Imagine this: You’re about to meet with a colleague or a fellow student, but you’re not quite sure how to pronounce their name. You’ve heard them say it before, but you can’t remember if the vowel is an ah-sound or more of an ay. You want to be respectful and say it correctly. You could ask them to repeat it, again.
Or better yet, what if you could go to their email signature and listen to them say it themselves?
UW–Madison faculty, staff and students have access to NameCoach, a cloud-based service that allows people to record the proper pronunciation of their name, in their own voice, and create a “NameBadge” that can be published in online profiles or in an email signature.
“An individual’s name is a key element of their identity, one that often is rooted in their language and culture,” says Gabe Javier, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs in the areas of identity and inclusion. “Taking the time to learn and correctly pronounce a person’s name is one simple, and important, way to respect and honor their identity.”
For more information about NameCoach, please visit the NameCoach IT service page. Learn@UW–Madison manages the NameCoach service with the DoIT Help Desk providing technical support.
How to add a recording of your name to your email signature
Follow these 5 steps in the KnowledgeBase to create a NameBadge recording of your name and add it to your email signature.