| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: What do you do if you notice a spelling error in the name of a recipient of your sent email? 投稿者: ProZ.com Staff
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| I may have made that mistake | Sep 14, 2021 |
AnnaSCHTR wrote:
I try to be really careful but it happens once in a while, especially when answering to messages from different time-zones before coffee or after midnight.
My recipients, in turn, make the same mistake. You'd expect my name is difficult to mess up but there seem to be many possibilities. Including a bit international agency employee from China who stubbornly addressed me by my last name. When I gently pointed out her error she replied she was sure "Anna" was my last name.
I'm not sure, but I feel that, as a rule, some Eastern European people write their surname before their first name. Anyways that was certainly the case with the PMs of a certain Hungarian translation agency where my general ignorance of Hungarian female names and Gmail's predictive text might have led me to address them by their surnames, which must have been irritating for them.
| | | | Liena Vijupe 
ラトビア
Local time: 20:26
2014に入会
フランス語 から ラトヴィア語
+ ...
| First and last names | Sep 14, 2021 |
Now I'm wondering how often I've made that mistake too. I remember one time when somebody from France messaged me on Facebook and I automatically replied using the first name shown as that person's first name, although it seemed a bit strange. He had entered his last name first.
Not to mention all the times when it's impossible to tell or when certain rules apply. I've noticed that German clients always write very formally the first time ("Sehr geehrte Frau [last name]"), but immedi... See more Now I'm wondering how often I've made that mistake too. I remember one time when somebody from France messaged me on Facebook and I automatically replied using the first name shown as that person's first name, although it seemed a bit strange. He had entered his last name first.
Not to mention all the times when it's impossible to tell or when certain rules apply. I've noticed that German clients always write very formally the first time ("Sehr geehrte Frau [last name]"), but immediately switch to very informal style ("Hallo [first name]" and "du" instead of "Sie") when I reply. I did the same with a Swiss client once, but she just kept replying in the same formal style. I felt very embarrassed and switched back to it too. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | First and last name might be confusing, as opposed to given name and family name? | Sep 15, 2021 |
AnnaSCHTR wrote:
I try to be really careful but it happens once in a while, especially when answering to messages from different time-zones before coffee or after midnight.
My recipients, in turn, make the same mistake. You'd expect my name is difficult to mess up but there seem to be many possibilities. Including a bit international agency employee from China who stubbornly addressed me by my last name. When I gently pointed out her error she replied she was sure "Anna" was my last name.
Way back, the English terms were Christian name and surname, but in recognition that not everyone was Christian, even officially, the personal name became the 'given' name, as opposed to the hereditary name, which came automatically.
Technically, the surname is an 'added' name, which may or may not be logical!
The old pattern in England was that each child received its own name, and had an 'added' tag - son/daughter of, (Johnson, Robertson, Davidson ...) or a family might take its name from a place, farm or town. An adult might be known by a trade - hence all the Smiths, Millers, Bakers, Butchers, Carpenters etc.
In a tradition where the family name comes first and the individual name comes last, calling them 'First' and 'last' names might be confusing!
I personally don't mind whether people call me Christine or Christina, which often happens, or Mrs Anderson instead of Mrs Andersen - unless my name is used for security. Just as long as no one calls me Chris  Then I know how others feel!
I take care to spell people's names correctly, copying and pasting from their mails if there are accents and diacritics, and sometimes saving them in my AutoCorrect if I am likely to need them again.
I rarely discover if I spell a name incorrectly, but I would probably apologise in the next mail if I was afraid I had offended anyone.
[Edited at 2021-09-15 14:22 GMT]
| | | | | Insightful knowledge | Sep 16, 2021 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
The old pattern in England was that each child received its own name, and had an 'added' tag - son/daughter of, (Johnson, Robertson, Davidson ...) or a family might take its name from a place, farm or town. An adult might be known by a trade - hence all the Smiths, Millers, Bakers, Butchers, Carpenters etc.
I've heard of a lot of Johnsons, Robertsons, Davidsons etc., but I've never heard of a surname hinting at somebody being 'daughter of' somebody. Can you provide an example?
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Baran Keki wrote: Christine Andersen wrote:
The old pattern in England was that each child received its own name, and had an 'added' tag - son/daughter of, (Johnson, Robertson, Davidson ...) or a family might take its name from a place, farm or town. An adult might be known by a trade - hence all the Smiths, Millers, Bakers, Butchers, Carpenters etc. I've heard of a lot of Johnsons, Robertsons, Davidsons etc., but I've never heard of a surname hinting at somebody being 'daughter of' somebody. Can you provide an example?
That’s what happens in Iceland. All men have last names ending with -son, and all women have surnames ending with -dóttir.
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Teresa Borges wrote:
and all women have surnames ending with -dóttir.
I didn't know that.
| | | | | Women used to take their husband's name... | Sep 16, 2021 |
Baran Keki wrote: Christine Andersen wrote:
The old pattern in England was that each child received its own name, and had an 'added' tag - son/daughter of, (Johnson, Robertson, Davidson ...) or a family might take its name from a place, farm or town. An adult might be known by a trade - hence all the Smiths, Millers, Bakers, Butchers, Carpenters etc. I've heard of a lot of Johnsons, Robertsons, Davidsons etc., but I've never heard of a surname hinting at somebody being 'daughter of' somebody. Can you provide an example?
Many women still take their husband's name when they marry, and there is the old adage in law and other fields - 'Man has embraced woman since time immemorial'. 
Girls took their father's surname as a rule, and then their husband's.
We discussed for a long time whether I would keep my own name when I married - but my husband's is easier to spell!
In Denmark it was traditional for girls to attach '-datter' to the father's name, so women used family names such as Andersdatter or Petersdatter.
Added to that, the name changed every generation - in my husband's family the oldest son alternated between Anders Nielsen, whose son would be Niels Andersen, followed by an Anders Nielsen...
I know another family who alternated between Christiansen and Lorenzen the same way!
| | | | | Interesting discussion! | Sep 16, 2021 |
Some of the polls can be ridiculous, but you are getting this one in an interesting discussion. Thanks!
Regarding the question I totally agree with most part of the answers: I would send an email with my apologies right afterwards.
I do not remember making any spelling error in anyone's name, because I am careful; I always try to read my emails before sending them, and besides, I have my spell checker enabled.
About reading my first given name wrong or misspelled in emails… i... See more Some of the polls can be ridiculous, but you are getting this one in an interesting discussion. Thanks!
Regarding the question I totally agree with most part of the answers: I would send an email with my apologies right afterwards.
I do not remember making any spelling error in anyone's name, because I am careful; I always try to read my emails before sending them, and besides, I have my spell checker enabled.
About reading my first given name wrong or misspelled in emails… it will be difficult because I have been “blessed” with one that is "international".
On the other hand, my second given name might cause more problems... but even native speakers can get it mangled as “Ford”, “For” and “Four”. Interesting!
It happened to me once, when I asked for an invoice at a pharmacy. They couldn't get it  ▲ Collapse
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I would do (and have done) nothing. Recently, I replied to PM starting e-mail with "Dead Oceane," and when I re-read it, I felt ashamed: it sounded awful! But what should I do? To write "Sorry, Oceane (are you actually he or she? I was unable to find it out, even with Google's help), I did not mean it! I know you are alive and dear" would be equally faux pas. Therefore I just have left it, hoping that the PM has a sense of humor and T9 understanding.
P.S. in my defence I would like to ment... See more I would do (and have done) nothing. Recently, I replied to PM starting e-mail with "Dead Oceane," and when I re-read it, I felt ashamed: it sounded awful! But what should I do? To write "Sorry, Oceane (are you actually he or she? I was unable to find it out, even with Google's help), I did not mean it! I know you are alive and dear" would be equally faux pas. Therefore I just have left it, hoping that the PM has a sense of humor and T9 understanding.
P.S. in my defence I would like to mention, that I was already called Osaka, Toscana, and even Alexander and Boris by PMs. It does not really matter, as soon as they spell my name right in the PO (which they do not always do).
[Edited at 2021-09-17 13:12 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | filizt
米国
Local time: 10:26
トルコ語 から 英語
+ ...
| Bigger fish to fry | Sep 23, 2021 |
Being someone who has been called Feliz, Felix, Phillip, Flitz, and anything in between, I'll admit my mistakes haven't been as grave, and I have made a point of using the correct spelling in subsequent emails. I've made worse professional mistakes and lived to tell about it.
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Teresa Borges wrote:
After a period when we had a new Quick Poll every day, this one has been up for one week, I wonder if it will drag for days on end as it happened some months ago? Will my rant be heard? Hope so…❤
Over two weeks later, I haven't been heard yet...
| | | | | It has never happened to me | Sep 28, 2021 |
Such a scenario has never happened with me but if it did, it will depend on my relationship with the recipient. If it is a regular client, I will simply apologize in the next email because what's sure is that it's not our first conversation, so the client knows I surely know the name, was just a typing mistake.
Meanwhile if it is my first contact with a potential client, I will send a revised version of the email, though it won't be different from apologizing but it looks more profe... See more Such a scenario has never happened with me but if it did, it will depend on my relationship with the recipient. If it is a regular client, I will simply apologize in the next email because what's sure is that it's not our first conversation, so the client knows I surely know the name, was just a typing mistake.
Meanwhile if it is my first contact with a potential client, I will send a revised version of the email, though it won't be different from apologizing but it looks more professional for me. Fortunately the client may have not yet read the first email and me sending a second revised one, he/she won't notice the previous error 😁😁 ▲ Collapse
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