Korean Job Discussion Forums

nobbyken · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Location: Yongin ^^

A recruiter has recommended that I try to change my accent, as most Korean's who have learnt American English cannot understand me.

I have already had an experience of a hagwon owner's listening level, not being good enough to hear me correctly. They were the first person in SK who has not been able to understand me, and is probably down to their English level. Everyone else I have spoken to has been able to understand OK.

However, does anyone have suggestions for making my English more universal?

Thanks
Ken

daz1979 · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Gangwon-Do

semphoon · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: Where Nowon is

Im from Scotland (Edinburgh) but have travelled a bit so I have lost some of the accent.

My recommendation is to fake an American accent. I know if feels so stupid but I have got it down. Some people think im American/Canadian. One person though I was from Germany (obviously they were drunk).

Where in Scotland are you from? There are some pretty outrageous accents inthe UK - Glasgow and Newcastle come to mind.

Mea · Joined: 24 Mar 2006

If you're Glaswegian I don't think you'll ever be understood...

semphoon · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: Where Nowon is

jinks · Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Location: Formerly: Lower North Island

I grew up speaking with a Welsh accent, but when I moved to NZ I soon got rid of most of it. Now I am teaching in Korea I speak a moderately stadard British English, but I write with U.S spellings in the classroom. Some proponents of ESL (like CELTA) say that if you ditch your native accent, you are also ditching your native speaker status. I disagree, I think aiming for a clearer standard pronunciation in the classroom makes it easier for beginner students. I know people say learners should be exposed to a wide range of accents, and I agree, but most of our students will do most of their English speaking with other non-native speakers - there are now more L2 English speakers than L1 English speakers.
OP, have you tried to mimic a posh/educated Scottish accent? That might be less fake and more do-able than trying to speak like some sort of American, and hopefully easier for your students / boss / Korean co-teachers to understand.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

Koreans actually can't tell! I sound North American and am here on my Canadian passport, however I also have resided in New Zealand for a long time and have a Kiwi passport. A teacher at one of my friends schools remarked that she wasn't looking forward to going to New Zealand because she can't understand me because I'm from New Zealand!!!

My friend was taken aback as most people who hear me speak including native speakers, class me as sounding North American. Seems like Koreans see a label, non-american, and their minds shut off as we're too hard to understand.

poet13 · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:50 pm Post subject:

Switch to a korean accent. Add 'uh' after every third word and for the words without 'uh', don't pronounce the end of the word.

Boodleheimer · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:43 pm Post subject:

the last teacher at our school was from Oz, but he put on an american accent to teach.

but scottish--- damn, that's sexy. (i even think sir alex fergueson sounds sexy)

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

I think that enunciation is more important than ones accent. I have met many people from many different English speaking countries and I couldn't understand a word that they would say. Besides the occasional swear word thrown in.

Don't try and pretend to be something you are not but clearly articulate your words. Understanding how your students hear and comprehend you will aid you in how to speak to them. I think that anyone who has a clear sounding voice and can clearly articuluate his/her words shouldn't have any problem.

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I've met a few people I had a bit of trouble understanding at first, from several English speaking countries. Some Aussies, Kiwi, SAfricans, Scots can have an accent unfamiliar to some of us NAmericans. Even some British. Some British movies/tv are perhaps 95% understandable for some of us. On the flipside, for a while after arriving in Korea I was hard to understand for speaking my Newfoundland English. That one's a bugger too. The insularity creates these accents I guess. It's funny hearing different Korean accents too. In one city you can have no problem ordering in a restaurant, in another, it's the big "NEH??" or even a laugh at your pronunciation even though Seoulites understand you, the ajumma in "Ddongwan" thinks it's funny.

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

Change the way you talk? Why would you? Tell your boss he knew what he was getting when he hired you. Why didn't he hire an American in the first place?

nobbyken · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Location: Yongin ^^

Thanks for all the advice. My mistake was not speaking at the interview, in the same manner I would speak to someone just learning English.

I come from the Outer Hebrides (Isle of Lewis) in Scotland, and most people think the accent is very nice, and women really love it.

It can be difficult to understand, if you forget to talk slowly to new people. The recruiter said to me on the 'hand-pone', that I spoke to slowly as he is Korean who learnt English in the States and most Korean's would have difficulty understanding me.

At the hagwon interview, she said I sounded like a French person trying to speak English!
I thought in my mind, that even that was better than most Koreans! Very Happy

I suppose I should try for a cross between Sean Connery and Calum Kennedy!

I have only been speaking English to my wife who is not yet fluent for the last 4 months, and maybe that has allowed my speaking skills to become sloppy.

Any jobs out there for regional accents only!
No, really speaking is the most impotant aspect of a language and it is what the language is for (verbally communcating), I should be more alert to how I sound.

Thanks, and any more pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
Ken

mrsquirrel · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

Ken

The outer hebridis. Bloody hell.

I'm from Fort William. Howver I haven't lived there for 18 years now. I still have a slight lilt but not much.

My accent is a generic British one mixed up with some Newcastle.

I think not having had a dominant accent around me for the last 6 or so years has probably helped create a generic Brit sound.

If you survive out there for a bit longer I'll bring a haggis with me (from Thailand - shipped from Scotland) when I go job hunting and have a mini Burns supper with gimchi.