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Unable to understand British Accent

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sriatkrish
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:30 am

Unable to understand British Accent

Post by sriatkrish » Fri Apr 15, 2011 5:06 am

Hi ,

I am in UK Job Search.
I have got all the technical skills of most UK job openings in my technical stream.

I am unable to understand clearly what recruiters and interviewers accent speak.

I see this is the only hinderance for me to get a job in UK.

Please suggest me a way to get rid of this problem.

I have started watching more Brit movies.

Thanks a lot!

vinny
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Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:58 pm

Post by vinny » Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:08 am

Watch TV.
This is not intended to be legal or professional advice in any jurisdiction. Please click on any given links for further information. Refer to the source of any quotes.
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Aani
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Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 2:38 pm

Post by Aani » Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:46 am

Youtube/ google is another option. In the search give British Accent and watch the videos.

And as days pass on you will be able to understand. Communicating in English is important as you are in England. But never demotivate yourself because you don't understand them.

Its all in the learning process and making yourself matured.

Wish you good luck.

Regards,
Aani

t1s2010
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Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:09 am
Location: London

Post by t1s2010 » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:03 pm

Sometimes, I don't understand Indians speaking English in India. ;)
It takes time to pick the accent, be it USA, be it UK.

As suggested by vinni, I would vote for 'watch-TV' (somehow, I find that movies are easier to pick accent) or listen to radio discussions

namastelondon
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Re: Unable to understand British Accent

Post by namastelondon » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:37 pm

sriatkrish wrote:Hi ,

I am in UK Job Search.
I have got all the technical skills of most UK job openings in my technical stream.

I am unable to understand clearly what recruiters and interviewers accent speak.

I see this is the only hinderance for me to get a job in UK.

Please suggest me a way to get rid of this problem.

I have started watching more Brit movies.

Thanks a lot!
Watch Harry Potter movies, listen to FM may be. ,make local friends. Check also whether others are able to pick up you accent.

sriatkrish
Newly Registered
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:30 am

Post by sriatkrish » Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:20 pm

Thanks all!
will start watching TV and also start listening to radio.
If you could tell aboout interesting conversational tv shows, series and also radio programs, it will be of gr8 help

LearningCurve
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Posts: 145
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:39 pm

Post by LearningCurve » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:35 pm

Go to a O2 / T-Mobile store or Carphone Warehouse and ask the sales person to explain the different types of contracts, features in phones etc.

Try finding scenarios where you can have the sales person explain services to you, try asking him questions. This will definitely help in addition to watching tv, listening to radio and watching movies.

Best Luck,
LC.

kenfrapin
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Post by kenfrapin » Sun Apr 17, 2011 7:06 pm

Something that helped me in my early days here, and as suggested here, speaking to the people who love to have a chat - Sales guys in shops, door men, guards, taxi drivers all like to have a hearty conversation and are genuine people who appreciate a good chat - so look for these options

You will be surprised the amount you learn just speaking to them. When it comes to watching shows on the Tele - they are enough sitcoms and comedy shows available via a cheap cable box available at Argos, Asda, Tescos etc - get one of those and watch them

If you can download or find videos on youtube then watch some classic English comedy shows and movies. The Carry On rubbish series is great and so is The Thin Blue Line - Rowan Atkinson, My Family 2005 plus some famous murder/mystery shows like the recent Sherlock Holmes available on BBC iPlayer, or the 1984 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes etc. Even Top Gear does a good job - and watching BBC sitcoms like Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks or Weakest Link are wonderful to know how they speak today. If you are home all day just watch BBC, ITV, Channel 4 as there are some nice home shows, game shows and documentaries

All the best - dont worry, I bet you will be fine in a few months time
PS : if you like your drink, go down to the local pub and there will enough company around to have a chat :-)

KP

sriatkrish
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Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:30 am

Post by sriatkrish » Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:05 am

Thanks so much :)

jrge
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Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:43 pm

Post by jrge » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:16 am

This is exactly what I did 10 years ago when I landed in the USA. I went to department stores, supermarkets and other places; gracefully talked to locals and in my particular case, it only took less than 3 weeks to fully understand their accent...!

Good luck!
Life is short, so let's get moving!
* Passport received: Family Permit approved AUG-22, 2011
* Landed in the UK: DEC-04TH-2011
* Received RC: MAR-21ST-2012
* Back to North-America Jul 2012

prisat
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Re: Unable to understand British Accent

Post by prisat » Wed Apr 20, 2011 1:12 pm

sriatkrish wrote:Hi ,

I am in UK Job Search.
I have got all the technical skills of most UK job openings in my technical stream.

I am unable to understand clearly what recruiters and interviewers accent speak.

I see this is the only hinderance for me to get a job in UK.

Please suggest me a way to get rid of this problem.

I have started watching more Brit movies.

Thanks a lot!
It is a known fact that American accent is easily understandable which Brit is a bit difficult. When you see a person in UK speaking english he can be of any origin in Europe but settled in UK long back. So he will mix their accent with english and speak and thsi makes english in UK a bit difficult to grasp.

And as time passes, you will pick up, provided you have a decent english fluency.
Disclaimer :

I am not from a law firm or an attorney who provide Consultation for Immigration to UK.
Information that i provide is not the same as legal advice or legal advises. Use the message (s) and information at your own risk.

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