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Mispronounced names are a reality for many people. These World Cup presenters took a stand.

It's about respect.

Johnny Lieu

on June 25, 2018

At the World Cup, you'd expect to hear a whole range of names from around the globe.

From the likes of Coutinho, to Pouraliganji, or Hasebe, you've likely heard commentators try to nail these pronunciations, because getting names right is an important sign of respect.

That, for some reason, has become the source of derision for certain Australian viewers, who were angrily tweeting because SBS TV presenter Lucy Zelić was pronouncing the names of players and coaches correctly. That's right, correctly.

The online complaints over the weekend ranged from people thinking that Zelić was "overpronouncing" names, and that she was putting on an accent.

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On Monday, Zelić and co-host Craig Foster hit back at those complaints, tearing up when explaining why they aimed to get foreign pronunciations right — even if they may not get it completely correct every time.

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"You're not pronouncing it for anybody other than the nation that you're covering, and out of respect to them, you're pronouncing it for them," she said.

"So when I have had Colombians write to me and say 'I've been living in Australia for 37 years, and constantly having my name mispronounced has always been a difficulty for me. To have it pronounced correctly is really quite touching.'"

Zelić added she was pleased the debacle occurred, because now it means a new audience can be educated on the importance of getting names right.

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For many Australians (and people in English-speaking countries) with non-anglicised names, changing how one's name is pronounced for others is a common occurrence.

While trying to get pronunciation right seems insignificant, it means a lot to the people with those names.