Hungarian nannies - Lost in translation?

[greyskythinker]

I need a nanny 2 days a week for my 2 DC, 2.9 & 9mnths. I have interviewed and really liked a hungarian girl who applied for the job. Her English is fantastic, but she speaks with a very pronounced accent. My concern is

a) will it be difficult for my toddler & her to communicate (I hardly know myself what DD is saying sometimes), and

b) will my children grow up with a hungarian accent.

Has anyone else any experience of this?

Sorry, no experience with nannies but my DP is Hungarian. So far he hasn't had many problems communicating with any one especially not toddlers. I don't know about the accent because DS is only 16m and doesn't really speak yet, he will be bilingual though. Hungarian is a lovely language and nearly all that I have met speak understandable english and also perfect it very quickly.

greyskythinker - has your potential Hungarian nanny ever lived in an English-speaking country before? Do not underestimate how hard it is to get accent right when you are not in the country of the language you are learning - she may well improve her accent hugely if this is her first time in England.

Your children will not "catch" her accent, providing you and your DH continue to talk to them a lot

We had a czech nanny for a year while dd was really getting to grips with speaking. Nanny's english was good, but accented and occasionally we catch dd saying something with slightly odd accentuations, but otherwise, I think the nanny has benefitted from dd's newly acquired language skills...!

Thanks Anna, she has been in the UK for 6 months, and is studying Linguistics in order to become an English teacher. As I say, her English is great, I have no trouble at all in understanding what she is saying, it is more the subtleties of my toddler's grasp of the English language. DD gets so frustrated when I don't understand what she says, (read -frustration tantrum), I wonder will it be harder for someone whose 1st language isn't English?

Yes, it will be harder for the nanny to understand your DD than it would be for a native speaker.

Personally I would always prefer to leave my daughter with someone with whom she can communicate to the very fullest extent of her abilities - I try always to find bilingual English/French babysitters (not too hard around here).

But of course, if you think that the nanny has exceptional other qualities, and that her English and her understanding of your DD will improve, then I quite understand why you might choose her.

DP has honestly never had a problem with understanding toddlers, his boss's child was very young when he started working there (offices in garage of family home) and it was never an issue.

Thanks, that is reassuring. I really liked the way she interacted with the children, and this was my only (minor) concern.

Hi all,
I've just read this thread as I have a similar question. We're Irish and live in east London. We have an Australian nanny and now DD who's just acquiring first words (20 months) is starting to speak with a kind of cockney accent. She also goes to local playgroups etc. Will this always be the case? Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just that we intend to return to Ireland by school-going age and I'd like her to fit in well when that time comes. Does a child's accent change?

I'm a forces child, so don't really have any accent. I've picked up a local accent wherever we've lived, which has rapidly changed with each move. I'm sure that if your DD spends a lot of time talking with you and her dad, she will be fine.

Children's accents change in about 5 minutes to "fit in" to a new school/nursery/whatever. Also they will have "school" and "home" accents. DS's accent has changed since we moved (100 miles). Mind you, he has also acquired some interesting (not the way you think) vocabulary - what price a 5yo who says "Golly" and "Super Dooper"?!

Thank you! Very reassuring,
T