Can this be true?

[***super_nova***]

Officer disciplined for calling asylum seekers by numbers instead of names

Serco confirms that asylum seekers as young as 12 referred to by boat ID numbers at privately operated detention centre

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/30/officer-disciplined-for-calling-asylum-seekers-by-numbe...

[cherry*135]

No, they are human beings just like you and me. They are not to be called by their boat numbers, the officer was out of order doing so.

[i-need-a-martini]

Actually arabic names (if this is what people think most of the asylum seekers are) are quite easy to pronouce as they are usually spelt exactly as they sound.

So unpronounceability is not an excuse.

[freshwater-2]

Arab names may be spelled the same....but pronounced differently depending on the region.  Some pronounciations use the sound at the back of the mouth.....hard to do.

[cherry*135]

The staff  at the detention centres can learn how to say the asylum seekers names then, if they are tricky ones.

Lots of students originally from foreign countries at schools and universities in Australia have foreign names. Teachers, tutors and lecturers learn how to say their students names (some may shorten their name or have a nickname).

Ever been to a Uni graduation recently? Lots of foreign names to be pronounced before degrees are handed to the student.

[acacia_pycnantha]

Do all of the asylum seekers have Arabic names?

[cherry*135]

I doubt all asylum seekers have Arabic names.

Calling the asylum seekers by number instead of their name shows the sort of attitude (bad) the staff member has towards them imo.

[acacia_pycnantha]

Perhaps the example was taken from our current Minister Scott Morrison's practice of referring to them as "illegals" ?

[freshwater-2]

I am sure many don't have Arabic names.  There are other nationalities who have difficult names too.

I doubt very much that commercial guards are given courses on how to pronounce names.

I doubt that the commerical companies running the detention centres care very much either.

Management came down hard on one guard........but I believe it is a managment problem.

[freshwater-2]

I personally know a number of Arab speaking immigrants who anglicised their names, especallly those in business.

Makes life easier for them.  Their choice.

[acacia_pycnantha]

I used to work at a place where there are many employees from China and most of them have taken Anglicised names. When I tried to pronounce their Chinese names they would smile and correct me. I found that I just couldn't get the pronunciation right. I suppose they gave up on us and took the Aussie/Anglo names to save the hassle of continual correction. I really tried hard and I still couldn't get it right.

Arabic names, by comparison, are easy.