Anglicize your name as a newcomer? Yes or no?
Credit to Author: Margaret Jetelina| Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:43:40 +0000
Is your name hard for other cultures to pronounce? Have you considered Canadianizing it? Here’s how other immigrants feel about this very personal choice
With Canada being so culturally diverse, almost every immigrant has a “name story” — be it the mispronunciation of their ethnic name, using a Canadianized version of their name, or struggling to say or spell a name from a different culture than their own. With about one million immigrants arriving over the next three years, what can newcomers with ethnic-sounding names expect to face?
Take Mr. H, who considered changing his first name when he first came to Canada six years ago from India. “Some people suggested it and I thought about it on and off because native Canadians were struggling with my name. As a public speaker and trainer, if people struggle to remember my name, it is difficult to refer me.”
He is not alone. A number of newcomers with different or uncommon names — also referred to as ethnic or foreign or non-Anglo names — face this challenge as they try to establish themselves in Canada.
Today, Mr. H has kept his name. “I should have changed it when I first got here. It would be challenging to establish myself with a brand new name right now. If I could start all over again, I would change my name day one.”
That’s what Jiawen did. She called herself Amy when she came to Canada from China 17 years ago because people struggled to pronounce and remember her name. “A random name! My real name (which means good or quiet) is what my parents gave me so I wanted to keep [that part of me] and didn’t change it on the official documents,” she says.
But she started using Amy on a daily basis. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t use Amy. Sometimes I feel trapped in between,” she says.
Unlike Mr. H and Jiawen, Sadna from Mauritius was very clear she wanted to keep her name. “At my first resumé writing and job search workshop, I was asked to consider changing my name to Sandra. I think the guy was speaking from experience since he had a difficult last name. I shook hands with him and thanked him for his advice,” she says.
Hang from China decided to put down his name as Hunter in his university and job applications when asked for a preferred name. “While Hang is easy to pronounce, Hunter seemed more native and similar enough,” he says.
How does he feel about his choice now? “I have an emotional connection to my name: Hang means direction or guidance in Mandarin. I am now regretful because it’s hard to change it back.”
Hello, my name is …
In terms of career integration, several past studies have shown that job candidates with foreign or non-Anglo names are less likely to get job interviews. University of Toronto’s Philip Oreopoulos, a professor of economics and public policy, has documented the struggle of skilled immigrants in the labour market. His well-documented findings suggest significant discrimination by ethnic names. But that doesn’t mean they should have to change them.
Oreopoulos says: “They shouldn’t have to. The impact is significant with job applications, but your name is so much more than just a tool for getting a job. The question is: Are you doing it reluctantly? If you do it voluntarily, it is a lot easier to live with.”
The stories are many, the emotions span the range, and people with foreign-sounding names (whether they were born here or are newcomers) deal with the situation in a variety of ways.
Nicknames are very common. Some truncate their names (for example, Subbalakshmi is now Subba) while others add an anglicized nickname in brackets. Mohammed calls himself Mo with his real estate clients, for example.
Dorota seized the opportunity to change her name when she was about to start at a new school in Grade 3. The night before the first day of school, she remembers her dad asking if she knew how to spell her new name. She has been Dorothy ever since, but “when I am in a Polish setting, I automatically switch back, it’s fluid.”
She finds that people do make an effort to pronounce her name properly, even her “complicated last name.” Her advice? “If it’s important to you, then keep your name. If you see an opportunity and want to be referred to by a nickname or an Anglicized name, take it.”
Strategies to help others with your name
For most of us who keep our names, being patient and helping people from other cultures pronounce it is a good strategy. Some use syllable emphasis to help others with the pronunciation of their name or break down their name by syllables in writing, especially when names are not pronounced as they are written. (I always add a phonetic pronunciation to my name on my resumé.)
In group settings or face-to-face meetings, you can help others pronounce your name with a “sounds like” strategy; for example, written Shekar sounds like “shaker.” Or help others remember your name with name associations; for instance, provide context like I am Ganga, named after the river Ganges in India.
Mr. H., Amy, Hang, Subba, Mo, Dorothy and many others believe that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Do what works for you! What people want to be called is ultimately a personal choice.
And remember to gently and kindly help those who pronounce your name wrong — especially if it is people you want to build connections with. Karen Pennesi, from the University of Western Ontario’s department of anthropology, writes that having one’s name recognized, remembered, accepted and correctly pronounced and spelled contributes to a sense of belonging.
Times are changing; names don’t have to
Pennesi also speaks of how as a multicultural society with a growing immigrant demographic, the onus is not only on newcomers, but the responsibility for integration should be shared in Canada. “Members of the host society can participate in the integration process by learning to spell and pronounce unfamiliar names correctly and by avoiding making assumptions about an immigrant’s language ability, citizenship status, religion, political affiliation, morality or work skills based on stereotypes that are often indexed by one’s name.”
Recommendations from her research on “reciprocal aspects of integration” include: getting people to say their own names in a group setting so it can be pronounced right the very first time; verifying spelling or pronunciation in a matter-of-fact manner as if asking for a phone number; and definitely not to ignore a person or avoiding talking to someone because you are uncomfortable with their name. Bottom line: the more you practise the name, the easier it gets!
What about current trends? Pennesi says that, “Overall, there are more people keeping their original names. It is not automatic that people adopt English names the way it used to be.”
Rashmi Nathwani, who immigrated from India in the mid-1960s and spent decades working at city hall in Hamilton and Toronto, has faith in our society’s ability to adapt: “The level of accommodation is much better today, also because so many of us immigrants are in successful positions,” Nathwani says. “I believe it takes one full generation before we adapt and for things to change.”