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?

Tough one. I grew up around a lot of accents, and for the first time in my life I couldn't understand what someone was saying in a context that actually mattered (important medical). I kept asking the doctor to repeat (politely, apologetically) and she seemed to take it personally.

So then her speech just got quieter and quieter. I dreaded encountering her again during the course of my treatment (luckily didn't... and haven't had the same issue again).

So no suggestions that haven't been made already, but understanding that it's tricky when you don't want to offend and yet you need important information.

I don't know about that, but you'd have to be pretty thick if you just smile and nod your way through a medical appointment and leave not understanding important details about your diagnosis, medication or further treatment.

I have a foreign accent but speak better English than many British people, but sometimes I get told they don’t understand me. Go figure.

So when you end up asking four or five times and still don’t understand, then what? You just look rude.

And that's EXACTLY the problem isn't it?. In a medical situation it's important that you properly understand what a doctor or nurse is saying to you .. AND that they understand you too.

I think @FindingMeno is asking for tips/strategies to deal with it without being rude or patronising.
Me too!

It's in settings under accessibility

Isn’t that a bit dangerous in the medical situation the OP described? Also, at a certain point they are going to expect an answer to their questions. You can’t just keep nodding and smiling.

I've worked in the NHS for 30 yrs and have come across many people in pt facing roles with regional and international accents that pts and colleagues sometimes struggled to understand. it does happen .Asking for clarification shouldnt cause offence.

Yes, everyone has their own accent, but if I go to Paris and speak pidgin French with a really strong English accent which distorts the phonemes and puts stresses in the wrong places, with probably some grammatical errors added in, then it's not really the fault of native speaker if I'm difficult to understand.

If I'm there in a professional capacity then the onus is on me to make my speech clearer or at the very least be patient if people don't catch what I'm saying at first.

Frankly I don't believe the NHS cares very much whether their employees can speak clearly. I'd be interested to know whether assessing this is part of the recruitment process.

I think you can have people who have a very good knowledge of English who still don't speak English well. I used to have a South Korean colleague whose spoken English was really difficult to follow. It wasn't because she didn't have the vocabulary skills, it was because she literally couldn't pronounce a huge number of words even nearly correctly.

I used to try and do all our communication over teams as her written English was excellent.

Seriously!

Bully for you.

Not everyone is good with different accents, and your assumption is incorrect. DH has spent a lot of time in hopitals lately and there are a wide variety of accents from medical staff from different backgrounds - overseas and regional UK. Some are easier to understand than others.

Berating someone for finding some accents difficult to follow isn't very helpful and rather supercilious

it happens all the time. I have hearing loss and struggle with some accents.

I just ask people to repeat, slow down etc.

If you are a stranger then someone with hearing loss has to learn your lip patterns to be able to lipread you (which is really difficult to do!) and they have to work out what you are saying by filling in the bits they cannot hear. Think of it like a puzzle - they hear part of the word and then their brain is scrambling to fill in the gaps while carrying on trying to follow the conversation. If it's a subject they know then it's easier but if you are using, for example, medical terminology which isn't something most people know then they are trying to work out what the word is they don't know.

A better hearing aid or aids is not the answer!! I have top of the range hearing aids that cost nearly €3,000. As I’m partially deaf and have more hearing loss in the tones that we use for speech I will never be able to hear the same way as someone who is not deaf even with these hearing aids! It takes longer for the sounds to reach my ear and then process them. It’s a hidden disability.

Well hopefully it wouldn't take four or five times, but frankly my priority would be to leave the appointment with an understanding of my treatment.

If the person in a professional role conveying this information can't express themselves clearly by maybe slowing down or enunciating more precisely when I've made it clear I'm having difficulty grasping what they're saying, then I don't see how that makes me rude.

What do you suggest as the solution? Nodding and smiling at the doctor and then going away not having a clue whether you're supposed to book a follow-up appointment, or not understanding instructions relating to your medication, or being unaware that there's some other course of action you're meant to take as part of your treatment?

I struggle too op and I'm interested the replies as to how to manage it. I fear getting accused of being racist, you can already see on here people are itching to say it!

I wonder if it's because I have to concentrate harder when someone has an accent and therefore need more processing time but of course they chat as usual and then I can't keep up so it's just sounds all jumbled. It's even worse if I'm on the phone.

I’m with you OP. Having hearing aids can affect understanding of accents. Until someone has experienced it they cannot understand. I lip read a lot and that can be an issue with accents too.

All those posters saying ‘don’t be ridiculous’ just pray it doesn’t happen to you - actually I hope it does because then you will have a lot more bloody sympathy.

It is a real issue. I’ve outright asked for an interpreter to translate from whatever language one of the nurses was speaking in to English as her English was horrible. It got sorted out very quickly.

While I don’t suggest my way, it is one of many avenues to take when the medical staff do not speak an appropriate level of English, nor do some of them have the right educational background.

Can you record the conversation and ask someone to help you afterwards or request it in writing?

I'm NHS staff. I have a regional accent and work a long way away from home. People do sometimes struggle with my accent (which people at "Home" find hilarious as my accent in comparison to the norm there is so neutral it's often missed).

I would expect you to say to me something along the lines of "I didn't catch that?" "Could you explain again" or to ask clarification questions. I want people to understand what I say. And am happy to take the time to make sure they do.

I find the people who struggle most with my accent, in general, are also native english speakers from areas with low multi-cultural exposure.

If I’ve had to ask 4/5 times I think that the person who is failing to make themselves understood is the one who is rude and I give up bothering to try and hear them.

Isn't it strange that us from Scotland can understand English accents but English people always say they can't understand us. So we have to speak as though we are speaking to a toddler 😂

I wonder if any nursing candidates get knocked back from an NHS interview.

It does seem like they will employ anyone!

There are lots of different things going on when people speak- their accent, specific words you are unsure of, the volume, to what extent they move their mouth, gestures: all of this is communication.

I'm a lecturer, and it's very important to be able to communicate with students, many of whom have English as a second or third language themselves. I have one colleague who students complain about a lot as he not only has a very strong accent, he speaks in quite a chaotic rambling way, and they can't pin down what he's saying. He also is a poor communicator in terms of written materials, and preparing things in advance which would help hugely. We have to provide all our materials 24 hours in advance so that if students who are slow processors, dyslexic, have hearing or sight issues or otherwise can't follow along can understand what's going on. It's also very effective to gather information in more than one format, whether or not you have difficulties, as it reinforces the points.

There is one podcaster I can't listen to even though I love her content (financial advice)- I spend the whole time straining to hear and catching up about 2 seconds after she's said something.

I think the NHS doesn't prioritise communication at all, often consultants just speak, the words are lost, no-one can remember things at an emotional time. I take notes on everything that's said, the exact words, and just ask them to repeat things if I don't get them. I don't care if I look a bit simple, it's not possible to just memorize what people say if you are stressed.

I have a strong accent and have to repeat myself a lot. It doesn't offend me when people ask me to my repeat myself. I would prefer them asking than pretending to understand me