The Peeve Of The Week, Sunday13th - Sunday 20th March. (driver, the best)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, yes- I know I'm early, but I'm going to be tied up tomorrow morning and so I'll post the much anticipated POTW today.
This peeve dropped into my lap, courtesy of comments made by (Magnum) Mike earlier in the week.
Hang on, I'll look it up- here it is;
Originally Posted by Magnum Mike View Post
I've gotten numerous phone calls over the past month and a half from recruiters who work for companies that find individuals with specific IT skill sets, and I swear, over 80% of those who called, I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD THEY SAID! In some cases, I had to ask the person to repeat what they said 4 or 5 times... In a couple of cases, I had to tell the persons to send me an email with the questions they were asking.. I really wish they'd put people who can speak clear English, or at least English that can be understood.. Hmm.. That might be a hint for Jezer's weekly Peeve Thread..
I have no problem understanding British English, or even Texas, or southern American English, heck even California English is more understandable!... LOL..
Now we've had something similar in the past, but I must say that it's not just on the phone that I've had problems understanding someone. I met someone today who was chatting to me and I had problems with a face to face conversation with his broad local dialect.
I'm usually pretty good at understanding accents face-to-face (she said, patting herself on the back) but over the phone not so much.
I can relate for a different reason tho'. I've had my hearing aids for about 3 weeks now. It's so much easier to understand when you can hear what's being said.
Of course now my problem is trying to figure out what's a normal noise (furnace, water heater, etc) and what's a new noise that might indicate a problem.
Another beautiful town. Much nicer that Bath NY.
Do you have problems switching drivers seats, Jezer? Are the break/gas pedal on different sides too?
I'm usually pretty good at understanding accents face-to-face (she said, patting herself on the back) but over the phone not so much.
I can relate for a different reason tho'. I've had my hearing aids for about 3 weeks now. It's so much easier to understand when you can hear what's being said.
Of course now my problem is trying to figure out what's a normal noise (furnace, water heater, etc) and what's a new noise that might indicate a problem.
Another beautiful town. Much nicer that Bath NY.
Do you have problems switching drivers seats, Jezer? Are the break/gas pedal on different sides too?
I have never really had an issue taking a UK car with right hand drive over to Europe, where they drive on the right (and have left hand drive cars), or driving a left hand drive car itself.
I also had a lot of experience driving in the US, but last year for the first time I drove a left hand drive car with stick shift- I'd only ever driven left hand drive automatic vehicles before then.
That took a little getting used to, but whether the car is stick shift (manual) or automatic, the pedal arrangement is nowadays always the same with the gas pedal on the right, brake next to it on the left, and if manual, clutch left again.
There was a Citroen that had the brake in the middle! It wasn't even a pedal, but a rubber bulb!
We're going to be spending nearly three months in France this year, mostly in a car with the steering wheel on the 'wrong side'.
It’s an ongoing frustration when dealing with people who fail to speak what is considered “normal” English and with very little accent. It’s not only those who are of other countries around the globe but also in many states here in the US. Having good speech where others can understand you is a must if you want to communicate effectively.
I have never really had an issue taking a UK car with right hand drive over to Europe, where they drive on the right (and have left hand drive cars), or driving a left hand drive car itself.
I also had a lot of experience driving in the US, but last year for the first time I drove a left hand drive car with stick shift- I'd only ever driven left hand drive automatic vehicles before then.
That took a little getting used to, but whether the car is stick shift (manual) or automatic, the pedal arrangement is nowadays always the same with the gas pedal on the right, brake next to it on the left, and if manual, clutch left again.
There was a Citroen that had the brake in the middle! It wasn't even a pedal, but a rubber bulb!
We're going to be spending nearly three months in France this year, mostly in a car with the steering wheel on the 'wrong side'.
You must be pretty adaptable. I think I'd get totally confused. At least I'd know where the break is.
Some mail carriers have vehicles with the driver's seat on the right. They pay dearly for them and, as I understand it, fewer auto manufactures are making them, oner here at least.
Thank you for posting those photos of Bath, Jezer. What a charming place to visit! I liked that shop called "The Bath Bun."
I have a great deal of trouble understanding accents because I have hearing loss in the upper frequencies. I hear the vowels better than the syllables. This is a problem since the vowels sound different when someone is speaking English as a second language. British accents are also a problem because the vowels sound different. It's even more difficult for me to understand accents when I'm on the telephone. Great peeve, Jez and Mike!
One time I called a tech center about a problem and got someone that I could not understand at all. I had to ask him to repeat everything several times. Finally I got him to transfer me to a supervisor and he told me that they are training people to learn English and the various dialects This was the best way to do it by constantly connecting them to us English speaking people he claimed.
Nice photos Jezer, reminds me it's time to take a bath.
. The POTW is; How many times can you say 'Pardon?'
As many times as it takes and trust me, I have!
I understand completely where Mike is coming from as I've dealt with these same type recruiters and worked for and with many with this type accent over the years... something that comes with anything to do with IT these days! After a while, you get better at interpreting most of what they say, but no one that ever answered my phone could and would simply pass the phone on to me saying, "it must be for you, I can't understand a word they're saying!"
Great photos as always Jezer, thanks for sharing! .
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks for the pics Jezer!
