How do you tackle not being able to understand an accent?

[FindingMeno]

Particularly in settings such as medical ones where its important to understand what is being said?
I am always so worried about appearing rude, especially if I have already said I'm having trouble following what is being said and I then still don't understand.
How is the best way to deal with this? What do you do?

So just ignore them?
One reason people love to ragebait MN is the aggressive nature of so many of the replies (which fuels people acting in bad faith)
I don't dispute it can be racist. But it doesn't have to be. Both of my parents struggle/d to understand strong accents, owing to hearing loss and unfamiliarity with a range of accents. Only one of them is/was racist.

Everything is ragebait to those who don't like the topic. 😉
I think having issues understand inh professionals especially in setting like medical is an issue that should not be ignored. I had that conversation not so long agp with a colleague who has new gp. I have experienced that myself luckily not in medical settings.

There really are some nasty people on here nowadays.
I won't defend myself (as the accusations are ridiculous and I don't owe randoms any explanation if they are hell bent on seeing what's not there) or report the posts.
You know who you are, and you look foolish.

@SkinnysalukiI strongly dispute this. Your assertion that the thread’s purpose is to “spread and illicit negativity around immigration” is the kind of lazy accusation that creates a culture in
which (for instance) police services avoid investigating child sex offence rings for fear of being accused of racism.

On several occasions, I have struggled to understand first time all of what was said by NHS HCPs. As I have mentioned, I have an outstanding ear for accents - but but the vowel sounds in particular in some words in some accents are SO far away from what’s familiar, that I’ll struggle. Add in speech speed being too fast, and poor articulation (diction) and anyone would struggle.

IT IS NOT RACIST to observe this and, if it’s enough of a barrier to clearly communicating, try and resolve it.

A medical setting is one in which clear communication is extremely important. If patients repeatedly can’t understand a HCP, that professional should consider accent modification lessons to
ensure they’re effective in their role.

Well said @Piglet89

The racism on this thread is in the people assuming that the accents being talked about are coming from people with skins that aren't white.

Those people should correct their racism by watching Hot Fuzz, the early Jeremy Clarkson farm series, or selective work by Anthony Hopkins.

Still cannot watch Open all hours without subtitles comfortably 😂

I'm the same. I'm early 40s, no hearing impediments and perfectly intelligent, but still need to have subtitles on when I watch something!

And in conversations, I often have to ask the other person to repeat what they've said (even DH!), but by the time they're a few words in, my brain has caught up, so it's not that I didn't hear it, but my brain hadn't processed it.

My DC is the same (and diagnosed AuDHD - I think I likely am too).

I find it much easier to take in written information than spoken.

Also, when learning French at school, I found reading so much easier than listening.

@youbizarrehorsealso from Belfast. Two of us on the same THREAD opening up the vowel in “eight” so we can be understood.

If we can do it, some highly qualified HCPs can also recognise the issue and engage in some accent modification.

not only that is when people don't speak up. So many people mumble.

I work in the nhs and have trouble understanding strong accents from different parts of the world including some parts of the uk. And likewise the same people sometimes have trouble understanding my accent and local pronunciation of words, nothing to do with racism.

As an NHS patient I massively struggled to understand my consultant
I asked for print offs of my notes and I hope to ask someone else at some point because I couldn't understand him

Studnts were I work cant undertsnd some of the teachers they just switch off and struggle .

Also from Belfast and same problem with “eight”! Been repeating it my entire life and can’t even work out what I’m saying so differently!

@MissyMooPoo2voice coach here. Native accent Belfast. PM me and I’ll explain it. 👍

I can assure you that the frequently unpleasant performative incomprehension displayed towards my accent by English people managed to be re udt despite my white skin.

I am interested to know what you mean by "performative incomprehension".

That people do understand but pretend not to? Or that people don't understand and make a scene about it?

Is there a typo? I don't understand re udt, sorry. Perhaps appropriate for this thread 😁

I'll try and give a visual depiction of what I and many people are dealing with.

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You may think that it's all about racism, but I can assure you sometimes it is pure and simple that it is impossible to make out what someone is saying.

I had a recent visit to A&E in Carlisle and couldn’t understand a word the Cumbrian medics were saying. My DH had to translate every conversation

Fortunately when the shift changed I got a consultant from Lockerbie and a nurse from Lanarkshire and all was good.

It is (yet another) thread on here designed to both spread and elicit negativity around immigration

Considering some of the accents being talked about are from Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow your post comes across as a bit stupid. Maybe your problem is more (not) understanding the written word rather than aural? Nevermind, just squint harder.