If they have a strong accent and even after you ask them to repeat you still can't understand, what should you do? For example, if you are getting your nails done and the chinese people working there are trying to tell or ask you something and you don't know what they're saying, what should you do? What is the most proper and polite way of telling them? Thanks. I seem to run into this problem a lot.
2006-12-28 02:28:00 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
"I'm sorry; I didn't understand when you repeated. Could you say it a different way?"
"I still didn't understand. Is it possible for you to draw or write what you are talking about?"
"I think that you are talking about
"Could you please speak more slowly? I didn't quite catch that."
I'm an ESL teacher, so I listen to people speaking in accents a lot. Sometimes careful listening requires a lot of mental effort. But the more you are exposed to English spoken with different accents, the easier they become to understand.
2006-12-28 05:16:40 · answer #1 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate this too. Just say, with a friendly smile, "sorry, could you repeat that? I'm having trouble understanding." If it's a friend, they'll understand and won't be offended. If you're getting your nails done or something, remember, YOU are paying THEM money for their service and deserve to understand what they are telling you. If you ask them politely, there should be no problem. Hope this helps.
2006-12-28 10:38:37 · answer #2 · answered by Tess 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Say something like, "I am sorry, but I still don't understand. Could u please speak a bit slowly?" or if they are telling u their name or something like that ask them how is it spelt.
Believe me, if u r sincere, they will not mind having to repeat. Instead they will think good about u being so keen to understand them, instead of just nodding in pretention of understanding. Chinese people, in particular, speak very fast and clip most words. Asking them to speak slowly helps a lot.
2006-12-28 10:40:04 · answer #3 · answered by ravish2006 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm Chinese myself. I used to get this all the time when I first came to Canada... Relax. It's perfectly fine to say, "Excuse, could you repeat that, I didn't hear you properly.", especially if they're doing your nails... And smile, too. Make sure they understand that you don't really mind their butchering of the English language. They'll understand, and if they don't, don't go back there.
2006-12-28 12:25:22 · answer #4 · answered by Lisa W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep asking until you understand them. Tell them to speak slowly. It's important when conducting business that you understand what people are saying. The responsibility is on their shoulders, not yours. If you still can't understand them, get someone else in the shop to help. Maybe they can speak better.
2006-12-28 11:30:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask them to repeat themselves as many times as it takes for you to understand. I run into that very often myself. And once I am able to understand what the foreigner is saying, then I say, "OH! You meant..." and we have a good laugh about it. The important thing is to not have the attitude where you act as if they are stupid simply because you can't understand them.
2006-12-28 11:20:31 · answer #6 · answered by Joe K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't understand you as much as you don't understand them,,,I understand these issues I have a group of girlfriends who barely speak a lick of English but we definitely get a good laugh in trying to understand each other...Have fun with it and don't get frustrated,,,,And don't be mad at the guy/gal at the fast food restaurant drive through, I can't understand a lick of what y'all are saying and my language is English...Its just better to go up to the window,,,I love to learn new languages and they love when you ask them "how do you say something" this is a definite ice breaker
2006-12-28 12:20:53 · answer #7 · answered by kat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is very uncomfortable when you cant understand what some one else is saying, if they understand you then you could perhaps ask the person to speak slower and then try to listen as carefully as possible, or refer to some in the presence who can interpret to interpret for you. or try some other place where the language is more fluent to get your job done.
2006-12-28 10:37:36 · answer #8 · answered by maria fkun 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simply tell them you are having a difficult time understanding. Is there anyone around that can assist them in getting their point across. Surely, they are aware of their own accent. God bless****
2006-12-28 12:51:21 · answer #9 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when i was younger i was in a speech program for over 10 years, and to this day i feel embarassed when a person says twice "wait, i can't understand. could you repeat that?" in my opinion, repeat what you thought you heard
for example:
the person: would you like apple red or smooky blue?
you: did you say would you like apple pie or a smoke?
when someone says that to me, i usually a.)laugh and b.) know exactly what they didn't comprehend/hear
chances are if you can't understand them, they get "what did you say??" a lot, and trust me it makes that person feel uncomfortable too
2006-12-28 13:21:53 · answer #10 · answered by P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋