The Body Serve
  • Home
  • THE BODY SERVE TENNIS PODCAST
  • Selected Writing
  • #ThisWeekInTennis
  • TBS DIARY
  • SOCIAL
  • Contact

Dear U.S. Tennis Commentators

1/18/2014

0 Comments

 
You are all professionals. If commentating on tennis matches is your job, then perhaps you might have some regard for how you pronounce players’ names. This is not a new phenomenon. The same cast of characters have been butchering “foreign” names for many years. 

I could barely listen to the Zheng Jie/Madison Keys 2nd round match because the commentators insisted on calling the Chinese player “Jeng Jee.” Mary Joe Fernandez is one of the biggest culprits. I single her out because I imagined, being a person who speaks Spanish, she might have some sensitivity to how words and names are pronounced in languages other than English. 

By not taking the time to learn pronunciations, these American broadcasters are telling the global audience that they don’t care. How do the higher ups at ESPN not see this as a problem? Who is policing their on-air talent? How is it that they are allowed to fail time and again at such a basic component of their jobs?

It took me 5 seconds to google how to pronounce Zheng’s name; lo and behold, I came across this tutorial. The likes of Fernandez, Pam Shriver and Brad Gilbert ought to do a bit of homework before calling these matches. The world is watching, and their continued disregard for proper pronunciation does not reflect well on them, their employers, or even Americans’ reputation overseas.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    LinkTree

    ARCHIVES

    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • THE BODY SERVE TENNIS PODCAST
  • Selected Writing
  • #ThisWeekInTennis
  • TBS DIARY
  • SOCIAL
  • Contact