I've played it in both Japanese and in English, and while Japanese is more phonetically consistent I don't understand how people could miss it in English either

I've played it in both Japanese and in English, and while Japanese is more phonetically consistent I don't understand how people could miss it in English either. You can tell right at the beginning when Rover says your name back to you. Even if it's usually difficult to make out, occasionally you should notice it's not totally random, especially when you start playing around with giving the villagers catchphrases.