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Poll: What do you do if you notice a spelling error in the name of a recipient of your sent email?
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Sep 1, 2021

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What do you do if you notice a spelling error in the name of a recipient of your sent email?".

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Zakia Shinwari
Nadia Ansari
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:10
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Sep 1, 2021

Because in my early email days I made a very stupid mistake I always write my emails in Word and check carefully the spelling and grammar errors before sending them to the recipient. So, I hope it never happened to me but if it did I didn’t notice it at all…

Anaïs Duval
Elena Morandini
Hassan Bekhit Hassan
Ana María Montesdeoca
Nadia Ansari
Aline Amorim
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:10
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Sep 1, 2021

I don't recall making that particular mistake. If I were to catch such an error, I would apologize in the next email.

On the other hand, people often mangle my first name and no one has ever apologized.

[Edited at 2021-09-01 09:46 GMT]


Liena Vijupe
CMT S.r.l.
svetlana cosquéric
Inga Petkelyte
Thayenga
Philippe Etienne
expressisverbis
 
Gibril Koroma
Gibril Koroma  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 04:10
French to English
+ ...
Apologise Sep 1, 2021

Just apologise in the next email. It's a human error.

CMT S.r.l.
Michael Harris
Muriel Vasconcellos
Thaiane Assumpção
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Inga Petkelyte
Philippe Etienne
 
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
English to Portuguese
+ ...
The other way around !! Sep 1, 2021

In Italy, where I am based, maybe 90% of translators are women. My first name is Antonio, maybe once a year I get an e-mail addressed to AntoniA !! A couple of times clients have phone to me and, when I have answered, I was asked: - May I speak to AntoniA !!

Elena Morandini
Ana María Montesdeoca
 
Elena Morandini
Elena Morandini
Spain
Local time: 10:10
Member (2020)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
It always happens the other way round, but I never received an apology. Sep 3, 2021

My name is quite an easy one (compared to others like Sofonisba), but I got -and still get- Elana, Eleine, Hellen, Helena and once even Ana...

Liena Vijupe
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 10:10
French to English
. Sep 3, 2021

If it happened I would of course apologise in the next email.

Like many others, my own name gets mangled, often I become Kate, and the French often seem to think I'm a Key, which rather amuses me.
I remember a German translator spelling his name for me over the phone. I unthinkingly just read it out once he'd spelled it in full, to show that I'd written it correctly. But the French pronunciation sounds like "hell" in French! He very smoothly informed me that "no, hell is othe
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If it happened I would of course apologise in the next email.

Like many others, my own name gets mangled, often I become Kate, and the French often seem to think I'm a Key, which rather amuses me.
I remember a German translator spelling his name for me over the phone. I unthinkingly just read it out once he'd spelled it in full, to show that I'd written it correctly. But the French pronunciation sounds like "hell" in French! He very smoothly informed me that "no, hell is other people" then pronounced it the German way. I really wish I could find a cute comeback like that with a Key. All suggestions much appreciated!
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Philippe Etienne
expressisverbis
Juliet Munedzimwe
Aline Amorim
 
Hassan Bekhit Hassan
Hassan Bekhit Hassan  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 11:10
Member (2016)
English to Arabic
+ ...
Proofread E-mails Before Sending Sep 3, 2021

I used to write my e-mails in an MS Word document first to be proofread before sending them to avoid such mistakes. So, I do not remember if I unintentionally made such a mistake before but if it would happen, I will send another revised version with duly gentle apologies.

expressisverbis
Ana María Montesdeoca
Muhammad Said
Aline Amorim
 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 11:10
Member
English to Turkish
Forced to apologize... Sep 4, 2021

I don't remember making an important spelling mistake that merited an apology, but I did make the mistake of referring to some Turkish colleagues by their first name without putting a Mr./Miss/Mrs. in front of their name.
In Turkish, it's extremely bad form to refer to a stranger or an acquaintance with their first name so much so that some women feel 'violated' by your forwardness, while others think you're being too friendly and impertinent.
Actually it was more of Google's super d
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I don't remember making an important spelling mistake that merited an apology, but I did make the mistake of referring to some Turkish colleagues by their first name without putting a Mr./Miss/Mrs. in front of their name.
In Turkish, it's extremely bad form to refer to a stranger or an acquaintance with their first name so much so that some women feel 'violated' by your forwardness, while others think you're being too friendly and impertinent.
Actually it was more of Google's super duper AI algorithms' fault than mine. Gmail's predictive text starts with "Hi (name)", it doesn't include "Bey/Hanım" after the name (or Mr./Mrs. before the name). This did put me in an embarrassing situation more than once. So I had to apologize for Gmail's fault.
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expressisverbis
 
David Richardson
David Richardson  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:10
Member (2012)
French to English
I should change my name by deed poll! Sep 6, 2021

Often, too many times than I care to mention, I'm addressed "Richard". My name is David Richardson. This has happened SO many times with various clients, one who calls me by telephone quite a lot jokes about it with me now! She calls me Richard all the time, her name is Sophie, so I call her Barbara. She often signs off her emails "Barb'" - we have a great, friendly business relationship, so in that sense, obviously it works. Nothing for anyone to ever get offended over, I'm sure!

[Edited
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Often, too many times than I care to mention, I'm addressed "Richard". My name is David Richardson. This has happened SO many times with various clients, one who calls me by telephone quite a lot jokes about it with me now! She calls me Richard all the time, her name is Sophie, so I call her Barbara. She often signs off her emails "Barb'" - we have a great, friendly business relationship, so in that sense, obviously it works. Nothing for anyone to ever get offended over, I'm sure!

[Edited at 2021-09-06 09:27 GMT]
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:10
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
What a coincidence! Sep 7, 2021

I've just been called Tucha when my name is Teresa...

Maria da Glória Teixeira
 
Sanjin Grandić
Sanjin Grandić  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 10:10
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
+ ...
It depends Sep 8, 2021

If it is someone with whom I exchange emails often, I d simply appologize in the next mail.

If it is a new client, I d send a revised email with my appologies.

People tend to be sensitive to this kind of mistake.


Maria da Glória Teixeira
 
Liena Vijupe
Liena Vijupe  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 11:10
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
pay attention Sep 9, 2021

I know that mistake can happen when I type fast because I often mess up my own name when signing e-mails, so I pay extra attention to it and, if there is any mistake in the recipient's name, I would usually notice it before sending. If the name is very complicated or contains special characters I sometimes just use copy and paste.

And, like others, I have also never received any apology for being called Lena, Lina, Liana, Liene or whatever else, but I'm used to it. I even briefly da
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I know that mistake can happen when I type fast because I often mess up my own name when signing e-mails, so I pay extra attention to it and, if there is any mistake in the recipient's name, I would usually notice it before sending. If the name is very complicated or contains special characters I sometimes just use copy and paste.

And, like others, I have also never received any apology for being called Lena, Lina, Liana, Liene or whatever else, but I'm used to it. I even briefly dated someone who always addressed me as Leina in his texts. The first time I thought it was a typo and ignored it, but then he kept repeating it every time. Had it lasted longer, I would have started calling him by an entirely different name (like in "Richard's" story with "Barbara") or asked about that Leina he is texting to...
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
expressisverbis
AnnaSCHTR
Aline Amorim
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:10
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Quick Polls Sep 10, 2021

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…❤

Mariana Borio
expressisverbis
texjax DDS PhD
Liena Vijupe
Michael Harris
Elaine Ruby
 
AnnaSCHTR
AnnaSCHTR  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:10
English to Czech
+ ...
Apologiye, move on Sep 10, 2021

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.


Baran Keki
Christine Andersen
Orkoyen (X)
Mark Fessenden
 
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Poll: What do you do if you notice a spelling error in the name of a recipient of your sent email?






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