Language Barrier Frustration

[Zinjanthropos]

In Canada if you call a govt agency you will be asked whether to converse in English or French, the official languages. Heard there may be a third one coming, indigenous. Regardless of DEI or not, there are times when I just cannot understand the English being spoken to me by someone with a heavy accent.

Happened to me this morning and for the life of me there was no way for me to understand what was being said. I even asked if it was English and I guess the person at other end felt insulted and started shouting back at me. Finally I just said thanks and hung up. Waited a few minutes and tried again hoping to get someone else and I did. However same problem. I just said sorry and asked politely if I could talk to someone who spoke clearer English and again more upset feelings. Haven’t tried for a perfect trifecta, I just don’t know what to say should same problem occur.

Here we have paid govt workers who can’t really do the job. Not their fault and they may be part of DEI for all I know. Maybe this way our elected reps never hear of constituent problems or any complaints. Must think the bureaucracy is running smoothly. Whole new set of problem solving when going online. How in hell does anything get through or get fixed? Election polling is in clear English however.

[C C]

In Canada if you call a govt agency you will be asked whether to converse in English or French, the official languages. Heard there may be a third one coming, indigenous. Regardless of DEI or not, there are times when I just cannot understand the English being spoken to me by someone with a heavy accent.

Happened to me this morning and for the life of me there was no way for me to understand what was being said. I even asked if it was English and I guess the person at other end felt insulted and started shouting back at me. Finally I just said thanks and hung up. Waited a few minutes and tried again hoping to get someone else and I did. However same problem. I just said sorry and asked politely if I could talk to someone who spoke clearer English and again more upset feelings. Haven’t tried for a perfect trifecta, I just don’t know what to say should same problem occur.

Southeast Asian accents (like India) are occasionally what I've struggled to make out in the past. Though that's with respect to companies farming out their customer service to those less expensive geographic locations, rather than government.

Here we have paid govt workers who can’t really do the job. Not their fault and they may be part of DEI for all I know. Maybe this way our elected reps never hear of constituent problems or any complaints. Must think the bureaucracy is running smoothly. Whole new set of problem solving when going online. How in hell does anything get through or get fixed? Election polling is in clear English however.

I'd expect both Canada and the US governments to primarily hire minorities for interaction with constituents. But it's not like the latter born or naturalized residents would have community dialects that are that difficult to decipher when on the job.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program seems to only pertain to businesses recruiting and hiring non-citizens, rather than government. But I suppose the latter might do that too (including recent migrants and refugees), in the context of some policy.

Ottawa isn't supposed to be as vastly multicultural as Toronto, but presumably a call to the bureaucracy of Ontario itself would mean Toronto (the "Casablanca or Babel of Upper North America").

[Zinjanthropos]

Southeast Asian accents (like India) are occasionally what I've struggled to make out in the past. Though that's with respect to companies farming out their customer service to those less expensive geographic locations, rather than government.

Pretty funny when the phone spammers think you’re making fun of them when you really can’t understand a word.

I guess once AI starts taking the calls we’ll at least hear a perceptible voice.

I’m supposed to go for jury duty interview on Aug 6. Got my notice late June and because I’m on hormone therapy I went online to say I wish to defer until all done, not trying to avoid altogether. Haven’t heard back so called some guy at local sheriff’s office who I couldn’t understand and had no idea if he understood me. Just wanted to know if I still had to go and I’m still wondering.

[C C]

[...] I’m supposed to go for jury duty interview on Aug 6. Got my notice late June and because I’m on hormone therapy I went online to say I wish to defer until all done, not trying to avoid altogether. Haven’t heard back so called some guy at local sheriff’s office who I couldn’t understand and had no idea if he understood me. Just wanted to know if I still had to go and I’m still wondering.

The two different times that I helped assist an invalid and a very elderly person who could not attend jury duty, the system never gave any return confirmation whatsoever that they had accepted the excuse. And the mail form provided for such was the sole means they allowed for contact. "Do not call, visit in person, yata-yata-yata...".

But given the obvious conditions of the two individuals -- if anyone came knocking, felt pretty confident nothing would happen to them if the system had refused.