A distraught employee caused a divide on Reddit recently when she asked for advice in dealing with a coworker. The flap all stems from a language barrier that could cause big trouble for the poster in the long run. Here is her full story.
They Crossed Languages
OP is a native French speaker who now works in an English-speaking country. One of her coworkers has a French word as a first name, but is a native of the English-speaking country.
She Didn’t Say It Right
Upon first learning the coworker’s name, OP pronounced it as the French word. But the coworker immediately jumped all over OP for mispronouncing her name.
They’re Not the Same
Evidently, OP’s coworker does not pronounce her name like the common French word.
She Tried Hard to Pronounce the Name
Since then, OP has tried really hard to pronounce the name as the coworker desires, but admits to slipping up now and then.
It’s Tough to Break Speech Patterns
She says it’s tough to break speech patterns that carry over from your native tongue to a new language.
She Could Get Even Angrier
But OP’s coworker continues to accuse her of deliberately mispronouncing her name.
OP has considered trying to come up with a nickname for the irate coworker, but fears that would just make the situation worse.
She’s on Edge
Now OP is always walking on eggshells at work, afraid to set off the coworker again.
Try as she might, though, she still slips up about once per week.
They’re Done With It
And every time the name comes out wrong, the coworker lashes out at OP about how easy her name is and that she can’t understand the continued flubs.
OP says their coworkers just roll their eyes and ignore the drama.
They’re Forced to Break the Rules
OP says their workplace is already a very stressful environment.
Their performance is measured on impossible standards, and they have to cut corners to make their numbers.
But Then They Get Punished
Then, if something goes wrong, OP says their management reviews the processes the workers followed and ding them for any missed steps.
No Chance to Talk
They also don’t get lunch breaks, so OP doesn’t have any opportunity to try and form a bond with her coworker other than in the heat of getting the job done.
They Can’t Change Anything
And there are rules in place that OP says keeps her and her coworkers from trying to unionize to improve the situation.
She Really Needs the Job
OP has considered leaving her job, but she needs the money and isn’t sure she could find another gig very easily. Especially not one that pays as well.
She Feels Stuck
And OP is not eligible for any kind of welfare benefits, so she feels completely stuck.
She Wants to Work It Out
So OP is motivated to try and find a way to get along with her coworker, which is why she came to Reddit.
She Needs Help
For starters, OP wanted to know if it seemed like she was deliberately mispronouncing her coworkers name. And did it really seem like such a big deal if she slipped up from time to time?
More importantly, though, OP wanted help figuring out how to get the name right consistently.
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The post She Struggles With the Correct Pronunciation of Her Coworker’s Name, and Now Her Work Is Suffering! first appeared on Fistful of Dollars.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Roman Samborskyi. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit