Post #134,505
1/9/04 11:36:44 AM
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Re: Call center jobs leaving India
Indian English, as you may have discovered, can be either dead-on perfect with a hint of a delightful accent, or utterly impossible to parse without hearing it three times. Even if the grammar is perfect, there is something about the pronounciation that doesn't "click" (the same can be said for the Irish :) It gets very frustrating at times.
Of course there are something like 100 languages spoken in India, and at least 15 main ones, so it would be stupid to expect consistency.
-drl
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Post #134,552
1/9/04 2:07:33 PM
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OT: Regarding Irish
While stationed in Germany, I was in charge of the check writing section (Finance Center, Europe). The colonel's secretary came into my office on my first day and started to talk to me. (At the time I didn't know who she was.) I didn't understand a thing she said, figured she must be speaking in German, so I asked her to repeat herself and I listened for German (this was when I was not "fluent"). Still didn't understand what she said. But, during her speech, I recognized some words and realize that she was Irish and have an unique way of speaking. Put the appropriate mental filter in place and we got along fine.
"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."
1 Peter 1:24-25
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Post #134,587
1/9/04 4:11:59 PM
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ObMontyPythonBanterSketch
Bally Jerry pranged his kite right in the how's-your-father; hairy blighter, dicky-birded, feathered back on his sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harpers and caught his can in the Bertie.
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Post #134,593
1/9/04 4:25:23 PM
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:) but, it's worse than that
I remember being in Irish bars, and just standing there stupefied at times, not wanting to be rude but thinking "What the fuck did he just say??" There were some Scots who were bordering on incomprehensible as well, but far fewer.
-drl
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Post #134,575
1/9/04 3:34:58 PM
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Only 3?
I had an Indian support call sometime last November, and that is using the term "support call" very loosely. I swear after struggling to understand WTF was being said for 5-10 minutes, I had to say, "I'm very sorry. I am as sincerely trying to understand you as you are trying to communicate with me. I haven't understood a word you have said and I am, unfortunately going to have to terminate this call. Thank you and Good-bye."
I was genuinely trying to understand him, but there was literally no hope.
bcnu,
Mikem
I don't do third world languages. So no, I don't do Java.
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Post #136,258
1/17/04 2:54:15 AM
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Too fast
Many people who have accent problems would not be so hard to figure out if they simply SLOWED DOWN their speaking. This one H-1B I was working with said he had a hard time slowing down when I suggested he try it. He claimed speaking fast was a British habbit that many Indians picked up. Another guy from Hong Kong in the same office had the same problem. What have the Brits done?
________________
oop.ismad.com
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Post #136,262
1/17/04 4:43:31 AM
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Different
Think of Brooklyn, New Hampshire, Texas, Liverpool. All are totally different in sound but easily mutually understandable. It's not speed but cadence and emphasis.
-drl
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Post #136,265
1/17/04 4:52:46 AM
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Think faster instead.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
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Post #136,308
1/17/04 6:17:04 PM
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Umm... This is 'Murica you know!
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
"Lately, The only thing keeping me from being a
Serial Killer is my distaste for manual labor."
-- Dilbert Calendar, January 4, 2004
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Post #136,321
1/17/04 7:41:31 PM
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spend time with your eyes closed and silent
while they are speaking their natural patios that many use, a sort of Indian swahili. Many tribes and languages have made this modified urdu mandatory. After a while you will pickup cadence and patterns that you will understand the direction of the conversation, it will help when they try to speak straight english with you.
thanx,
bill
same old crap, con artists ripping off fools. Ah, hell, Catholic Church it start off that way. They All do. Jesus probably had three walnut shells one pea, then he's dead and can't be questioned,
Gabriel Dupre
questions, help? [link|mailto:pappas@catholic.org|email pappas at catholic.org]
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