Durham, NC — I’ve gotten used to people mispronouncing my name. I understand it’s hard, especially for those who are saying it for the first time. But when Google Docs or iMessage tells me my name, spelled correctly, is wrong, I feel like punching my laptop.
I’ll be typing away on my keyboard finishing up the last sentence of my essay. Then, I’ll add my name without much thought. But suddenly, a dotted red line appears below my name — ruining the once perfect black and white page.
This red dotted line is Google Docs “correcting” my name to something more “American,” like Sheila — or even worse, Shrimp.
Here’s the hardest thing about this red underline. Growing up, it only added on to the fear that I didn’t belong. I already felt out of place because of my culture.
When my name becomes underlined, it feels like it’s a mistake — like it doesn’t belong on the page, or it should be different. I hope in the future, big tech companies can fix the way that software responds to names like mine. Especially when names are familiar, just not to the Western eye.
Shriya Dharmapurikar (she/her) is a high school sophomore from Durham, North Carolina. She writes for YR Media’s AAPI team.
Edited by Amber Ly