Getting it right; why pronouncing names correctly matters | Gerardo Ochoa | TEDxMcMinnville
The speaker argues that correctly pronouncing names is crucial because mispronunciation leads to a feeling of invisibility and disrespect. He explains that while mispronunciation happens due to cultural or linguistic differences, people should strive to be 'calibrators' by actively trying to learn the correct pronunciation. Ultimately, the effort shown after a mistake is more important than the mistake itself.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Unnamed speaker, using personal experience in an academic/public setting (implied college campus, given the commencement talk).
- Experience setting: Immigrating from Mexico to a small town east of Portland, Oregon, in fifth grade.
- Audience context: Community becoming more diversified and globalized, increasing the likelihood of encountering names that are difficult to pronounce.
## Theses & Positions
- Correctly pronouncing people's names is vital for ensuring individuals feel valued, honored, and respected.
- Mispronouncing a name can lead to a sense of invisibility.
- The core mistake is not the initial slip-up, but what one does *after* making the mistake.
- The goal should be to treat the effort of pronunciation as an act of connection, comparable to learning to drive a stick shift.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Fumble Mumbler:** Someone who gets nervous when trying to pronounce a name, usually settling on a close but incorrect approximation while showing effort.
- **Arrogant Mangler:** Someone who mispronounces a name and continues to use their incorrect version even after being corrected, demonstrating disrespect.
- **Calibrator:** The ideal person who listens, slows down, reads lips, and consistently attempts to pronounce a name until they get it right.
- **Evader:** Someone who avoids saying the name altogether, either by suggesting a nickname or claiming inability to pronounce it.
- **Invisibility:** The negative consequence of mispronouncing names, leading to feelings of not belonging or not being acknowledged.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Name Change Process:** At age 9, the speaker's name was changed from "Hero" to "Jerry" during a fifth-grade roll call after immigrating from Mexico.
- **Effect of Name Change:** The name change spread from the classroom to the school, the community, and was even misspelled in the local newspaper.
- **Mechanism of Learning Pronunciation:** Requires active effort—listening, slowing down, reading lips, and repeated attempts.
- **Active Correction:** Taking the initiative to correct someone else's mispronunciation of a name removes the burden from the individual whose name it is.
## Named Entities
- **Portland, Oregon:** Location where the speaker's family immigrated.
- **Jennifer Gonzalez:** Educator and podcaster who categorized the variations in name pronunciation.
- **Carin Fara:** Former Chancellor of New York City Schools who faced disciplinary action for repeated mispronunciation of her name.
- **Stephen Curry:** Championship athlete who changed sneaker companies from Nike to Under Armour.
- **Nike / Under Armour:** Companies involved in the sneaker industry, illustrating financial impact of misnaming.
- **My Wife (Nancy):** Shared an analogy comparing the task to learning to drive a stick shift.
## Numbers & Data
- Age at name change: **9 years old**.
- Duration of Kindergarten absence for Carin Fara: **Six weeks**.
- Billboard of loss from Nike to Under Armour (estimated): **$14 billion**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Name Change Example:** Changing from "Hero" to "Jerry" at age 9 after immigration.
- **Fumble Mumbler Example:** Struggling to pronounce a name but actively trying (e.g., saying "oh it's Gerardo close but not quiet").
- **Arrogant Mangler Example:** Mispronouncing "Heraldo" and continuing to use the wrong version even after correction.
- **Calibrator Success:** Repeated attempts until the correct pronunciation is achieved.
- **Historical Invisibility Case:** Carin Fara being marked absent for six weeks in kindergarten because her name was repeatedly anglicized and mispronounced.
- **Financial Case:** A Nike official calling Stephen Curry "Stefon," which cost Nike money and benefited Under Armour $14 billion.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Alternative to Mispronunciation:** The effort, time, and care taken to learn and say a name correctly.
- **Alternative to Being a Calibrator:** Being an "Arrogant Mangler" or an "Evader."
- **Analogy:** Comparing the task to learning to drive an automatic vs. a stick shift.
## Methodology
- **Research:** Reflection on personal experience and research on the topic of names.
- **Categorization:** Using the framework developed by Jennifer Gonzalez (Fumble Mumbler, Arrogant Mangler, Calibrator).
- **Self-Reflection:** Analyzing personal feelings of shame, fraudulence, and the need to reclaim one's true identity.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **Primary Advice (To the Audience):** Always strive to be a calibrator.
- **Three Simple Tips (For the Audience):**
1. Humble yourself: Acknowledge internally that you cannot pronounce the name.
2. Get in their business: Be proactive and actively correct the mispronunciation of others.
3. Do something: Never be arrogant, and never try to change someone else's name.
- **Ultimate Goal:** To ensure everyone can hear their name pronounced correctly, especially at significant moments like commencement.
## Implications & Consequences
- **Social Implication:** Mispronunciation leads to invisibility, impacting academic success and belonging at every level.
- **Emotional Consequence:** The act of correct pronunciation affirms existence and value.
- **Community Responsibility:** A shared effort is needed for linguistic respect in a globalized world.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"And that's when my name was changed I remember precisely it was during that Fifth Grade Road call..."*
- *"How do you go from hero to Jerry and just like that without realizing it she not only changed my name but the rest of my life"*
- *"It had become an out of control wildfire that had spread too far and I needed to rate it in I accepted my new name But as time passed I knew it was not not me"*
- *"I've met students teachers employers strangers who become friends strangers Who Remain strangers"*
- *"The fumble mumbler... the Arrogant Mangler and the calibrator"*
- *"The Arrogant Mangler... they'll go on completely oblivious to the fact that they just mispronounced my name and more often than not they'll continue with their own version of my name even after I already corrected them"*
- *"When those microaggressions happen repeatedly over and over and over they add up and at the end of the day it really really really hurts"*
- *"Friends if you forget everything about my talk today remember this in life always be a calibrator"*
- *"Mispronouncing someone's name leads to invisibility"*
- *"I'll never forget it this one time a friend who was correcting somebody else to say my name it took the burden off of me"*
- *"My name is not haraldo my name is not Jerry my name is not Gerald my is hero"*