"I didn't say you were "weird"

[Bright_Star]

So today I'm talking to the lady in maintenance that happens to be from Thailand. I don't talk to her that much cause her accent is so thick that I have trouble understanding her. She gets pissed off when I fail to understand what she's saying.
So I was telling her how I want to understand her but it's because of her "weird accent". Then she said..Don't talk to me"
So a little while later one of the managers asks me to sit down with him & he says that she went to management complaining about ME saying that I said she was "weird"! I told him I didn't say she was weird but that her accent was so weird. Told him I don't talk to her that much cause I find it difficult to understand her. Then he said he'd talk to her to try to resolve the problem. Then I said.."what problem needs to be resolved? I don't understand what she is saying when she's talking."
I get the feeling that she can speak perfect english when it suits her needs. PLUS I I'm not going to apologize to her cause I can't understand her. It's up to her to be understood whenever she speaks.
We're supposed to work together. BUT now I'm not going to talk to her at all. What person complains about being percieved as weird & goes running to management about it? I can see if I called her a "Bitch" or some other profane word.
But to be "called on the carpet" cause I can't understand somebody? Now that's bullshit.

[blas]

Unfortunately, you always have to be careful how you word anything, because you never know how it will be interpreted.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Uh, was it necessary to classify her accent as "weird"?

[Bright_Star]

Uh, was it necessary to classify her accent as "weird"?

Well, what should I have said then?

[RetailWorkhorse]

Sometimes people just can't understand accents and it's pretty much the Accentee's job to attempt to be understood.

Ain't like you're gonna yell louder at a deaf person just because they can't hear you.




On another note: I was told the other day I sound like an Aussie again. I still don't know why people out here are confusing my southern drawl for an Aussie accent.

[Whiskey]

Well, what should I have said then?

"I'm having trouble understanding you" ?

I'd be insulted if I went somewhere and someone called my accent weird. We have a lot of accented speech in my city, I've never told anyone they sounded weird. Its rude. I've always said some variant of the above. "I'm sorry" is a great preface. Its polite.

[Flying Grype]

Sorry, I'm going to have to agree with everyone else -- 'weird' is not the word you want to use there. Calling someone's accent weird implies that yours is normal or default. 'I'm having trouble understanding you' is way more polite and less alienating, and she's probably already aware that locals have trouble understanding her anyways.

[Whiskey]

She probably has just as much trouble understanding the locals.

[Rapscallion]

Well, I know people in Americalandialand had trouble understanding me when I was over there.

Was funny!

On a more serious note, we've got people on this board from all over the world. Text is generally easy to interpret, but accents aren't always as accessible.

Rapscallion

[Sheldonrs]

Well, I know people in Americalandialand had trouble understanding me when I was over there.

Was funny!

On a more serious note, we've got people on this board from all over the world. Text is generally easy to interpret, but accents aren't always as accessible.

Rapscallion

That's weird. I can't understand a thing you just typed. :-)

[Whiskey]

:-)

I dont speak sign language what does this say? anyone?

[iradney]

I can't tell you how many times people have said my accent was weird. Mostly coz they can't place it - they think I'm Scottish/Irish/Welsh/Australian/British...Um no, I'm South African

[Amina516]

Ill have to agree with everyone and say maybe "weird" wasnt the right word. According to thesaurus.com....the following are synonyms for weird:

awe-inspiring, awful, creepy*, curious, dreadful, eccentric, eerie*, far-out, fearful, flaky*, freaky, funky*, ghastly, ghostly, grotesque, haunting, horrific, inscrutable, kinky*, kooky, magical, mysterious, occult, oddball, ominous, outlandish, peculiar, preternatural, queer, secret, singular, spooky*, strange, supernal, supernatural, uncanny, uncouth, unearthly, unnatural

LOL. So, id stick with diffiuclt. Or just plain old "hard" to understand.

[dalesys]

That's weird. I can't understand a thing you just typed. :-)

You left your precognitranslation on again.

[Ree]

That's weird. I can't understand a thing you just typed. :-)

You should hear him saying it in real life.