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Original poster

Not understanding broad Scots accent "racism"?

162 replies

Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:40

I hesitate to say this is PC gone mad - but this is PC gone mad

Alex Ferguson & Kenny Dalglish would generally benefit from subtitles on the rare occasion they agree to an interview - why is it racist, FFS? There are dozens of strong British accents which can be hard to understand if you're not local to them!

Collins should not have "made a grovelling apology" (if he actually did )

OP posts:
Habbibu · 15/03/2009 21:43

Well, in that case, let's subtitle everyone. I find really really posh southern English people hard to understand. Can we please subtitle them for my benefit? I don't have a problem with Scottish accents, but if you don't understand them, then they must need subtitling, mustn't they?

And frankly, if you think KD and AF are hard to understand, you have clearly very rarely if ever visited Scotland.

Original poster
Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:44

Yep, no problem with that, Hab

OP posts:
ilovemydogandMrObama · 15/03/2009 21:44

Didn't the film Trainspotters have subtitles for the American audience?

Habbibu · 15/03/2009 21:45

And "translate" is a wanky word, implying that the Scottish person was speaking another language. The polite thing to say (and they were in SCOTLAND, ffs) was, I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you please repeat it?

thisisyesterday · 15/03/2009 21:46

i don't think it's racist to not be able to understand what someone says.

how ridiculous.

if you don't understasnd it you don't understand it do you??

Habbibu · 15/03/2009 21:48

No, you don't. And then you say, I'm sorry, blah blah blah - you don't say "x will translate". It's just silly.

thisisyesterday · 15/03/2009 21:49

agree he said it in a dumb way.
but I've been in an embarassing situation with an Irish man (thankfully a very good friend of my parents) who I just could NOT understand. I honeslty did need things translating.

but i might just be stupid

i would not be offended if someone didn't understand my southern accent either.

diedandgonetodevon · 15/03/2009 21:50

How ridiculous to consider that racist. I can cope with most scottish accents as I have a house in Scotland so am used to it to some extent but I could do with subtitling on Liverpool, Newcastle and tbh Cockney accents.

nancy75 · 15/03/2009 21:52

its not racist at all, my grandad was from glasgow, i never understood a word he said, was i being racist when i asked my nan what he was on about?

PottyCock · 15/03/2009 21:52

I think the use of the term 'translate' was a bit bloody stoopid, and actually, I would be offended by that.

Original poster
Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:54

On occasion I have struggled with a variety of English accents, as well as Welsh, Scottish & Irish, not to mention some American, Australian, New Zealand & South African, and JARGON!!!!

It's not racist. If you can't understand, asking the same person to repeat it won't help, will it? Hence asking someone else to "translate".

OP posts:
ScottishMummy · 15/03/2009 21:54

Ah'm murney hard to understand at aw nor is AF or KD.maybe the lady was though

it is not racist,Scottish is a nationality not a race.might have been cheeky depends on whit was said.

as ma wee maw said its no whit ye say it was the way ye say it.

i very much doubt collins made any grovelling motions at aw

this sounds like a heid banger lookin tae chance her arm

Original poster
Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:55

The use of the word translate could be considered tactless - at worst - what word should he have used?

OP posts:
PottyCock · 15/03/2009 21:55

It implies he was using another language - it was rude imho.

paolosgirl · 15/03/2009 21:56

I live in Scotland and can't understand some of the accents and dialects up here. Some of them do need translating - it's probably the same in the rest of the UK as well.

I wish people would stop slapping the racist label on anything and everything.

Original poster
Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:56

Hey, Scottishmummy, I understood nearly all of that (except murney)

OP posts:
fishie · 15/03/2009 21:57

diedandgonetodevon perhaps you should get some houses in liverpool and newcastle?

not entirely sure what a cockney accent is these days but i will try to help from my glottally stopped pit in east london.

ScottishMummy · 15/03/2009 21:57

asking for translation,rude and tactless.NOT racist

perhaps best to say pardon?
can you repeat
sorry,i dont understand

Habbibu · 15/03/2009 21:58

Maybe repeat, or say, i'm really sorry, I'm not familiar with your accent, and would be grateful if you could assist me/humour me by repeating your comment. That's reasonable, translate is arsey, implying he was speaking English but the Scottish man wasn't. That's why "racist" is being dragged up, though I wouldn't have used it - the implication is that the language used in Scotland is not English. Which it is.

Original poster
Ponders · 15/03/2009 21:58

But he wanted someone else to tell him what the first person said - what word should he have used, Pottycock??? Would "interpret" have been OK? If not, what? I really want to know what you think he should have said.

OP posts:
Quattrocento · 15/03/2009 21:58

LOL at the head banger looking to chance her arm. Was she not chancing her head?

PottyCock · 15/03/2009 21:58

God almighty - if you can't understand someone's accent or dialect, the polite thing to do would be to let them know you're having difficulty understanding their accent, and ask them to slow down a bit or to bear with you while you try and tune in - NOT ask for a 'translator' ffs! I agree this isn't racist - but it is astonishingly ignorant!

Hulababy · 15/03/2009 21:58

My sisters boyfriend is from Newcastle. I don't always understand everything he says, and his dad has an even stringer accent. I don't think that makes me a bad person or any form is ...ism.

As for subtitling - shouldn't everything come with the option of subtitling anyway for the benefit of thhose who have hearing difficulties. So, that ought to be a facility available to all at a click of a button.

nancy75 · 15/03/2009 21:59

how many times can you ask somebody to repeat something? with certain accents you could say it 100 times and i still wouldnt understand.

FAQinglovely · 15/03/2009 21:59

"And "translate" is a wanky word, implying that the Scottish person was speaking another language. The polite thing to say (and they were in SCOTLAND, ffs) was, I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you please repeat it?"

Well you know what - when I went sailing up around the Gare Loch (sp) - not far from where the lovely Expat lives - many years ago I could have asked them to repeat what they'd said to me a 100 times and I still don't think I'd have understood a word they said

I'm from Yorkshire, parent were living in Bedford and I was at a boarding school with pupils from all over the country - to this day I still find a very thick broad accent nigh on impossible to understand (although I don't think that AF and KD have particularly strong ones - I can understand them fine).