Names Across Cultures: The Global Names Training Series

Names carry deep cultural, historical, and personal meaning. Pronouncing someone’s name correctly is a powerful way to demonstrate respect, build trust, and foster belonging. The Names Across Cultures: The Global Names Training Series fosters an inclusive and respectful university environment by helping all members of the Illinois community gain confidence in pronouncing names from around the world and understanding the cultural significance of naming practices.

Offered multiple times each semester, these interactive and practice-oriented sessions are grounded in intercultural communication principles. Participants explore pronunciation patterns, cultural naming systems, and strategies for navigating uncertainty with curiosity, respect, and confidence, reinforcing inclusive communication as a shared responsibility across campus.

What Participants Gain

• Awareness of common pronunciation patterns from different languages and regions
• Understanding of cultural naming conventions and their cultural and social significance
• Strategies for asking about names respectfully
• Confidence interacting with students, colleagues, and community members from diverse cultural backgrounds
• Enhanced inclusive communication skills to strengthen interpersonal relationships

 Who Should Attend

• Faculty and instructors
• Staff and administrators
• Students (undergraduate, graduate, professional)
• Scholars and postdoctoral researchers
• Anyone interested in fostering inclusive and respectful communication across cultures

Upcoming Trainings

Names Across Cultures: The Global Names Training Series is offered regularly throughout the academic year, with each session highlighting names from a different linguistic or cultural community.

To view details about upcoming trainings, including dates, locations, and featured name traditions, please visit the Events Calendar.

Interested in Getting Involved?

The Names Across Cultures series is developed in collaboration with students, scholars, and campus partners who wish to share the pronunciation and cultural context of names from their country or language community. 

If you are interested in conducting a Names Across Cultures training, having your country or language featured, or partnering with us on a future session, please contact: isss-programs@illinois.edu.

Past Trainings

Each semester, Names Across Cultures: The Global Names Training Series features names from different linguistic and cultural communities.