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What did you call me?
Posted by: Lauren Webb, Senior Project Manager
If you’ve ever made a faux pas with someone’s name, you’ll know that it can be a tricky business. Even just in your own country, there is the difficult question of familiarity – do you just use their first name, or their title and surname (and if so, which)? When speaking to people of different nationalities, this minefield becomes a lot more perilous! Though most people would be nice enough to forgive the mistake of a foreigner, it’s always a good idea to get these things right, or you could risk leaving them with a very bad impression of you.
Sometimes, unisex names can leave you guessing at which title to use for a person – are they a Mr or a Ms? (I’m not even getting into the Mrs/Miss/Ms thing, that’s enough to fill another blog entirely.) But when you don’t know which names correspond to which gender, it’s even more difficult. It’s fairly safe to say that in the UK you would know that someone called Lauren was a girl, but I have received the odd email addressing me as ‘Mr’. Personally, I’m not too bothered by this, because I know it can be difficult to judge sometimes. But there are some occasions when making this distinction and getting it right could be vitally important, such as in business, when first impressions count for a lot. So my advice would be to do some research before you put your foot in it!
Consider for a moment that many of the world’s languages have gender agreement in adjectives. If you are replying to the person’s letter or email, you can use this to tell you. However, if you’re the first to write, and you get it wrong all the way through your message, it could ruin the beginnings of a professional relationship.
The main point I’m trying to make here is how important it is to research your contacts – it isn’t hard to find out whether a certain person’s name is a female or male name, and the correct title to use. Luckily, we can take the guesswork out of emailing people abroad, and can translate e-mails or letters, whether business or personal, and can advise you of any cultural implications your letter may have.
Discussion
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July 6, 2011
For example, Andrea is considered a female name here but is for a male in Italy, and the same goes for Nicola, although the Italian versions are pronounced differently.
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July 8, 2011
Here in Brazil, names ending in -a are usually for women and in -o usually for men. Names in -e tend to be about half and half. Names ending in -i and -y often can be used for both, which causes confusion. In Brazil, Alison is a man’s name. As for Andrea, it is a woman’s name but we have a Government minister (male) called Andrea Matarazzo (of Italian origin). In Brazil, Andrea is pronounced /an-DRAY-ah/ and not /ANN-dree-ah/, and there is an alternative spelling “Andréia” (same pronunciation).
In Brazil the “Mr/Ms” form is not common except in very formal contexts. A normal business letter would start “Prezado José” (Dear Joseph) rather than “Prezado Sr Silva” (Dear Mr Silva) – by the way, Silva is the most common surname in Brazil, like Smith in England.
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About the Author
Lauren is one of Veritas' Project Managers, and has always been fascinated by languages. With a degree in Translation, and having worked periodically as a freelance translator, she has a thorough understanding of both sides of the translation process, which ensures the smooth running of projects.