Names are an integral part of our identity, and yet are constantly misspelt, mispronounced, anglicised and shortened. Altering one’s name can have consequences that last for years
Most people assume that Daienul Goni’s – a North South University (NSU) student – name is “Daniel” or “Danny”. They simply cannot pronounce his name correctly.
He goes along with it, without correcting people every time they mispronounce his name. He was mad at his parents for giving him a name that is incomprehensible to the culture he was born into.
However, when his teacher called him Daien, which is the correct way to shorten his name and also what his family calls him, he felt like someone was acknowledging his background and that felt good.
Names are an integral part of our identity, and yet are constantly misspelt, mispronounced, anglicised and shortened. Altering one’s name can have consequences that last for years.
That is why, in the age of shortcuts and nicknames, it is important to acknowledge how one wants to carry their identity.
Names might appear to be a minute detail in the grand scheme of things and hardly seem like something someone would blacklist you for. Yet, paying attention to it has become a valuable soft skill in professional environments.
Cultural significance
A person’s name carries more importance than just their identity, it is rooted in culture and history.
Nazia Manzoor, assistant professor at the Department of English and Modern Languages in NSU, said, “Names are a marker of identity, they reveal who you are, and can be deeply political.”
According to Bangladesh’s culture, some peoples’ names are determined by family’s elders. The name’s meaning can be significant to the individual’s religion or culture as well.
In some situations, people have to alter their names to be accepted in society. Be that as it may, there is a lot of emotion and history attached to their given names.
Ma Htay Oo, who belongs to the Rakhine community, said, “Some adopt English or Bangla names. Sometimes our names get butchered or ridiculed, so we change it to avoid that.”
Putting in the effort to learn someone’s name does not take much time, but it is the first step towards respecting the culture and roots of the people around you.
Names and institutional consequences
Names do not just determine our identity due to their cultural and religious significance, they also mark our identity in documents.
“In the eighth standard, I was sent a document to check if my parents’ names were correct. My mother’s name is Fahima,” said Ruba Hassan, an NSU student, adding, “but they misspelt her name as Fatima. I did not notice it back then because I was young.”
During her SSC exams, Ruba realised the mistake. To fix it, she had to fix her JSC certificate as well, which took two years. There was a lot of paperwork and money involved in the process.
Two years have passed since her application to correct her SSC certificate, and she is yet to see the outcome.
Misspellings on documents are common in Bangladesh and its consequences can affect us for years and can be severe.
In marketing, one mistake can even impact the brand image. Tajdin Hassan, Daraz’s chief marketing officer, said, “It definitely tarnishes the brand’s perception.”
Builds positive relationships
The people we work and study with are probably the people we spend most of our time with. It goes without saying that nurturing these relationships is always worth it. Taking the time to learn someone’s name presents one as a genuinely caring person.
“I have had to shorten my name to Kai,” said Kaishary Islam, adding, “as people kept asking me for a simpler name. But sometimes, professors would ask me to repeat my name so they could pronounce my name correctly. When people put in the effort to get your name right, it makes you feel like you are more than someone who is just passing by.”
Networking soft-skill
When it comes to networking or interviewing people, paying attention to such details is the first step towards building connections.
Creating connections often means building relationships with important people who have spent decades adding value to their name. There is a certain gravity to their names; at times, making them synonymous with their profession.
So when someone gets their name wrong, they have every right to take offence. On mistaking an interviewee’s name, Journalist Afsan Chowdhury commented, “It is the weakness of the reporter. I have observed that some people are sensitive regarding their name so it is best to make sure that you get the spelling right.”
Furthermore, it can unveil insufficient research, knowledge or interest in their field. Afsan also mentioned, “It shows lack of competence and efficiency on the part of the journalist. There can be repercussions in some cases.”
While meeting industry experts, creating such an impression could lead to one losing their credibility and could risk tainting the image of the company they are representing.
Become a better leader
In the workspace, a team leader is bound to meet many people each day. When a leader acknowledges their team members by name, no matter how large the workforce, it is indicative that the leader sees their team as people rather than cogs.
“We see the characteristic of remembering names in leaders like politicians, as their work depends a lot on emotional intelligence. If you cannot remember the names of your workers, you are not a real leader,” said Sadeka Halim, professor of the Department of Sociology and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Dhaka University.
To this, Tajdin added, “Knowing names and acknowledging their presence, regardless of their designation, is crucial. The most important thing to remember is that we are all humans at the end of the day and there is no easier way to form human connections than remembering names.”
It is essential for a workforce to understand that their leader knows them in order to feel comfortable and invest time and effort in a workplace and names are the first step in that recognition.
Taufiq Ul Haque, founder of Fraktal Creative LLC said, “It upholds the company’s image as an empathetic company that cares about its employees. It is because of this empathy and care that employees remain loyal to companies.”
In Bangladesh’s context, there are times when the designation title replaces one’s name itself. This can make a workforce feel demoralised and disrespected. In such situations, it can probably feel like the entirety of one’s identity is their job title and nothing more.
The impression you make on others matters because, in some ways, you are creating the legacy for your name along the way as well. So, when you go the extra mile in remembering how to pronounce someone’s name, it makes you memorable in turn as well.
Disclaimer: This article first appeared on TBS on 17 March 2022, and can be found at The importance of getting someone’s name right