Indian telemarketers sit in front of their computer and hit local news, weather.com, etc. so they can sound like they're right down the street. They go to schools that teach them American accents.

As far as engineers: I believe that a huge proportion of H-1B and outsourced professionals don't know anything. There was once a time when someone was brought in or sourced out if they were *really good*. Now, it's a fad and desperation move, and the other countries are catching on that very little technobabble is enough to convice the beancounters you know something.

Ever noticed the huge amount of posters on Usenet with very poor English? Asking about complicated subjects but with very little obvious understanding? I have a strong hunch that the outsourced and H-1B workers are milking the Internet for anything they can get. That double-Ph.D. with 15 years of signal processing experience is perfect for your next project...but you better not take away his Google.