Richard or Ricardo? How your name impacts your media job prospects
SBS World News presenter, finance editor and Small Business Secrets presenter Ricardo Goncalves explains why he used to be known as Richard.
I was born in Wollongong on the NSW South Coast into a very traditional Portuguese family that migrated to Australia in the late 1970s.
I was given a common Portuguese name, Ricardo Jorge Goncalves (Pronounced: George Gon-salvsh) and Portuguese was my first language. But when I started primary school, the teachers started calling me ‘Richard’.
It stuck for more than 20 years, including the beginning professional career.
It was then I also anglicised the pronunciation of my surname (Gone-calves).
Part of me held onto ‘Richard’ because I thought it would be easier to develop a career in the media because Australians of minority ethnic backgrounds were rarely seen on TV then.
It wasn’t until I started at SBS in 2010 that I found the confidence to revert to my birth name and correct pronunciation of my surname.
The recent social media storm over my colleague, Lucy Zelic’s correct pronunciation of football player’s names got me thinking, Australians must have many interesting stories about their names, and the implications on work life.
So I got to asking their opinions on LinkedIn, with some interesting replies:
Aree Cohen. Jewish sounding name but Aree is Thai. Got hired by Jewish business owners once, things got weird when I said my mother is Thai. I had to use the English version of my name.
Vasileios=William to avoid any discrimination throughout my professional years…
Julio Cesar Angulo. It is very important, to me. I carried my name through all of primary school. Never crossed my mind, or my parents to have it anglicised. As an adult, I don’t regret making that decision. I’m proud of it. It also gives me an opportunity to educate people about Spanish language and name conventions.
For me, my name is part of my identity, and I’m proud of my Portuguese heritage.
It doesn’t really bother me if my surname isn’t pronounced correctly, but it’s great when people have a go.
To be technically correct, my name should be pronounced ‘He-car-do George Gon-salvsh’ but of course, as with any language, there are nuances which make it unique, for example, the ‘n’ in Goncalves is soft, the ‘s’ is a ‘shh’ sound, and it can all be different depending on which part of Portugal you are from.
I obviously don’t expect people to know that, which is why I go by, ‘Ricardo George Gon-sal-ves’
The meaning is still there.
The issue for me, was the change from Ricardo to Richard back to Ricardo, and embracing what is obviously a European name. My birth name.
I think it’s still true that perhaps in the media, unusual names are far and few between, but the only way to make social change, is to persist with what you believe is right.
If changing your name is right for you, then it’s right for you.
Ricardo Goncalves is a SBS World News presenter, finance editor and Small Business Secrets presenter. Check out Ricardo’s SBS News Online article here as he chats with some everyday Australians about their names.
Great article!
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Teachers used to correct the spelling of my name Georgia to Georgina all-the-time; as though I had inadvertently spelt it wrong. 35 years ago it made a little girl from a Greek background feel just like that – displaced and standing out like a sore thumb.
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Lovely. Thx.
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The correct pronunciation of a name is critical to scoring points with that person. Take the time to remember their name and pronounce it correctly. It will pay dividends. Here’s another take on the importance of a person’s name. Enjoy. https://yourvoiceprofessor.com/name/
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