Arghhh! So hard to understand them.

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For the past two days at my new job, I have been given these two people who are to train me for my job but they are immigrants from other countries. The first one was from Vietnam and the second one yesterday is from another country. They are so hard to understand because they can’t speak right. It is so confusing what they are saying to me and I keep saying “huh” “what.” I hate it when they talk to me and I can’t even ask them any questions because they are so dang hard to understand. Last night, my trainee shows me the rollaway beds and I saw they were already made but he keeps pointing at them talking and pointing up at the ceiling and I keep telling him “They’re already made” but kept on talking and I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say so I go to the housekeeping office and ask the office clerk Tuan (the guy) is trying to tell me something and I can’t understand a word he is saying so he follows me back and tells me he is just telling me if any beds need to be made, make at least five of them a day and I get $2.50 per bed.

I wish I was given people whose English is their very first language, not second or beyond. I want to ask “can I please have people who can speak very good English” but I’m afraid of losing my job so I don’t say anything. There are lot of foreign people here. Back where I used to leave, there were hardly any. Only people we had was this woman at work who was from Thailand and the foreign exchange students at my school. The rest were Native Americans or Americans. The Thailand lady was real hard to understand at first but then it got easier as months went by. My dad told me I will start understanding the men at work after being with them for a while. I just have to get used to them and then they will get easier to understand.

I hate listening to them talk so I just go along what they do. I let them talk at me but I hate it when they ask me a question because then that means I have to answer and that’s when I say “huh” or “what” and “I don’t understand a word you’re saying”

Even the office clerks are immigrants too and English isn’t their first language but they are a lot easier to understand so I’m able to talk to them. Their words are more clear.

I’m thinking about having my trainees write down what they are saying so I can read it and know what they are saying. I hope they can spell or I’m screwed.

I have told the office clerks they are hard to understand and the office clerk told me just alert him on the radio and ask him and he will help me out.

I have trouble understanding what some people with accents say. But the interesting thing is that I get so completly interested in there accent that I don't pay attention to there words only the sounds they are making.

The ability to understand foreign accents is not simply a marker of sophistication. These days it's a necessity. I can tell you from experience, it gets easier with practice, so you'd best try a little harder and thank the gods you don't have to learn a foreign language in a country full of people who can't or don't want to try to understand your accent