New Software Helps Provide Accurate Name Pronunciations for Student Athletes

Davis, Calif. — UC Davis Athletics places a great emphasis on acknowledging and respecting each other's differences. To bolster this commitment, we recently established a pivotal partnership between UC Davis and a company called Name Engine.

With nearly 400 student-athletes coming from a multitude of cultures, it's important to pronounce their names correctly, which is why UC Davis athletics sought out a program like Name Engine.

Name Engine is a name pronunciation software that has become an integral part of the UC Davis Athletics experience. It is software designed to help with the accurate pronunciation of names for celebrities, athletes, brands, and other prominent people or companies. It was originally created by the founder, Curt Bussen, after he was doing color commentary for his local college hockey team's radio broadcast, and the play-by-play announcer was searching for the opposing team's name pronunciations just before the start of the game. From that moment, he saw a problem that needed a solution, and thus Name Engine was born. UC Davis Athletics values the wide variety of identities and backgrounds their student-athletes come from and therefore they sought out a department-wide partnership with the company, to ensure they were doing their best to respect their student-athletes.

Bussen eventually expanded upon his idea with the "Ear It" application, which allows organizations to feature audio name pronunciations directly on their own website. This went on to be a successful venture and it is now featured on over 100 college athletics websites and is starting to venture into the healthcare industry as well. The Ear It application is what influenced UC Davis Athletics to seek out the Name Engine partnership. It is used on the UC Davis Athletics website for teams and athletes that require the service. This allows fans, commentators, and many others to pronounce the names of our student-athletes accurately.

"I originally created the Ear It app with broadcast professionals in mind. I wanted to provide an easier and more effective way for them to confirm the correct pronunciations of athletes' names before going on the air," founder, Curt Bussen, explained, "But in recent years, I have come to realize just how big of an impact the service has with regard to DEI initiatives overall. Everyone wants to hear their name pronounced correctly, and I often get emails from SIDs letting me know how much their student-athletes appreciate the service. That is extremely gratifying to me, and I am happy to be able to play a role in such an important endeavor."

Name Engine relies on contributors to keep their website accurate and up to date. Anyone can add new name pronunciations and update the site. Much of the authentication comes from communication department staff who provide the correct pronunciation of athletes' names. They emphasize the importance of hearing the name before recording it for their website. The auditory element of Name Engine is what makes it so unique and aids in accuracy. There is even a dedicated call-in line specifically for this purpose, to guarantee that they are pronouncing each name correctly.

"I think the Name Engine adds a meaningful impact for not only our international student-athletes, but all of our Aggie student-athletes," remarks Courtney Randall Associate Athletics Director for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, "A name is an important aspect of one's identity, so the fact that the Aggie community can now be as accurate as possible with how we identify our student-athletes is major. We want our student-athletes to know that wherever they come from, they're wanted and supported here. Respecting each other's identity is something that we talk about heavily in our program."

This story is an example of UC Davis Athletics' commitment to the Ignite Strategic Plan Pillar of "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" by providing DEI co-curricular opportunities for student athletes and staff by providing DEI-related educational content. Read more about our strategic plan here; IGNITE

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