Embracing Accents at Work: Breaking Down Barriers for Stronger Inclusion
I Hear Accents: My Eye-Opening Journey Through Sound and Identity
A few months ago, I had a service issue that I really needed help with. When I called, I got a technician on the line whose accent was hard for me to understand. At first, I felt frustrated, but then I took a deep breath and reminded myself that he was doing his job, just like I was.
I told him that I sometimes struggle with different accents but that I could follow him if he spoke slowly. I also mentioned that people sometimes have trouble understanding my accent too. I encouraged him to let me know if he couldn’t understand me so we could work together to figure it out.
At the end of our call, he thanked me for my patience, and I could hear the emotion in his voice. It made me think about how often I’ve heard people complain about service workers from other countries. He probably deals with a lot of criticism just to do his job. It humanized us both to connect and agree to help each other understand.
That one call was the first of several similar experiences. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed the challenges people with different accents face in our country. Here are some stories I’ve heard: