"What did you say?" How to tell someone you don't understand them.
There was a woman from
My thoughts on this subject:
Every language has a rhythm. She spoke English using the rhythm and intonation of her first language. Although it sounded lovely, it was hard to understand. I tell people who want to reduce their accent to pretend they are an actor. They should put on an accent as if they were preparing for a movie role. There is a lot more to accent reduction, but this gets someone to relax and have fun while working on reducing their accent in English.
Because it was a meeting and I did not know her, I did not say anything.
If you want to say something, should you be blunt or circumspect with your comments?
I think it depends on your relationship wit the person and your personality. Think of your different responses to a guest or an employee. Now realize that your employees are probably insecure about the way they speak English. If you are too strong or harsh, they will freeze up.
NOW share your thoughts on this subject. What do you do? Remember your thoughts will help someone.
Peri
That's very insightful. Thanks for the advice. I am frequently blunt to a fault, insulting other people. Don't like to be that way, but I also don't like to pander to bad or foolish behavior. Although that has nothing to do with the topic, so I'll just shut up...
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When I hear people who are difficult to understand, or who are speaking incorrectly, I usually explain that I'm an ESL teacher and ask them if they would like some input on their English. Then I gauge their response. If they seem receptive, I pick one thing to advise or correct, and I do so as kindly as I can. Even if you aren't an ESL teacher , second language speakers are frequently receptive to correcting their English because they want to speak as well as they can. Asking first is always a good idea though."
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