where in this video do I recommend "translating" your name. The two recommendations I gave were 1) adapting the pronunciation of your name so that you can say your name with English sounds and 2) changing your name completely if and when necessary. So, if your name is "Maria" you DO NOT need to translate it to "Mary." However, if this makes you more comfortable, you can absolutely do it. You need to figure out what is best for YOU.
2. When is it necessary to change your name completely? This is a personal topic that each person should decide on their own. For example, if you work at a call center and talk with English speakers all day, you might not want to introduce yourself as Venyamin with a thick Russian accent, because the people you are trying to help won't know how to say your name. Instead, it would be easier to introduce yourself as "Ben" (which, in this case, happens to be the short form of the translated name).
3. Are Americans just LAZY and ENTITLED because they don't say your name the way YOU pronounce it it your native language? Not at all! If people don't possess the ability to make foreign sounds, you can't judge them for that. They literally are incapable of making certain sounds, just as YOU are incapable of making sounds in other languages.
4. Names get adapted all the time-- this is nothing new!! Think of your favorite American celebrities. How do people in YOUR country pronounce their names? I guarantee they do NOT pronounce the names the way I do. They adapt the names based on the sound bank of YOUR language.
5. Some people have asked, "well would English speakers adapt their names when speaking MY language? I doubt it!" And to this I first have to say... who cares?? Do you live your life based on what other people do? I hope not. You should think critically about your actions and the results they will produce, and then do whatever will move you closer to your ultimate goals. Next, I have to say that YES, many English speakers DO change their names based on the languages they speak. In the video, I gave a great example when I explained how I change my name in Spanish from "Stef" to "Estefi." Also, I should mention that the more advanced someone is in a language, the easier they find it to adapt their name to the pronunciation of that language. So, an advanced speaker of your language will be able to adapt their name a lot easier than a beginner who is still learning the sounds of your language.
6. Everything I talked about in this video is nothing new-- especially the part about people changing their actual names. You might not be aware of this, but when foreign students go study in your country, many of them change their name to adapt to your culture and integrate with your society. Just read the comments to find more examples of this.
7. Ren, my husband introduces himself in Spanish, then in English. He says his name is "Renzo" and he pronounces it with the strong R, and then he follows up with "but you can call me Ren." So, even he uses multiple names. I, on the other hand, don't bother introducing the English version of my name when speaking with Spanish speakers. I go right to the Spanish version of my name. That's the only difference between our introductions-- neither of us stubbornly refuses to say our names ONLY as they are in our respective native languages.
8. I find it very ironic that I get HUNDREDS of comments from people saying they want to improve their pronunciation, but the second I make a video saying "let's talk about pronouncing your name with English sounds," a handful of people freak out. I get it-- for many of you, your name and the way it sounds in your language is your identity. Saying it with English pronunciation sounds WRONG. Hopefully, though, you will get more comfortable with the idea over time. When you speak English with people, they need to know what to call you and it's YOUR job to help them find a way to say your name with the sounds they are capable of pronouncing.
9. You can do and believe whatever you want. I am here to share what I've learned after having worked with THOUSANDS of students around the world, having lived in foreign countries myself, having adapted to new societies, etc. I don't take the advice I give lightly, and everything I share is to help YOU succeed with your English. So think twice before commending, and DON'T comment if you plan on writing something xenophobic or rude.
I know this is the internet, but I'm a professional and I expect a lot from this community. If my videos don't serve you, there is plenty of content for you to watch outside of this channel. And for those of you who have been loyal subscribers and who think critically about the messages I share, THANK YOU. Thank you for your support and for always sharing such valuable feedback in the comments. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I love when we can discuss controversial topics like this and do it in a diplomatic, respectful way.
I hope this video gets people thinking... I hope you consider things you've never considered before. If I didn't challenge you, I wouldn't be doing my job ;)
See you in the next video!!
Ok teacher! U have changed my opinion about this subject. My name is Guilherme. How should i say my name in English? Just "Gui"? I have an American friend from texas and he pronounces my name like " Guieeeme hehe i dont care. But Im still saying my name like Guilherme hehe. His name is Joseph. In Brazil it would be josé hehe thanks again for your advise!
Guilherme Braga your name is pretty hard to adapt to English. You can introduce yourself as Gil-ee-emee or Gil-ee-air-me OR, the easiest way, Gil :)
@@TheEnglishCoach ok!! I'll do it! I have heard that my name in English also means Willian hahaha i can't trust in this cause it does not make sense, but... who knows? Im gonna say my name as Gil! Thanks again for your advise! U are very kind :D
You are more beautiful than the most lovely rose
And more sweet than honey
and more precious than gold
You are more precious than everything that exists in this life
more precious than every one else and more precious than all the jewelry and money
You are all whats good in life
your lovely cute baby face is the radiant sun shining in my eyes
and you are for me the morning light
your smile rids me of all the darkness of sorrow all the time
and plants hope in me
no matter how bad life becomes
With you I try to stay strong for both me and you
and continue living life even if it became dark in my sight
Because you are the moon shine even in the darkest night
I love you sooo much forever all the time
In morning and evening you are always in my heart
Cudle me and hugg me tight and never let me go
I love you sooo much and you for sure love me too
Keep me in your lovely white kind heart forever only me and never let any one else come between me and you
Princess please love me forever and love no one but me
no matter how many bad things about me are disgusting to you
Only see the good side and good things in me
And see no better than me even if there were many people whom are way better and more handsom than Iam
And never get bored with me always lets enjoy
Enjoy having each other even if we become poor and have no money
Keep smiling to me and holding my hand
And let us bring lovely children whom are as beautiful as you
Whom will love both me and you
and love God regardless of the difficulties they will
go through
And make our life happier and we care always for them
And let them do all good in life and lets hope they be as smart and bright as you
And that they be good humans in life and worship God always and no one else but him
And that they be strong when feeling weak by believing and depending on the power of God and their own self too
And they be loving each other and loving other people too
and forever love the prophet Mohammed
the one with the
biggest heart and greatest mind
the Jesus of his time and his great pious progeny the ark of salvation whom are the true carriers of his light
Great advice Stephanie..!! Thanks. You're cute.
Greetings from Canada🍁
James Bond in brazil:
James: my name is James.
Someone: sorry.. what's your name?
James: James.
Someone: what?
James: Tiago
Someone: ah, hi Tiago.
KKKKKKK Good one!!!
Jemes means Tiago. Is It ok?
kkk afff nem tanto vai ...
¿ James, ---- como en " James David Rodríguez Rubio" ? ---- /ha/ - /month/ =)
😄😄
"- So, what is your name?
- My name?
- Yes, your name.
- My name's uvuvwevwevwe onyetenyevwe ugwemubwem ossas."
and imagine u need to translate your name Uvuvwevwevwe to English and you say just John
dumb, personal names are not translated
I saw this video about that guy, it was hilarious!
yea, but u can call me Uvu
@@Elchicodelivery how to pronounce hihi
I was going to make the exact same joke xD
-What is your name?
-I’m Renzo
People from all over the World:
Nice to meet you Renzo
Americans:
Can you say it again?
Константин Григорьев true
So true
Renzo it's Easy i thoughtt!!😂💔❤
Exactly!
100 процентов!!! :))))))
What i like the most is this lady explaining, "when native speakers say: what's your name?, they mean What should i call you?" then, why not to use this? informal, maybe? but, a lot clearer. So, Hi, I'm Britney Spears -.-
I'm from Taiwan, a Chinese speaker. I was told to choose an English name for myself as a kid in English class. I didn't even know why, so when I met international friends, I told them my "English name"(kinda a nickname). One semester passed. They finally knew my Chinese name and they were so surprised and said "OMG why did you lie to us?" Of course in a joking way. But since then, I introduce myself in Chinese name (and people still fail to pronounce it most of the time XD) and then I say my nickname just to make everything easier haha and make sure they know that's my nickname, not my real name. So I guess I still keep my identity in that way🤔😆
So, what’s your Chinese name？
I also call my Chinese colleagues with their Chinese name. I prefer it more than their English name because I feel that it's not theirs. I will ask for the pronunciation some times and then I will be used to it.
My Taiwanese employee told me to call her "Lily" but I insisted on finding out what her real name was, and I called her nothing but that. I found it insulting that they thought Americans couldn't pronounce Ying Ying.
@@renee901fulable Exactly the situation I worry about if I use my English name. Non-native speaker don't know whether our name could or could not be pronounced by Americans.
I did the same when studying Russian. I used my baptsmal name, Kirill (which is Russian,) instead of my secular name. No one in class ever knew my secular (English) name... they all thought Kirill was my "street name" and I was quite happy with the arrangement !
Your diction it's perfect and makes your spoken English very comprehensible! Great video!
true im an english speaker level 1 and i can understand everything
Same with me
++++++ that diction is incredible 😍
She makes me feel like a good listener. XD
Her accent is very annoying!
-What should I call you?
-Голошубова Виктория Константиновна
- ...
-Vika
Купи новую шубу да и всё)
Anatoly A Над фамилиями смеются только конченные идиоты👌
Kkkkkkkkkkk...
Я теперь вместо Тимур буду наверное представляться Timmy
Почему кстати What а не How 🤔
I don't like having my name pronounced incorrectly. I understand what you are explaining and I also understand that there are names that are more difficult to pronounce. I always try to learn how a person's name is pronounced. I believe that who should decide how to pronounce his/her name is the person.
Yes!!
I completely agree. There is no reason why you should change your name to adapt to others who are not willing to even try to pronounce your name correctly.
If you don't mind. Can we talk with each other. So we can learn English easly and fast. My instagram @vin_aayy
Juan Diego... how could it be pronounced correctly?
@@jlopezj3 text me. On instagram. @vin_aayy
I'm Ramon in a portuguese language country where we pronounce it just like Jamón en espanhol.
Whenever I found a Spanish speaker I introuduce myself like Rrrrrrrrramon so as to not to be confused with a piece of ham.
Presuntão kkkkkkkkkkkkkk
@@lucmorpe kkkkk
😂😂
Ramon Marins not at all.
Ramon is Ramon in Spanish as well.
I think ignorant people teased you , how rude from them !
My name is Ramon. if you little punks come up in here, me and the homies will take what ya'll got. Ya'll ain't ready for this
I 100% agree with saying my name with an American accent. I have such long name in Spanish... Estuardo (translated to English is Stuart or Stewart) such name is mostly common in Guatemala so often times I have to repeat my Spanish name even to native Spanish speakers from other countries. Now in English, by introducing myself with an American accent I'm making it so much easier for them to actually pronounce my name correctly. without dwelling on how to say it properly (most of the time). Every now and then I tell people to just call me Stuart just to make things easier.
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I'd never thought about that and now I'll never forget that " what is your name" means " what should I call you". Thank you.
I'm a native English speaker(born and raised in Midwest) and I like your videos because it gives me the perspective of learning a language from the other side(currently learning Spanish).
While I enjoy your videos, this one rubbed me the wrong way. People shouldn't have to modify their names to make it easier for native English speakers to say. Names have cultural and personal significance and changing it takes away an opportunity for the native English speaker to learn something about you and your culture. I live in a highly diverse area and I've found people appreciate it when I take the time to learn and say their name correctly.
The one exception I could see is if someone's name is completely unpronounceable in English. For example, some tonal languages have words/names that will be impossible to say without some training.
In a perfect world, no one would ever have to modify their name. But the reality is we live in a world of international travel, business, immigration etc. You can try your best to say foreign names, but the reality is you probably ALWAYS modify it because you don't know their language and the sounds you make will NOT be the same as in their native language. And that's OK. My advice here is not for everyone. Some names are easy to say in English with modified sounds. Other names are impossible. At the end of the day, everyone needs to decide what's important to them. If someone's name is creating a barrier and making THEM and OTHERS uncomfortable, they need to know that they have options. Anyhow, I really appreciate your feedback. I'm loving the discussions and perspectives that are being shared in the comments. I'll have to make a follow-up video about this addressing some points people have made :D
Nicely put!! That is exactly how I see it too.
I am a chilean man, and my name is Miguel. Speaking with an australian man, he used to call me Mikel, with the accent in the e letter. The real suond is not a "k" , the right sound is a "g" like in the word "Guy", then the real sound of my name in spanish is "Migel" with the accent in the "e" letter. The letter "u" in spanish in this case is not pronauced. This is a general rule in our grammar.
That is what is exactly I tried to say, but I guess that we are in the Trump Era. The video is very disappointing.
And then you mention MARIA as one of those "impossible" names?
I don't know where you studied phonetics, if at all.
HI Stefanie, initially I was a little bit sceptical but what you said in this video convinced me that you are entirely right.
We are all learning in this together. There was a time when these ideas never even crossed my mind. But they became relevant when I started living in foreign countries myself and working with other people who were in my same situation. I’m glad we can explore these ideas together :)
@@TheEnglishCoach We have to reach a certain level of maturity, for one. And, two, we have to make experiences similar to the one you're describing. No one teaches us things like that, so how could it possibly cross our minds (it doesn't even cross our parent's and/or teacher's minds). Unless, of course, we grow up in an adequate environment where we would need and thus develop such soft skills.
If you want to dig deeper into that, grab Joe Lurie's Perception and Deception. I've learnt about his cross-cultural environment studies in an interview I've seen once and the book is a fun and witty read with a great insight into cross-cultural differences.
Oh, teacher, I agree with you on everything you said, and it was one of the first things I thought when I started to study, really is necessary for everyone to make an arrangement for others can say our name, it's simple and necessary! Who do not agree with you are completely wrong!!
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The best teacher ever !!! It’s sounds make friends you’re more than just a name... and it’s exactly what it is.
Hi i am ashish i also want to improve my english fluency is there any platform where i can talk with native speaker
Justin Bieber freaked out when Sabrina Sato called him Jus-chin....
Verdade kkkkkkkk eu lembro
Kkkkk...
That's it!
Hhhhhhhhh
here in colombia we pronounce that name like justiniano biveros
By the way, here in Costa Rica, and I am sure in many other latin american countries, we have no problems whatsoever pronouncing the name Stephanie, or Jennifer or Susan with the stress in the first syllable. We can sound pretty accurate and sometimes without even trying. I'd say there can be exceptions like with chinese names, but let's not underestimate people's ability to learn new words and even new sounds no matter the linguistic background.
Please read the pinned post for more info on all of this.
"My name is blablabla but you can call me daradaradara"
I think that's the expression I prefer
I do that sometimes, not always
Sochen muchahary
Best the English coach
Very clears speaking English
This video is about identity and that is a controversial thing when you are an inmigrant living in other country! Thanks for sharing your point of view! 🙋
I support Enzo 😁 I always use my "Spanish name" with my English speaking friends. Most of time they pronounce it wrong [Án-dres], but I don't expect them to do it perfectly, and it's the same for them: they use their "English names" here in Ecuador and even when my Ecuadorian friends and I can't pronounce them perfectly, we all are ok with it. 😄 Just my opinion.
I guess some Spanish names are easier for them.. Andrés doesn't sound so bad. In my case I know they're always going to pronounce my name without the accent and with the schwa, specially when I'm at work or ordering food, save me always some time. But there are names that are much difficult for them, i.e. at work we have this guy called Govindarajan... We just call him Guvin.
You're right, there are names and names. I think at the end of the day it's up to each one. I like how my name sounds with an accent, but not everyone thinkgs the same.
Totalmente de acuerdo.
I believe his name is renzo but i agree with you
In my country it's literally midnight
But I'm so excited to watch this:)
Easier if people asked "how can I call you?" instead of "what's your name?".
It depends on the circumstances, the environment, the people, the goals, etc., but I usually introduce myself by saying my actual name and adding "(but) you can call me ..." when they give signs of trouble trying to repeat my name or they go straight to "and how can I call you?".
We must not underestimate the knowledge, abilities or skills of others. If the conversation is worth the effort, it is worth the effort to know the actual name.
The example of the call center is completely different, the person who calls is not interested in the person who answers, but in the service.
I watched the whole video and read your entire pinned post. I thank you for making clear the problems regarding the pronunciation of the names and the different suggestions. A great work, as usual! Nevertheless, the subject could be presented or approached slightly differently.
Just for the record:
i) "It's not about you...", but it's my name!
ii) "I find it very ironic that I get HUNDREDS of comments...", if one has taken the time and trouble to learn another language, could they just try to learn a name?
As I said "If the conversation is worth the effort, it is worth the effort to know the actual name" and @Scubasteve5022 wrote an excellent comment about it.
Thank you coach
From Lima-Peru 🇵🇪
Finally my amazing teacher is returned back.😍😍😍
And mine too 🤗🤗
has returned...
@@Cruzeiro5x02008e2009 Or is back.
While I was studying French, I always had that feeling of: oh crap, can’t they just pronounce my name correctly? That’s my real name, makes no sense change the way it is... but this year I traveled abroad for the first time and I met people from all over the world, and I experienced everything that you said, back there I could understand that what matters is the communication, and even if I wanted, they probably would never be able to pronounce my name correctly!
Now I’m way more “open” for this, and it’s really cool to have my name pronounced differently or even have people calling me by first,middle or last name... I feel like I have different personalities 😂
I totally agree with you! It’s something that people should really think about.
Ahhh thank you for sharing this!!! So many people took this video the wrong way, but I really think it’s cause they never experienced what I’m talking about. Your comment validated everything I said and that this is good advice, applicable to all languages. Thanks for sharing your experience :)
Hey man. I thought you have perfect international name. Is it really many options how to tell "Carlos" or "Frederico"?
@@eugeneshebeko4187 If your name is Carlos they'll probably call you Charles in english language countries
I would never translate or change my name completely just so it is more convenient to others, i'm sorry but that's not debatable for me.
I forgot to mention, my name is Geizielle, and it sound a bit similar to Gisele, like that famous top model.
Haha team Renzo over here 😜
@@TheEnglishCoach 🤣
@@TheEnglishCoach By the way, coach, i think you're an amazing teacher. It is almost impossible not to learn anything from you. The way you explain things is so clear and makes so much sense that every video you upload makes me learn more, even after 19 years studying english by myself and doing whatever i can to be better at the language.
Greetings from Brazil! 😘
Don't worry. Only Americans are like this. New Zealand and England are free from this idiocy.
@@iraosv Could you explain what a clicking sound is? Are you referring to parts of the speech, like someone pronouncing their first name, that ends up being difficult to understand? Regards.
Sochen muchahary
Best
The English coach
Speak is beautiful
This lesson was very useful! And I enjoyed this very much, especially the different opinions she and her husband had about adapting the pronunciation of your name or changing it for English native speakers.
Whoa, this topic is really controversial. The funny thing is I've never thought about that.
Haha yeah it is 🙈 I’m proud though of how everyone is handling it, especially the people who disagree. It’s ok to disagree, but diplomacy is so important. You guys rock!!
It happened to me many times when I was working in a call center. I used to give my name in mother language. Costumers didn't understand my name; some of them asked me to spell it. I got fed up explaining how to pronounce my name every day and I started to use a surname in english. It actually worked. Since then, I got rid of misunderstandings and wasting of time discussing on how to pronounce my real name.
Egosum Tantum I’m so glad you shared this!!
Ok pedro if you vote for me all your wild dreams will come true lol.
I do understand everything that you say. You rock!
I'm an ESL teacher as well, only the names that have a variety of forms in different languages can be pronounced differently: (Matthew, David, Charles) it doesn't mateer if I agree or not with you. There's simply no way to make English forms for native names in my country like Citlalli, Xóchitl, Tonatiuh ir Cuauhtémoc. Not been willing to involve culturally with the speaker is quite racist
Uzziel Campis I never said names should be translated. Did you not watch the entire video? Even with names like the ones you mentioned, it’s important to find ways to pronounce them with the sounds of the English language. Otherwise people won’t know how to say your name. Please read the pinned post to learn more about this topic, especially since you are an ESL teacher.
Interesting topic. I'm a linguist. Well, translating names used to be a common phenomenon in the past because of cultural differences and phonological adaptations to the target language.
Thank you so much ...... good lessons learned for me. Since my last name start with "NGUYEN" and my first name is "TUOC ".
To make it short and easy I choose TJ (Tuoc + my sant name Joseph = TJ) .... Everybody HAPPY..
In other words: relax, don't be so stiff, make friends, adapt to your environment and live your life ;)
This comment should be pinned too 😊
Hello Stefanie☺ I am so glad to hear that American accent. I always try to share your video with my friends. Greetings from Guatemala.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is known throughout the planet, and his name was never changed.
That's not true. The name itself was never changed, but nobody pronounce it in German. I've never heard an English or Spanish speaker pronouncing "Schwarzenegger" the right way.
Thanks to him I don’t have to change my name and still sound a little weird :v
@@lucasnahuel2 yeah, latin people be like: SuArRsEnEgueR
@@lucasnahuel2 ez Schwarzenegger
You're absolutely right!
i really enjoy a lot all the tips that you do¡ for me you are the best beautiful english teacher i have ever seen¡¡
Remembers me to the story of Ralph Lifschitz, who was concern of the effects of having the word "shit" in his last name, so he then changed his lastname to Lauren, and later on became the founder of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Great example!! :)
@@TheEnglishCoach (and Julian) : Yes! And it reminds me of an actor named Issur Danielovitch who passed away recently. You might know him better as Kirk Douglas. :-)
One of Douglas's classmates at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts was Betty Joan Perske -- you know her as Lauren Bacall.
It just goes to show that a person's name isn't *_that_* big of a deal -- it's just a way to identify a person. If you can make it easier for another person to understand and pronounce your name, why not do it?
*_I_* did. All my life, I had an unusual (in the U.S., but very common in South Africa) last name that was _constantly_ mispronounced and mangled in every way possible (and sometimes in ways that seemed _impossible!)._ When I graduated from law school and embarked on a career, I decided that having a difficult-to-pronounce name would be bad for my practice. Just like Stef's résumé example, I knew intuitively that people looking for a lawyer in the phone book would feel uncomfortable or embarrassed if they weren't sure how to pronounce my name, and would just skip to the next name in the book. (This was back in the '90s when phone books still existed!)
I seriously considered changing my last name entirely, but was talked out of it by everyone I knew. So I kept my given surname, but I still changed one letter (and the pronunciation) to make it easier for people to "figure out" and pronounce.
It's not a rejection of my family or my heritage or anything like that. It's just being pragmatic!
Americans are not ”LAZY and ENTITLED” because they ”are incapable of making certain sounds”. They are when they make it seem with that attitude like you owe it to them to adapt it for them so they wouldn't even have to try. (”Your name is not about YOU.” Sure, cause it's about YOU, right?) Otherwise you apparently "haven't traveled *at all* ”. Considering how often Americans on average travel outside their own continent (or even the country for that matter) that sounds particularly hilarious. While making people ”curious as to what your background is” is obviously the worst thing that can happen. And after that you say ”you can't judge them for that” lmao. Oh the hypocrisy.
Oh and that's surely the most appropriate reaction to have when you realise you just offended people 3:04
Says a lot about your character I suppose
Dead on. How is this not the top rated comment?
I am a big fan of your accent😍😍
So am I!
Me too, I understand everything she speaks. She has another video that explains why she speaks very well
same
Yes has not accent, she speaks neutral English...
@@Estanis72but she has an accent America
You right, name is just name
Hello Stephanie! Congratulations 🎉👏 for this video, well done 👍! Great audio 🎧, I think which is the best video of yours in this technical point. I send you a hug 🤗🙏💐. Happy Sunday wherever you are 💕
Hi, I am Polish and was living in England for 6 years together with my wife, I wish I knew this topic back then.
All English people had big problem to say "Aleksandra" and "Daniel" as we expected to because they pronounced our names completly different.
Completly different than we do in polish language.
They tried again and again and again but finaly we (me and my wife) had to get used with some akward sounding version of our names. It was exactly the case described in the video.
My wife's name spoken by english natives sounded like the male equivalent of her name, what was making my wife realy upset.
and when I was introducing myself the reactoion of my interlocutors was always akward and strange for me. I didn't know why back then . Now I know that my pronounciation from Poland sound like "Danielle" and is a women's name. So I froced them to call me by women's name and I didn't know about it . Awsome right? "was my name my identity " ? do not think so.
Now I know that we could adapt a little.
- I could learn how to pronounce my name in english
- My wife could introduce herself as "Ola " polish shortcut of her name we use in Poland daily, or just Alex(in Poland this is male name, but not in England)
what a lot of women with the same name do .
I say, "Hi, I'm Jungho but call me J(Jay) or J.K." I never made an English name for myself because my American friends said, "Nooooo, you do not look like Dave(or whatever). Just teach me how to say your name. It's so cool" These days, I ended up saying "call me J" because I understand what your videos is all about.
It's funny tho..none of my American friends suggested me to make an English name but now I'm back in Korea and here, people like me to have an English name. So, here, I say...call me Charles. Hahahahahahha
Loooooooooool
I start love you from the first video I watched with you. I'm so exciting from your voice! You are TOP #1. I subscribed and will follow your lessons and advice in order to improve my reading/listening/speaking skills.
Yesterday I started watch your videos and I couldn't stop, it's impossible to stop :) Hello from Ukraine ;)
Your speaking is very nice, and you are a very beautiful teacher.
The answer is very simple.
First of all, foreigners should introduce themselves with their name pronounced in their native language at the beginning because it is their " real name " and others should know it if they have respect for them ( according to my personal experience and observation to others as well, people even want to know it at first). And immediately after that these foreigners can propose some alternative name more easily pronounceable or recognizable to local people or local people can ask them if it is possible to use a bit more simply pronounceable name in case no other choice is given spontaneously by these foreigners at the first meeting (not always foreigners notice that their own name is difficult to be repeated by others especially if that is their first time abroad) so that the conversation can go more smoothly. The explanation I am writing here is long, however, the action to take is very easy and simple and anybody can do that automatically without thinking too much with " take it easy " attitude each time such an occasion happens to them.
The most important thing is a mutual respect. None of both sides should impose their own way to others unilaterally. The proverb " When in Rome, do as the Romans do " can be applied to many cases in life style and customs when living abroad but the name is our own unique identity and a completely indipendent factor from these aspects, so it has nothing to do with what this proverb means. Besides this kind of situation can happen even when two foreign travellers of two different native languages meet up by chance in a country they don't live in. Therefore, we should know how to manage it as a universally common matter wherever we go.
By the way, my Japanese name is not always pronounced correctly by foreigners but I introduce myself with my name in my native language at the beginning. To my surprise, some learn it immediately but about 70 - 80 % of people not, therefore as soon as I notice their difficulty, I pronounce it again but this time more slowly and clearly so that they can hear it better and then I tell them " you can call me as you want, as you can pronounce more easily ! " and I accept any name as long as it does not sound too odd.
In Italy where I am currently living, I have a special method because the pronunciation of the Italian word " tesoro" (treasure in English) is a bit similar to that of my name. So after my first introduction I point it out to Italian people immediately when I notice difficulty in some of them, then they learn it very quickly because this is their own language word plus the word " tesoro" is used very often in their daily conversation when they call their lover/husband/wife/children etc... whom they are really caring about...( " my dear " or " honey " in English can correspond to this " tesoro ") so they like this idea very much. And after repeating it several times, they come to learn my real name very easily, too.
Anyway I noticed also that, unless it is too long and/or complicated, " most people" tend to want to pronounce foreign friends' name as it is naturally pronounced in their own native language after some time of period because they know its importance and want to respect them.
It s hilarious. How should you call me? Using my name. I call you using your own despite english is not my language. Is it a problem? No it s not at all. People freak out cause some of them can not pronounce the r sound? Then what? They can try to be a little bit open minded. I have friends from all over and never thought to translate their names into my own language and sometimes it s not even possible. And then a name is charming, it has its own history related to a specific people and culture. It can be an occasion to learn something which is never a bad idea. Then if pronouncing somebody’ s name can be somehow hard, just try and say I am sorry if my spellinng is not properly perfect but I will improve it. It shows that you are smart. Even this attitude is a clear will of sharing something. If you are really unable to do that, listen, calling me or who ever has got a name which is a little bit unusual for you, is the last of your problem at this point. Go outside more often and if you can, try to travel more or just keep spending your name with people of your country with very native names so you can avoid “awkward” situations.
Skillfully phrased, and I agree.
Nicely put!!
I think it's not like you have to change your name for others. But usually you get a nickname when your name is so complicate to pronounce for others, specially in college or work. You don't have to feel offended because of that. Also if you know that that country your name is pronounced in a very specific way, just be kind and say it like that. After, in a more intimate situation you can go with further explanation.
Hey Stef, I just ran into your channel and i liked it very much. At first I thought you were going to give this video a colonialist perspective, but after you gave the example of Argentinian people struggling to call you by your name, it all made a lot more sense. And I was very impressed by the fact that you have a very native-like command of the aspirated 's' which is very typical from rioplatense Spanish. Congrats on your content and keep up the good work.
I totally desagree, just because English speakers dont do it like this.
I agree with you. It's like we have to adjust to their way, but then they don't even try to do the same thing.
yes, and then everybody around will be only Jonh, Jack, Donald etc
we learn english so we have to respect their habit and culture.
i learn mandarin too and we should have chinese name coz chinese can't sound indonesian or arabian names.
Gerardo Haase Cortés guys, please read the pinned comment. This goes both ways. Anyone who speaks any foreign language should also learn to say their name in a way that speakers of that language will understand. Please stop making this about native English speakers vs. non-native English speakers. I gave the example in the video about how I change the pronunciation of my name when I speak Spanish. Make sure you fully understand the message before making comments about it. Several people saw the first minute of this video, got offended, and made a comment. Advancing in your education means considering ideas you’ve never thought of before and approaching new ideas with an open mind.
Thanks Stefi... you're a great english teacher.
Indonesian people can't sound english or western names. So all western or christian names have to translate to indonesian phonetics. My mother is Maria not Mary. James in english became Yakobus. Paul = Paulus. Peter = Petrus. Benedict = Benediktus. John = Yohanes. George = Gregorius etc etc.
My name is Lambertus in Indonesia and Lambert in english and Lamberto in East Timor coz they speak in Portugese.
I agree with you. I've been learning Spanish for years and have altered my name so they can pronounce.
I have just the video and totally agree with you, The English Coach.
My names is Rogério, but you can call me Roger.
Roger that hehehe
@@alexandroalmeida822 I was going to say that =/
Meu nome é André, work hard and you'll can say my name. After all in Brazil we have give our best to pronounce forein names correctly.
5:45 good one, but here in Brasil u can say your name, and they will call u right ;)
It's one of the very few american names we can say right.
My name is Tim so what do you think it should be in Brazil (Portuguese)?
@@timmccarthy4627 We have Brazilian singer Tim Maia, so we can say that too.
Although we would pronounce that "cheen".
No. Definitely no. Non English speaking Brazilians can't pronounce English names correctly at all, even
the simplest names (which is totally comprehensible). If you can't notice how inaccurately English names are pronounced in Brazil, I suggest you focus more in listening and pronunciation.
Tim in Brazil is pronounced:
/Cheeng/ (in English fonetics)
Question: Will the same rule of thumb apply when US people say their names in their host countries???
Probably in France. If your name is Mary they will call you Marie.
For those who are aware of it, yes. Anyone who has traveled much has experienced exactly what she talks about in this video. I'm from the US, and I change the way I introduce myself to suit the accent of the native language because it makes things much easier and more comfortable for everyone.
If your name is unpronounceable or it is difficult for your interlocutor it seems correct to me, but, otherwise if it is not, your interlocutor should adapt to your name and not the other way around.
I think American people doesn’t care about people around the world..sorry
Rosane Zany they do, america is a great place with great people. But as any other country there are asshole. It’s not a matter where they are from, it’s just a human being thing
I spent some time in Ukraine and Russia some time back. My name is "Kathy"....but there is not really a 'th' sound in their language. So, I introduced myself as "Katya" or "Kate"... which my foreign born relatives in the US call me to make it easy for them. I saw my own father struggle with the "th" sound for years. They also called me "Ekaterina" which is the more formal pronunciation of my first name "Katherine". Some tried to pronounce "Kathy " but most just stared at me when I introduced my self that way. LOL.
I had to learn while in Ukraine not to use "fast talk" and squish my words together in order to be understood. I would also keep my sentances short and simple. I tried to construct my sentances (in English) in the same order and Grammer structure as in Rusian. It is funny....When i came home my mom had to keep reminding me that she understood me and I did not need to speak that way any longer.
Katya Reads, ok kitty, here is some milk, kss, kss
Thanks for your best advices teacher it's really works for me and I love it.
1000% agree with you! I have been discussing the same issue with my friends since I have started my first English lesson! lol ... Say your name how they will pronounce it! You will make a favor to everybody.
how about: Carlos Sanchez de la cruz Rodrigez Martinez Lopez
Perfect 😜
@@TheEnglishCoach my name is Zack i think is usable in the most of languages
So when an English person introduces himself to say an Indian how does he say his name ?
Absolutely rubbish take dear lady.
You just say your name the way you were named which ever language that is.End of story.!!
If I were introducing myself in YOUR language, I would also pronounce my name with the sounds of YOUR language.
@@TheEnglishCoach there is no need for that.I live here in Dubai ,working with multiple nationalities everyone pronounces their name just the way they were named..others may or may not able to pronounce it exactly how they do,but it's fine .I can not pronounce my name in Arabic when I meet an Arab in Greek when I meet a Greek and In French when I meet a French!!! Not possible..I think you haven't seen the world enough. We should strive to pronounce the other person's name as best we can that's all.
@@nostalgia31plus you definitely have a point in that.
Shikha, you are right! In real multicultural environment everybody spells the name in the way what they can spell 👍
shikha it’s not about pronouncing your name in Arabic when you meet an Arab or in Greek when you meet a Greek person. It’s about pronouncing your name in the sound system of whatever language you are speaking.
I agree with your husband. I introduce my self with my Brazilian name and of course the call me using their accent.
Good content we are being benifited to through this vedio and lots of knowledge I get from this vedio, I would like to more vedio u will share us and defrent topic which always helps me ous daily life thanks
That's totally true. When I said to americans my name, Clayton, with my brazilian accent, nobody understood me. But a friend told me how to pronounce like Americans speaks.
Since then, everybody understands me..
Brazilians are Americans too, what you mean is United Statians
Do names have translation into English?! Nonsense!
I used to introduce myself with my name 'Alejandro' on english accent when I worked at a call center. Many girls said it was a sexy name which sometimes it was a little uncomfortable. Then I changed it for 'Alex' and few customers asked me if I was a man or woman . (;_;)
It's just never easy either way!
That's because in English Alex is a gender-neutral name
This reminds me of a time I was In South Africa and I met a man whose name sounded like their word for gasoline, petrol. People would smirk when I tried to say his name.
Great video! My name is Alessandra. I moved to the USA 10 years ago. I used to introduce myself as “I’m Ale”. Beer!!! After 10 years here, I finally learned to introduce myself as “ Allie”
Pretty 🤩 I don't know english.but I know what you saying 😮this is my first time in life I understand someone speaking in English 😊😊😊
I understand your point but honestly I see it better when people start to learn each other's names the way they are and it's ok to twist it a bit according to their language if that makes it easier for them, I'd rather have that than make it my problem thinking of how should I change my name each time I introduce myself to someone who speaks another language.
And I don't find it awkward at all repeating my name to them more than once till they get it
I agree with your husband. I don't want to be nice for some random people and to lose my identity becouse he or she can't pronounce some sound. English and the us isn't a center of the Universe, there are many languages and cultures and we must respect them and try to understand them.
Parabem suas pronúncias são muito valiosas muto bom de ouvir se grava rapidamente exelemte parabem to very good
This is such an interesting reflection. I've never thought about it the way you pointed it out. I think I have to thank my parents for naming me with an English name, so it was quite easy for me when I traveled abroad, although I didn't feel like myself every time they had to say my name. Now, I understand that's part of my identity as an English speaker.
Regards.
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My name is Humberto Jorge. I only use Humberto in Brazil. When I go to America, I often introduce myself as George. It works perfectly. Before, I almost had to spell my name: H - U -M - B - E - R - T - O. I think the best way is to adapt and facilitate interactions. Fun Facts: At Starbucks, we have to say our name to the attendant and I like to invent a different name each day. I was once Bob, George, Robert and so on.
I agree, I'll be taking your advice 😉
I agree with you. I think it's not supposed to be considered offensive if people mispronounce your name, as long as they don't intentionally want to insult your name. For instance, my name is hard to pronounced by foreigners, so I'll take it if they call me Koko, or Lisa (short from my middle name, Elizabeth), or Wardi, my last name.
Woah, it is kinda a game-changer for me as now I'm thinking if I was right telling the kids I used to teach that their name is not gonna magically change when they'll be abroad as it's gonna stay as their parents named them & later same in their ID ofc :P What I meant was not that it's bad to translate their names bcoz I was translating their names if I was aware of the English equivalent & I sometimes just run out of ideas for the names as they were so Polish just...but I wasn't aware that we can simply pronounce somebody's foreign name just the way English has the sounds for the letters of alphabet, it's awesome to know! I'm Bella, btw :)
Loved this video, thank you for your insight.
Hi, it's me again! This year I started to use an English name, coincidentally after watching your video, too. I realized that:
1. Old people like to talk with me now.
2. People in general talk to me more and sit closer to me and pays more attention to what I'm talking. Now it seems I am in their world.
3. Even though I still prefer being called with my native language name, what I am gaining after I started to use my English name is really precious as I live in this country, so I am glad that I have both names to use depending on who I talk with.
Thanks, English Coach!
Hi there,
Would you mind sharing your process of changing to your English name? I'm studying in Canada now and will soon work here. So, If I choose an English name, it will conflict with my real name on paper. I mean, my native language name is still shown in my passport and all of my identity documents. So, does that mean I have to replace my native language name with an English name on those papers as well? What is the process of it? Or we don't have to do anything at all and just start using an English name?
Many thanks!
I'm Brazilian and i speak Portuguese, but my name's got such an interesting pronunciation in English, so no problem to me. I even believe it's popular in English speaking countries but i'm not so sure.
good lesson, thanks
I totally agree your point of view. I am a Chinese come from Taiwan but You can call me Jack.
Great, thank you so much. It is very useful.
in México we say "Al lugar que fueres, haz lo que vieres" which basically means that you have to adapt to the other place´s customs.
Good job . Thanks
Our names meaning a lot for our personality , we can't change them just like that . If you can't spell them just whistle , i prefere that
Hi, Stef. I love your channel. This is an interesting topic and I don't understand why some people find it controversial. It's funny though because I'm from Spain, live in Dublin and my name is Jesus (very common in my country). But it doesn't matter how I pronounce it, people look at me like "is that really your name?". When I lived in England someone even told me that my name is offensive. It's curious how even one name's meaning or point of view can change depending on the culture or country.
Nevertheless, I usually say Jesus using English pronunciation if I'm with native English speakers.
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Hi, my name is André, I agree with you and I desagrre as well. In my opinion you should say your name in your native lenguage, of course this can be a problem, for exemple americans cannot say my name properly, then to let things more confortable for all, I can think about a nickname and then intruduce myself like that: Hi, my name is André, but you can call me Andy if you like.
It's very ease to say my name in English
I totally agree with you. Actually yesterday we were having this conversation at work, where the office staff is purely anglophone and the field one’s split between Anglo and Hispanic Americans. Though we generally get along very well, there would be some misunderstandings starting with name’s mispronunciation. Obviously because there are different ways to pronounce them according to the language of the speakers.
Thanks for sharing this example!
Sochen m
Best
The English coach
Very good show
I really love the way speak... It's so amazing
English speaking American here. I think this really depends on *how* difficult your name is to pronounce. For example, if a Spanish speaker introduced himself as Juan instead of John, I’d have no problem with that. I have a Mexican friend named Carlos, and I’ve always called him Carlos, not Carl. I think people are more comfortable with names that are common in neighboring countries. For example, we Americans often hear Spanish names because we’re right next to Mexico. I would assume that would be the same for, say Korean names in China, but correct me if I’m wrong.
It’s also worth noting that I think it depends on how many syllables your name is. My name is Nicholas, but even to other Americans I introduce myself as Nick because it’s a lot simpler to say. I have an Indian friend named Yugandhar. That’s three syllables. So he shortened it to Yogi, which technically is still an Indian name, but more people can pronounce it, and I still call him Yogi to this day. And of course it also helps that every American has heard of Yogi Bear. When he introduces himself, he says, “My name is Yugandhar, but you can call me Yogi, like the bear!”
I’m not sure why so many people misunderstood this video. I didn’t assert that names need to be translated... I was mostly talking about pronunciation (which is totally different). Carlos pronounces in Spanish is different from Carlos pronounced in English. Translation or adopting an English name is usually reserved for more extreme cases where the original name is extremely difficult to say.
Never adapt the pronounciation of your name to another language just because of you are learning the language or your are the one abroad. Just say and teach them how you wanted to be called. You have this right. You deserve this respect. I traveled all around the world, met many people, noone will change the pronounciation of their name just because of your language is different. Hey Stef. Could you please upload a video how to pronounce your name in every language all around world? This is what you claim. Here is an international platform and you shluld do it if you are genuie.
I pronounce my name in the accent of the languages I speak and learn. So, yes, I practice what I preach and adapting my name so people can say it easily doesn’t offend me in the least.
@@TheEnglishCoach Dont get me wrong Stef. You are really a kind person and good teacher and well on your job. But, in your live video, you said that Spanish people are spelling your name in a wrong way and you correct them "not estefani but stefani". This subject is very personal. Agreed that there is nopoint to have a conversation with someone on how to pronounce your name. But, I think that there is also no point to put blame on someone just because of he/she wanted his/her name in a correct way.
I loved so much that video.
Okay, when i changed my name to an English name and introduced myself, ppl said that's not my real name, and they wanted to know my real name. So since then I only introduced myself using my real name, and tried to make it easier to pronounce for an English speaker. Yet, I started to notice an invisible wall between me and some native English speakers. The wall is the fact that, no matter how much I altered the sound of my real name, it just gave away that it's a foreign name immediately and is still hard to pronounce for English speakers. Some names are just like this. It's not I pronounced my name in my mother tone, it's that even if I have already changed it for other ppl's convenience, some ppl still wouldn't bother trying to get a foreigner's name correct.
Agree to disagree? Japanese people for example, have a hard time pronouncing english sounds, but I honestly doubt any native would change a bit about their name when introducing themselves for a japanese friend. And I believe anyone is able to learn a new phoneme, if you bother to repeat a few times for them, it's always a fun thing teaching your name to someone who doesn't speak your language (I've never had the pleasure, my name is pretty standard on US, UK and even Greece or any country with latin influence) but I always love to learn new sounds like a girl named Evgenia I met once, russian sounds are totally outside my confort zone being brazilian from an italian family and having a half-sister that has a japanese father, and speaking french and english, maybe this crazy mix of knowledge of Spanish,Portuguese,Italian,French (which are arguably extremely similar due to origin) added to the later inclusion of english and isolated phonemes of japanese (that again to be fair are extremely simple, cuz the same way as portuguese EVERYTHING is said the same way it's written, no exceptions) but I can see how it could be difficulty to a native english speaker to nail some words due to how different vowels are said, and you speaking spanish too, probably know exactly why and how.
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Hi, beautiful woman. Thank you for your way of helping us.
Well my name is "Derian" and my brothers are "Elian" and "Nery", not very common names in spanish, there are 2 or 3 persons named like us in our city, so even in regular conversations in spanish we get lots of "¿Que como? ¿Como se deletrea? ¿Tienes otro nombre? A ver otra vez", so we end saying things like "My name is Derian (with english pronunciation) but you can call me "Der" ", we get our names misspronounced in both languages so we try to make it easier, this video is absolutely true, making your name easier to pronounce saves time and eliminates a lot of awkard moments when you have to talk a looooooooot and that is a pain if you are an introvert like me.