ATC accents

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:rRbuf.38900$QW2.10373@dukeread08...
The best solution, until everybody speaks with a USA Midwest
dialect, is to say, "Unable to understand the clearance,
please speak slower and use "words twice" please."

I think when language becomes an issue, missed radio calls
and blocked transmissions are more of a problem because the
frequency congestion is not noticed.

The use of a good headset is very important, cabin speakers
are generally terrible.


worst problem I had was with trying to get an IFR clearance at Hawthorne. It
took four attempts before the guy with a thick Hispanic type accent got the
clearance across. I would have kept him all day until I could understand
him.

"John Gaquin" wrote in message
. ..

"Ramapriya" wrote in message

Have anyone of you had a problem with the accents of various ATC chaps
around the world?

Is this a trivial problem, considering the standard phraseology in use
in ATC communications, or can it lead to something worse?

The myriad accents are exactly why standardized phraseology is important
in international ops. I personally think a lot of folks get overly anal
about it in domestic use, but that's just my opinion.

But US domestic ops are International ops for many. The French have the same
problem. Use French with the French even at CDG.

Worst time I ever had was with a hotel operator in New Jersey. All
I was trying to do was make a reservation...

"Chris" wrote in message

But US domestic ops are International ops for many. The French have the
same problem. Use French with the French even at CDG.


Yes, you're right. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough. "Domestic"
ops at Kennedy or Dulles or a host of others are, as you say, truly
international, and should be treated as such. But I was referring to [and
here I place the caveat that I haven't flown anything anywhere in almost 10
years - I'm going by what I read on this NG and others] posters I read
here and elsewhere who rail on adamantly insisting on standardized
phraseology at airports that are 99% local traffic 99% of the time. I
simply don't think its worth getting crazy over in that environment. Takes
some of the fun away, in my view.

"Ramapriya" wrote in message
oups.com...
Have anyone of you had a problem with the accents of various ATC chaps
around the world? The German guy in our office always has a problem
picking up words I (an Indian) pronounce, and I can't fault him for
that, because most Europeans can't figure Indians' pronounciation.

But I guess this problem is with a few Spaniards and Italians too, the
way they speak English, with accentuated guttural sounds and all that.

Is this a trivial problem, considering the standard phraseology in use
in ATC communications, or can it lead to something worse?

Ramapriya

I once missed several calls from the guy working arrival / departure at
Yuma, AZ because he pronounced "Skyhawk" as something akin to "Sawk" (said
very quickly...) and my brain wouldn't connect that he was talkin' to me.
Upon further review, he had a pronounced Texas twang so that explains
that...g d r

Conversely, Chinese pilots who train out of Ryan Airfield near Tucson
sometimes give the controllers fits. Yes, they're speaking English, but
barely. Couple of weeks ago, it took a dozen tries for one of the Luke AFB
controllers to get a handle on what this guy was asking. It started to give
me a headache just listening to him.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
AZ Cloudbusters
Chandler, AZ

Jim Macklin wrote:
The best solution, until everybody speaks with a USA Midwest
dialect,....

dialect is the keyword as opposed to accent.

I had been in England years ago
but when I went a few years ago I realized how different
a language the Queen's English is from North American English.
Further, each region of England is very different. I further
realized how different the dialects are within the US.
I'm from NY, live in the Republik of Kalifornia and probably
a few times a week I still get asked to repeat something due to
my accent (I usually reply, "Accent? What f**kin' accent? I
ain't got no accent. Where's you's accent from? ).

Gerald

"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
news:EKeuf.1938$jR.1134@fed1read01...
"Ramapriya" wrote in message
oups.com...
Have anyone of you had a problem with the accents of various ATC chaps
around the world? The German guy in our office always has a problem
picking up words I (an Indian) pronounce, and I can't fault him for
that, because most Europeans can't figure Indians' pronounciation.

But I guess this problem is with a few Spaniards and Italians too, the
way they speak English, with accentuated guttural sounds and all that.

Is this a trivial problem, considering the standard phraseology in use
in ATC communications, or can it lead to something worse?

Ramapriya

I once missed several calls from the guy working arrival / departure at
Yuma, AZ because he pronounced "Skyhawk" as something akin to "Sawk" (said
very quickly...) and my brain wouldn't connect that he was talkin' to me.
Upon further review, he had a pronounced Texas twang so that explains
that...g d r

Conversely, Chinese pilots who train out of Ryan Airfield near Tucson
sometimes give the controllers fits. Yes, they're speaking English, but
barely. Couple of weeks ago, it took a dozen tries for one of the Luke
AFB controllers to get a handle on what this guy was asking. It started
to give me a headache just listening to him.

Having just returned home from a vacation in Florida I did a trip from Page
(KFMY) to Vero Beach. When I tuned in on the ATIS it took me a while to
confirm that it was the right ATIS. The guy was saying "Vero Beach" and
making it sound like "Verbiage".

I believe they were talking about English speakers, not foreigners from
Joisey.


"Blanche" wrote in message
...
Worst time I ever had was with a hotel operator in New Jersey. All
I was trying to do was make a reservation...

"Blanche" wrote in message

Worst time I ever had was with a hotel operator in New Jersey. All
I was trying to do was make a reservation...


Fuggedaboudit!!

Jim Macklin wrote:
There have been a number of incidents and a few accidents
that were caused by or in which language was a factor. The
747s that collided on the runway at Tenerife was one of
those accidents. NASA safety reports cite many language
problems http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/

The problem is compounded if English is not the native language of
either party. This was a factor in the Tenerife incident. It is bad
enough if only one side of the conversation is with a nonnative
English speaker.

Some years ago I was based at a busy Class C airport that seemed to
have a good number of visiting pilots with a limited command of English
(this was pre - 9/11).
Coming or going on a busy VFR weekend day was interesting, to say the
least.

David Johnson