WHY POLISH PEOPLE DON'T USE THEIR NATIVE FIRST NAME WHEN ABROAD?

I don't know many names common on Venus but I'll google it.

Ian/Jan/Cardno, whatever :) there is no need to google it, look at the following thread:

what is the most common and the most beautiful name in Poland?

My name is mentioned there:)

Ahem...it's Iain thank you very much, i'm not English :P

Aleksandra...Ola, Olka

for me- there is nothing worse than hearing my name mispronounced... i know, i'm rude- but i prefer when english people use my name's english equivalent.

/me is ashamed by his rudeness and antisocialness (well... lets pretend that this word exist ;P)

my last name is english & VERY easy to say but people still get my last name wrong

i feel bad for that girl on americas next top model, her name was katarzyna & tyra always said it ka-tar-juh-nuh, that bothered me so bad i hit the tv when tyra would call her name :o


i dont like that either i like the hebrew version i think the computer said it was elisheva i think that sound cool

Yes it is?! :)

are you serious? aleksandra is considered one of the most beautiful names in poland? :)

lol wow, i'm not polish..but i don't beleive them to be ashamed of their name
i think the reason for sometimes giving an english name instead of a polish one is the fact that a lot of other people have a mental block to pronouncing names correctly and yes you are right they're not always hard to pronounce, maybe if you are reading a polish name it could cause some difficulties. personally i like the fact that they are able to give an english version of the name, so i can be all like OOo so Pawel = Paul etc. on the other hand i think they are just being nice and try to make it easier for a non polish speaker =]

I don't think anyone is ashamed, I think we are generally being polite toward the English tongue which is unaccustomed to the Polish language. Not everyone does this, I think its personal preference and a bit rude to give someone a hard time in regard to what they choose to be addressed as.

Polish names aren't so hard to pronounce as Polish surnames. Check in Wikipedia "List of Polish Americans" and you'll see how many of them are famous but they had to change their real Polish surnames to be able to do better career.

My mum has stuck with her Polish name, Danuta.

I was born in America but now I am using my Polish name more and more (the diminutive): Grzeis

This is stupidy. Poles come abroad and think they can as they pleased.

What? Do what we want with our names? Well, yes.

My name is Anna and it's the same in English, so theoretically there should be no problem. But someone asked me concernedly why I don't use my real name Ania. I tried to explain that it's a common Christian name, from Hebrew Hanna.

But there is another thing. I like to have my name declined, and when somebody calls me, they should say Anno! or, Aniu! And in English there are only very limited declinations. So I prefer to be called nominative Aana in English than Anya!Anya! - which just is less cultured than vocative Aniu, Anusiu.

So for me it's a matter of over-sensitivity rather than embarrassment.

ive decided one day im going to work in a mexican resturant that only hires mexicans & other latin people & then there will be me sticking out like a sore thumb & i will predtend im mexican :)

oh yeah & to answer the question once i had a substitue teacher & he was from ukraine & he said his name was russel & im like uh yeah right! but then he told our class to be quiet so i never figured out his real name :(

well my name is magda and people dont usually have a problem pronouncing it. however, I've noticed that a lot of the time when they try to spell it they go: "m, a, d...." and I have to stop them and say "no, it's m, a, G, d, a." it has always boggled me. HOW are they getting the d mixed up with the g?? I clearly say MAG-DUH!!

Sep 12, 09, 21:32 - Thread attached on merging:
What do you think of name changes from Kasia to Katie etc?

I was in a restaurant recently and the waitresses name plate said Katie even though she wasn't a Katie as far as I can tell, she had an accent, possibly a Kasia.

What do Poles think of their names being changed when they come to Ireland or another country?

What do non-Poles think of Poles/other nationalities names being changed?

i mostly get called Justina by everyone who knows me here in England. i don't really mind and i'm very used to it now. i don't like it when they try to pronounce my name in Polish if you ask me, call me horrible i just don't like it when they say 'yousteeeeeeeena'. same with writing it down, they can only remember there was a y in there somewhere so on any invites or letters i get called Justinya. i make everyone's life easier by sticking to the English spelling.

As most people have said a lot of the time it's a matter of convenience. This is especially true with new introductions or with people whose relationship will most likely only be temporary (customers etc), it's simpler just to give an easy name as a point of reference and move onto the purpose of the introduction / meeting.

In school I used the Polish version of my name, after school I started using the English equivalent. My friends from school, and as my circle of friends grew larger, prefer to use the Polish version. Some work colleagues as they become friends, eventually switch to the Polish version, either after asking me what it is or doing the research themselves.

A lot of people find the Polish version more unique and interesting and some insist on using it. I don't mind either way. When other people give me an English version of their native name (be they Polish, or another nationality), I use the name they offered me and only change if in the future we become friends and they inform me they prefer their native name. I don't feel the need to bring up their heritage and question them on it. They gave me a name they want me to use and I respect that.

What hasn't been mentioned yet is the fact that if that it might actually be appropriate to use the Foreign equivalent (if available) when speaking another language, after all it's a straight forward translation. I never understood why certain people throw in their native words into a foreign conversation other than to sound exotic or cute. Personally I've never felt the need to show off I'm Polish by greeting people in Polish, yet I've seen it done in Spanish, French and a few other languages quite frequently. If I'm speaking in English, I use English words where available.

On the other hand my Dad's name was uniquely Polish and had no translation, people just gave him a nickname, the same with my mum. It is sometimes also quite common to use nicknames instead of a first name, yet no one would ever suggest that a person using a nickname is ashamed of their name, especially if it is a nickname that was earned.

I think the purpose of first names is nothing more than to differentiate individuals within a family, and hence they are not an issue. Surnames however are different and in my opinion should not be changed. Since my surname is difficult I would rather let people pronounce it incorrectly than to allow them to compromise on the spelling, somehow it would feel disrespectful.

Normal aspect of assimilation for better or for worse. If your name is Waclaw and you go to America for good, why not start calling yourself Wally once your English is good enough. On the other hand if you are in the US for one season serving ice cream at your local amusement park for that H1 visa, why bother. Anyway, Chinese folks are notorious for giving themselves English names too whenever they go abroad, its certainly not a Polish thing.

Agree.
I was asked if Jeremi [Yeremee] may be called Jeremy. Well, why not? It's still the same name.

But then was asked for english equivalent of Kajetan [Kayetan]- could only tell there's no english equivalent, there's french, spanish... but no english. And there were the problem started... that name is so exotic... so different... it tells so nothing... cannot really remember that...

In the work situation you would prefer to be remembered by your (nick)name than as "lazy bastard with that K-name" :)

A chap from Germany, being there for almost 30 years, is no longer Janusz - it was more convenient for him to become Johann.

Work colleague, born in UK from Vietnamese parents, asks everyone to be called Vanessa instead of Van-Duc-Tran-sth-else-don't-remember. And I second that.
She's work colleague of mine and noting her full Vietnamese name was a bit too much for myself.

People tend to make easy in work situation. That's why they pick a nickname.
But if you're making friends - you should start with learning the proper first name.
Thinking of marriage? Learn how to pronounce polish surnames :)

I would prefer if Polish people kept their own names. It could be used for friendly banter, where in Poland are you from etc., it is nice to be nice and talk to people, in Ireland at least, even in Dublin.

I am happy to go into a restaurant/hotel etc and be served by Paweł/Katarzyna etc. Management don't have to pretend that everyone is Irish that works in this hotel.

By not changing your name you can help help integration/relations with Irish people, on the flip side you could also make yourself a target for racism/attacks.

I don't understand that myself.
I spent few years in Ireland and I had always used my Polish name over there. Ok, not the full version which is Katarzyna but Kasia and eveyone was able to say just fine. :)

So people stop being silly and use your own names wherever you are!

Was your name butchered a lot?

Catriona
Katharina
Katchina
Katarina
Kat... anyone whose name starts with Kat?
Kathazhina

and after few years you react on whatever starts with "Kat".

Wouldn't it be better to teach them you are "Kate" or "Kasha"?
And react on that single name only?

I was really pi$$ed when they couldn't spell my polish name correctly. That was long time ago, at the beginning of my journey, and that time I was forcing them to use polish version only.

Since then I grew up - and noticed that not every english speaking chap is capable of making "sz", "rz", "r" sounds properly. So I eased a bit - call me whatever you like.

If you want to try your chances - use polish version. But do it correctly.
If you can't or don't want - use english substitute. It has the same meaning for myself.

Thanks to that when I make a business phone call they will be able to remember my "english name" not bothering about my polish surname.


yeah! I can imagine "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz" integration...

How would you remember him after hearing his name the first time, say after 3 pints?
"gre-shchshchshch-ski"?

He's "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz" but call him: "Greg" - simple.

The point is, that using the translation of my name in the appropriate language in which I am speaking, is using my own / real name.

A good comparison is place names. I come from Warsaw, when asked in an English conversation where I was born, I reply "Warsaw" not "Warszawa".

I have no problem with Grzegorz and I have a good idea how to pronounce Brzęczyszczykiewicz also because another Pole was trying to test me with this one as it is one of the most difficult second names that he could think of. This was our integration, him testing me etc.

Is this name something that a lot of Poles test non Poles with?

They even test themselves in a kindergarten :)

Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz

Check it out! At the end of this you tube video you get the Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz test

Germans failing:


non pole saying
Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz

Why would you change your name to accommodate others abroad. I think it is rude when people butcher my name. Be considerate and ask how to pronounce it. Also, I dislike it when Poles Americanize their name by changing the spelling. For instance, the ending, 'ski' to 'sky'? The Poles I know do not change their names.