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?

Is a massive problem for elderly patients especially.

A lot of carers bring it up (the workers from my dads care home did), but they get called racist so have to drop it.

And no they weren’t regional accents, it was mainly African staff.

It takes time to 'tune in' to an unfamiliar accent. I had a friend with a strong Glaswegian accent. If I hadn't seen her for a while, I did sometimes have trouble understanding her at first, especially if speaking on the phone. In a short appointment or phone call with a stranger, you don't have time to become familiar with someone's speech.

I know everyone has an accent. I have a very strong German accent myself. I sometimes have trouble keeping up with with some variants of UK accents.

I'm not sure how recognising that I have an accent helps 🤷‍♀️.

You’re the one trying to make this more than it is? I struggle with some accents, some are foreign some are not. And why is it ok for you to have struggled with a Glasgow accent?

Accent or not, I have found that most people, medics included forget within a few seconds that I've said that I am deaf and use hearing aids. I need to keep reminding them, particularly in "non friend/family" situations.

I don't apportion any blame, I look fine, no indication that I'm deaf from looking at me, and I nod and smile so zoom! off they go without realising. It can be a bit embarrassing to have to ask them to enunciate the words and look at me when speaking. But I do...

In a medical situation, any reports sent to my GP are invaluable, and GP is ok, knows my situation.

It makes it plain that communication is a two-way issue, not something where one person has no accent and is faced with someone with an accent, who is the problem.

I wish I knew the answer. I struggle with some accents because I have a general tendency to process spoken information a little slowly, especially instructions. Having to concentrate on an accent can make it harder. I’m from Belfast and I definitely have an accent😅 Perhaps people don’t always understand me. I know that English people ask me to repeat myself on the phone, so there are certain words I pronounce differently (eg ‘eight’) to mitigate this a little. I can’t always understand a NI ‘country’ accent. It’s not a criticism of their accent, but simply to do with how my ear picks up and processes sounds. Congratulations to the posters on here who have never had a single problem understanding anyone’s accent EVER.

I don’t understand your post? Am I being thick or something?

Jeez, so much virtue signalling.

Personally, when I'm in a situation, such as a medical appointment, where I'm not feeling 100% I find it can take a lot of energy to basically translate the speech of someone who has a strong foreign accent and quite likely does not use standard British English grammar. If that makes me racist, so be it.

Why is it a 'weird OP'? I imagine it's a very, very common problem. I expect that the reason that people are cagey about talking about it is because they fear that it's somehow racist. There is nothing racist about recognising that some people (of any race or nationality) do not speak their non-mother-tongue language well enough or with good enough pronunciation to be easily understoodby all.

I teach languages for a living and so probably have a better ear for accent than most people. I also spend a lot of time listening to and assessing the quality, accent and comprehensibility of beginner and intermediate students' language use. However, I have quite a few times had trouble with accents of call centre staff.

I have had to ask is there anyone else i can speak to. The dr wasn't happy but I genuinely had no clue what they were saying

My accent, when speaking English, is the problem sometimes. I have no issue with that. I can't expect people to magically make themselves understand me better.

The worst one we ever came across ( and I'm usually good at accents) was a Mancunian . Thank god it was a voicemail, so I could listen to it enough times to understand what he was saying. OH never got it.

I’m in hospital at the moment having had major surgery, followed by complications.
I have really struggled to understand several members of staff, especially in the first couple of days when I was delirious with pain and found it impossible to concentrate ☹️

If you have a consultant’s appointment, you can always ask to record the conversation on your phone. I think a lot of people do this anyway, as in the moment it can be hard to absorb everything.

If you have a recording, you’re then able to listen back a few times if you haven’t quite followed the first time.

I think it can easily be a problem, especially as in a medical setting words and phrases are often said that are unfamiliar anyway. I just have to ask them to repeat until I do understand. In other aspects of life I sometimes pretend I understand and hope they don't continue. I once changed my dentist because of this, but I didn't like them anyway.

I pretend to be hard of hearing.

Don’t worry about asking people to slow down their speech or repeating things (even several times). I have been on the other side of this where we have had clients from all over the world, some with better English than others, and I’ve never been offended if someone is struggling to understand me. I’d rather know so we can work to find a way to communicate properly and they fully understand the information they have been given.

Right. But in a hospital / doctor type situation then it's irrelevant what your accent is as it's the medical professional who is providing you with information that you need to understand. As @Shallotsaresmallonions says, we're all aware we have accents 🙄

However, I have quite a few times had trouble with accents of call centre staff.

I was once speaking to someone on a helpline who not only had an unfamiliar accent, he spoke very fast, so I didn't have time to try to grasp what he was saying. I kept having to ask him to slow down.

I lost hearing in one ear permanently after a very bad bout of flu about 10 years back. So I always just say ; 'I am so sorry, I can't hear very well in this ear would you mind repeating?'.

No-one ever has minded as far as i can tell.

Hi OP
I regularly speak to people with international and sometimes very strong regional accents.

The best course imo is just to say can you say that a little slower, please?
Most people understand and either say again clearer or slower which often helps.

This.

My Grandparents had VERY strong Eastern European accents and people used to say all the time they couldn't understand them. They were never offended by it.

My DH has a broad, regional Northern accent which I actually don't really hear anymore but loads of people say to me "my god his accent is strong isn't it" when they first meet him 😂He doesn't take offence either.

It's not racist to say that different accents and dialects can be difficult to understand if you're not used to them!

I’ve previously worked mainly on the phone with clients. If this has been an issue I’ve been honest : “I’m really sorry but I’m having difficulty understanding you. Could you possibly speak a little slower to help me so that I can help you”

I sometimes used to have a problem over the phone at work.

Not just accents, but people mumbling and gabbling both at once!

I just used to ask them - politely - to speak more slowly and clearly, or I wouldn’t be able to help them.
I would certainly sense the odd eye roll, but it was the only way.