am i the only person that have trouble understanding people...

[Dancing Fire]

whom speaks with a heavy accent?

when i call those 800 # for tech support 90% of the time i couldn't understand WTH they're talking about.

what should i say? please speak English!!

 

[doodle]

I''m partially deaf, so I pretty much have trouble understanding EVERYONE. Makes for some interesting convos though. I was once mad at my husband for an hour because I thought he said to me, "You smell awful." Turns out, he said, "You''re so awesome," so he had no clue why I kept glaring at him.

 

[PumpkinPie]

It truly depends on which accent - I have more practice understanding certain types of accents and therefore find them easier to decode
I often find it difficult initially but it''s amazing how quickly one can adapt

 

[Harleigh]

I have the worst time! I have some hearing loss, as well, and if I can''t see a person''s lips, I''m usually sunk. I swear I have to talk online because I don''t have to try to "hear" anyone speak! Here''s hoping my poor eyesight doesn''t get any worse...sheesh!

 

[radiantquest]

I know that it is frustrating. It is a hard situation and you really do not want to offend them, but at the same time if you are calling that number it is because you have a problem that needs fixing. I usually show my difficulty by asking several times for them to repeat themselves then politely ask to be tranfered. You are taking a chance with that one, but in my mind I figure anyone has got to be better. If it is the same with the second person I ask if we could possible communicate through email to solve the problem.

 

[jewelz617]

I have a difficult time when talking to tech support in India. They are very efficient and friendly but I just can''t understand them. Also I get a lot of heavy accents when I call my insurance company and it''s frustrating.

I try not to get upset, it''s not their fault, they are just trying to earn a living.

 

[missy]

I agree. It can be frustrating and very trying at times when you call for assistance and you just cannot understand the person on the other end of the line. It is not their fault at all but IMO the fault of the company that is outsourcing the work! Because I am a customer of said company and expect to be able to communicate in an efficient manner when I have a problem with the product/service. This happens numerous times and frankly it annoys me.


The most recent example is Cablevision (I hate their company- they have an inferior product with usually terrible service but it is our only option so far in NYC as the co-op I live in does not allow direct tv and Time Warner and Fios are not in our area yet sadly). For the last 4 months we have had many issues with the quality of the HD picture as well as lots of interrupted service with no picture. We also lose internet as we have that through Cablevision as well.

Anyway, when I call them to let them know what is happening I often get someone in India with a heavy accent. I have friends from India and have no issues understanding them but the people from India who work for Cablevision are incomprehensible (at least to me). Well imagine trying to deal with this problem and just not being able to communicate with the person on the other end. Frustrating beyond belief!

END of rant.


Again, I don't blame the person at all. It is the company who hires them to specifically communicate with the customer in the USA that I blame!

 

[elrohwen]

I'm fairly good at understanding heavy accents. For example, there have been many situations at Chinese restaurants where my parents coudn't understand anything the waiter said, but I knew exactly what he was saying. Part of it might be that I went to college with a lot of foreign kids (especially from India/China/other nearby countries) so I got used to talking with them.

 

[zoebartlett]

I also have a hard time understanding people who have a heavy accent. We moved to the south almost a year ago, and some people are so "country," and their accent is so heavy, that I spent half my conversation trying to decipher what they''re saying.

 

[iheartscience]

I can figure out most accents pretty well. I actually have a lot of trouble understanding Irish accents for some reason. I have a lot of Irish friends and I have so much trouble understanding them, especially if we''re out at a bar or something and it''s loud. You''d think I would be used to it by now!

 

[Steel]

Date: 4/3/2010 3:40:36 PM
Author: thing2of2
I can figure out most accents pretty well. I actually have a lot of trouble understanding Irish accents for some reason. I have a lot of Irish friends and I have so much trouble understanding them, especially if we''re out at a bar or something and it''s loud. You''d think I would be used to it by now!

You are not alone Thing, I''m Irish and I cannot understand what some nationals are on about. The accent can be so thick or just plain weird, not to mention the different nouns depending on region

. I tend to let the conversation wash over me and hope I can pick up a few words so that I know whether to put on my happy, sad or angry face.

 

[Steel]

Date: 4/2/2010 9:47:46 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
whom speaks with a heavy accent?

when i call those 800 # for tech support 90% of the time i couldn''t understand WTH they''re talking about.

what should i say? please speak English!!

I used to have Sky TV and the call centres were outsourced to Scotland (which was great) and also somwhere further afield. For the life of me I could not understand most reps unless they were the Scottish ones. So I used to say "I''m sorry to ask because you have been really helpful but I am having difficulty understanding you; the line must be bad, could you please transfer me to a colleague" and hope that the next rep was somebody with a lesser accent.

It seemed reasonably polite to me and I have done it a number of times in the past, without causing issue that I was aware of.

Hope this helps.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/3/2010 4:13:05 PM
Author: Steal

Date: 4/3/2010 3:40:36 PM

Author: thing2of2

I can figure out most accents pretty well. I actually have a lot of trouble understanding Irish accents for some reason. I have a lot of Irish friends and I have so much trouble understanding them, especially if we''re out at a bar or something and it''s loud. You''d think I would be used to it by now!

You are not alone Thing, I''m Irish and I cannot understand what some nationals are on about. The accent can be so thick or just plain weird, not to mention the different nouns depending on region

. I tend to let the conversation wash over me and hope I can pick up a few words so that I know whether to put on my happy, sad or angry face.

Ha, I do the same thing! If we''re out at a bar I end up smiling and nodding for most of the night! Or if my sister and British friend are nearby I''ll ask for a translation!

I can understand some of them better than others. One of my friends told me that the further north they''re from, the harder their accent is to understand. I could have that mixed up, though-I might not have understood her when she told me that!

 

[Kaleigh]

No DF, I have a hard time understanding many of them as well. If it''s really bad, I aks for a supervisor.. Some times that helps.

 

[Arkteia]

Here is the other side of it. I learned my English by listening to the BBC. Hence my English is not really American. Nor is it Russian. I am probably the only one in my family who can understand Hugh Grant - my husband would ask me to "translate" when we watch a movie with him. In England or Australia, I have way fewer problems. Also, my voice is high and I have some speech impairment (I guess it has to do with my bite) so even my father has problems understanding me when I speak my mother tongue. (He doesn't hear well). Also, I always enjoy using words like "trousers" instead of "pants" or "flat" instead of "apartment" (just for fun!).

I have noticed that people with lower voices have fewer problems being understood even if they have thick accents. Since many Chinese and Indians speak in higher-pitched voices (especially women) it may create more problems.

For some weird reason, my French accent is much better although I almost forgot the language (who needs French in the US?). Same with German. My son who is bilingual has no problems speaking Spanish or Italian basically without an accent.

Everything also depends on the area. In Boston I have almost problems (but Boston is so multi-cultural, they probably are used to any accent). In Pacific Northwest, people have not been really exposed to accents (nor do they travel - I mean, Vancouver is 3 hours drive from Seattle!) and they do have problems with my accent. But I always warn people that if they do not understand me, I will not get upset if they ask me to repeat myself again.

P.S. And sorry for misspelling some words - my vision is not good (I am getting old) and I always lose my glasses.

The only really bad situation I have observed was when a bank teller in Boston was extremely mean to a Chinese client. I mean, it was obvious that the woman just moved from China and came to deposit money in a bank. And the teller was extremely mean and rude, and commented on "people coming here without even speaking English" and so on and so forth...The woman looked frightened. I had to intervene and advised the teller to seek psychotherapy rather then venting her feelings on the clients. Then the teller looked frightened. I guess I hit a nerve...

I suppose it would be very difficult for us to learn Chinese or Japanese because (from what I read) there may be "slightly" different languages for men and women and the tones of voice should be different (at least in Japan).

 

[VRBeauty]

I''m actually pretty good with many accents. I think it helps that I grew up in another country -- English is my second language -- and that I work with people from a lot of Asian and Near East countries, so I have a lot of opportunities to practice hearing through the accents, both in person and on the phone. Still there are one or two people that I need "translation" help with, even after I''ve asked them to slow down.

Actually, my most memorable accent experience was when I stopped to ask for directions at a gas station somewhere in the southern tip of Long Island. It took me a few seconds to realize that the attendant was answering me in English... and a couple of tries before I could figure out what he was saying!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/3/2010 5:15:26 PM
Author: Kaleigh
No DF, I have a hard time understanding many of them as well. If it's really bad, I aks for a supervisor.. Some times that helps.

i did...he was even worst.

i finally gave up.

maybe the Brits are laughing at American English accents. where is my Brit gf Lorelei?

 

[Amethyste]

Being one WITH a Heavy accent, I know I frustrate people cause sometimes, they cannot totally understand me.
I tend to emphasize the wrong syllables and it makes words sound funny.
So I guess people Would probably think in their head about me "Speak English would ya?"

Being on the other side of the fence, I know how difficult it is to be clearly heard. So I give them some slack...

 

[yssie]

Yes!! Where we live there are lots of people with little to no English - and what they do speak is heavily accented and strangely constucted. I feel so silly asking someone to repeat himself/herself three, even four times!



Interestingly, my dad has a thick Indian accent, and I have no trouble understanding him, but anyone else with the same Indian accent - even other relatives - I find much, much more difficult

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 4/3/2010 5:15:26 PM
Author: Kaleigh
No DF, I have a hard time understanding many of them as well. If it's really bad, I aks for a supervisor.. Some times that helps.

I'm pretty good at understanding people with accents. Nomally, I ask for a supervisor when the person starts answering my questions from a script rather than *speaking* to me like an actual person. More out of my frustration. I'm so impatient.

 

[studyer83]

I often find that people talk SO quietly. And quickly. It is aggravating, especially when a store clerk, co-worker, etc. speaks to softly or fast!

I have one friend who rests his hand on his cheek frequently and often ends up putting his hand in front of his mouth. I can''t understand anything -- accent or none.

Date: 4/2/2010 10:08:49 PM
Author: doodle
I''m partially deaf, so I pretty much have trouble understanding EVERYONE. Makes for some interesting convos though. I was once mad at my husband for an hour because I thought he said to me, ''You smell awful.'' Turns out, he said, ''You''re so awesome,'' so he had no clue why I kept glaring at him.