Question
What should I do if I have an unpronounceable name for most people?
Answer
My name is borderline that way. Mispronunciation doesn't bother me at all so long as I can understand when I am being called under normal ambient noise conditions. I expect the same latitude for error when I am dealing with names that give me trouble. If someone is too hung up on having their name pronounced exactly right, it frankly makes me wonder if they have messed up social identity issues, and I usually back away and avoid working with them. It's a bit of a red flag for me if someone is too attached to their name.
So I normally just say my name, and accept whatever pronunciation I get back, so long as I can actually identify it. Some people get anxious and try to confirm, "did I say that right?" I just say "close enough," smile and move the conversation on.
I think this will work for almost anyone, since most long, complex names (mine is medium) have a universally pronounceable dimunitive.
Where it gets annoying is when I am forced to spell it for no really good reason. These days it is really only a problem in ONE specific situation: when service people at places like Starbucks, or hostesses at restaurants ask for my name to write on the cup/table-waiting list when there is a crowd.
Outside of such service encounters, it is not really an issue these days. I meet most people online first, where they see both my full name and the normal dimunitive (Venkat) in written form first.
I have to say though, that in a contest for "most unpronounceable names ever" us South Indians would probably be second only to the Polish. On a scale of 1-10 of complexity of South Indian names, my name is probably a 4. Apu on the Simpsons has a Bengali first name and backstory, but his last name is faux-South Indian (Nahasapeemapetilon), and would rate maybe an 8.
The most stunning name I've encountered, a 9.5/10, is a Ruby developer (a really good one) I used to work with: his full name is Veerasundravel Thirugnanasundaram (he goes by Veera, much easier... if you are reading this, hey man! I am putting your name in the hall of fame).
Even though I am South Indian myself, it took me at least 30 seconds and 3 false starts in my head to figure out the correct pronunciation of the full name. If any native-born American who hasn't spent time in India and/or learned some Tamil can get that one right on the first try, I'll buy you lunch. Most North Indians would fail that test too.
So I normally just say my name, and accept whatever pronunciation I get back, so long as I can actually identify it. Some people get anxious and try to confirm, "did I say that right?" I just say "close enough," smile and move the conversation on.
I think this will work for almost anyone, since most long, complex names (mine is medium) have a universally pronounceable dimunitive.
Where it gets annoying is when I am forced to spell it for no really good reason. These days it is really only a problem in ONE specific situation: when service people at places like Starbucks, or hostesses at restaurants ask for my name to write on the cup/table-waiting list when there is a crowd.
Outside of such service encounters, it is not really an issue these days. I meet most people online first, where they see both my full name and the normal dimunitive (Venkat) in written form first.
I have to say though, that in a contest for "most unpronounceable names ever" us South Indians would probably be second only to the Polish. On a scale of 1-10 of complexity of South Indian names, my name is probably a 4. Apu on the Simpsons has a Bengali first name and backstory, but his last name is faux-South Indian (Nahasapeemapetilon), and would rate maybe an 8.
The most stunning name I've encountered, a 9.5/10, is a Ruby developer (a really good one) I used to work with: his full name is Veerasundravel Thirugnanasundaram (he goes by Veera, much easier... if you are reading this, hey man! I am putting your name in the hall of fame).
Even though I am South Indian myself, it took me at least 30 seconds and 3 false starts in my head to figure out the correct pronunciation of the full name. If any native-born American who hasn't spent time in India and/or learned some Tamil can get that one right on the first try, I'll buy you lunch. Most North Indians would fail that test too.