What's in a name
Welcome back to all! We hope you are excited to start a new semester.
In our ongoing efforts to create an inclusive and welcoming environment in the College, an important element is also one of the most basic: pronouncing each other’s names correctly.
We all want to greet each other by the right name but sometimes this is hard based on our familiarity – or lack thereof – with how certain letters make different sounds in some languages. And it can seem embarrassing to continually repeat, “I’m sorry, but how do you say your name again?” Names are not mispronounced for a lack of trying or want, but simply because some sounds or spellings may be unfamiliar to us. And sometimes we may think we are saying the right name, but it may not be quite right.
We have a solution! NameCoach is now available to all Mendoza faculty and staff to help us solve the common problem of name mispronunciation. It is also useful to double check that you are saying someone’s name properly! The tool provides a simple and effective solution by allowing users to record their names with proper pronunciation and embed it into emails and online directories.
We encourage all of our faculty and staff to record your names and embed the “Hear My Name” icon into your email signatures and be included in the staff and faculty pages in the online directory.
To start:
1. Register for an account and login.
- Follow the instructions on the personal email invitation you receive on Tuesday (January 18) from NameCoach (no-reply@name-coach.com) to establish your NameCoach MCOB account
- Confirm your registration by clicking on the link in the email you receive from NameCoach and set up your password.
- Log in at https://www.name-coach.com/login.
2. Record your voice.
3. Add the Name Badge to your email signature (embed link according to the instructions on the website).
Once you record your voice, the recording will be added automatically to your faculty or staff page. It’s an easy process and we strongly encourage all of our faculty and staff to use the service. Even if you think your name is simple to pronounce, it might not be so for others.
The instructions to use NameCoach are posted to the Mendoza Exchange website for future reference. We want to thank Chris Fruehwirth, MinHee Myung and Hank Gettinger for their work in making NameCoach available.
In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Walk the Walk Week, and in the spirit of promoting peace and inclusion, we end this column with a prayer:
We pray this day for the grace to tear down walls that divide us and build bridges of understanding and unity. We praise you, God, for the gift of cultural diversity in our world. Help us learn to listen more deeply and connect with the "other," who may have a different perspective and background. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your son. Amen.
Yours in Notre Dame,
Kara Palmer
Director of Administration
Mendoza DE&I Staff Advocate
Director of Administration
Mendoza DE&I Staff Advocate
Ken Kelley
Associate Dean for Faculty and Research
Mendoza DE&I Faculty Advocate
Associate Dean for Faculty and Research
Mendoza DE&I Faculty Advocate