How to Communicate with a Non Native English Speaker
Speak clearly and pronounce your words correctly., Recognize that people wrongly think that turning up the volume somehow creates instant understanding., Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Speak clearly and pronounce your words correctly.
Exaggerated pronunciations will not help your listener and may cause more confusion.
However, you may find that it helps to pronounce some words as the non-native speaker does.
This will be especially true if the proper pronunciation is very different from the non-native pronunciation. -
Step 2: Recognize that people wrongly think that turning up the volume somehow creates instant understanding.
Avoid this common mistake.
Yelling at the person doesn't make them understand. (However, do not speak too quietly). , This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. , This does not make you easier to understand.
It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your own level of competence. , ).
One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins.
Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling. , The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. ("Big" is a better choice than "enormous" for example. "Make" is a better choice than "manufacture.") However, with a Romance language speaker (i.e.
Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), these 'complex' words can be useful as they are rooted in Latin. , "Look out" sounds very close to "look for." Both are similar to "look out for." Many times you can use another word in these cases. (Example: look out = be careful, look for = search for, look out for = watch for). , as non-native speakers, especially ones of lower proficiency levels, may get hung up on these thinking the filler language is vocabulary that they don't possess.
Colloquialisms are likely to be unknown as well, especially if they are not easy to find in the dictionary. , Then again.
It could be that they simply didn't hear you.
If your listener still doesn't understand, however, change a few key words in the sentence.
It may be that they couldn't understand one or two of the words.
Also repeat the whole sentence and not just the last couple of words.
It's time consuming, but it helps prevent confusion. , For example, most non-Americans expect the second t in the word "twenty" to be pronounced. , if you happen to know a similar word to the word you are searching for then use it.
As your knowledge of the foreign language builds this becomes even easier. , Use long forms. “Can’t” is one word you must use the long form with.
It is difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the difference between “can” and “can’t” in a sentence.
For example, “I can’t take you on Friday” and “I can take you on Friday”.
Use the long form, “cannot”. “I cannot take you on Friday”. , The idea is to remove the “noise” from your speech.
Imagine trying to listen to the radio with two young children in the same room.
They are playing and screaming.
What is the result? "Family of...car...on vacation...in Arizona." If your oral communication is filled with "um"
"like"
"you know"
or other fillers, comprehension is more difficult. “Right” is a word that commonly fills conversations.
It is better to use “Yes, that is correct”.
A non-native speaker may not understand “right” and confuse it with its opposite, “left”. , Do not say: “Uh-huh” or “Uh-uh”.
Those words are not in grammar books! , Wait until the person is done so that you can clarify if needed and give correct information based on all they have said. , Someone standing too close or not looking you in the eye is merely following their own cultural standard and not trying to offend. , The more relaxed you are, the more you are in control of your communication.
Do not give a busy lifestyle or a meeting agenda permission to control your speech.
Think as you speak and do not speak as you think. , Unless it's really noisy, volume is not the issue; speaking louder won't help understanding and it may offend or embarrass.Yelling at them really doesn't help. -
Step 3: Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words.
-
Step 4: Do not use baby talk or incorrect English.
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Step 5: Avoid running words together ( Do-ya wanna eat-a-pizza?
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Step 6: When possible
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Step 7: opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex.
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Step 8: Avoid verb phrases that sound very similar to non-native English speaker.
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Step 9: As much as possible
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Step 10: avoid using filler and colloquialisms ('um...'
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Step 11: 'like...'
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Step 12: totally.')
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Step 13: If asked to repeat something
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Step 14: first repeat it as you said it the first time.
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Step 15: Consider the fact that your dialect may not be what the other person has learned in school.
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Step 16: Paraphrase.
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Step 17: Avoid using contractions or short forms.
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Step 18: Decrease the use of words that fill your sentences.
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Step 19: Be explicit: Say “Yes” or “No”.
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Step 20: Listen and try not to form your response while the other person is talking.
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Step 21: Be aware that other cultures have different standards regarding touching
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Step 22: eye contact and personal space.
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Step 23: Be patient and smile.
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Step 24: Don't shout.
Detailed Guide
Exaggerated pronunciations will not help your listener and may cause more confusion.
However, you may find that it helps to pronounce some words as the non-native speaker does.
This will be especially true if the proper pronunciation is very different from the non-native pronunciation.
Avoid this common mistake.
Yelling at the person doesn't make them understand. (However, do not speak too quietly). , This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. , This does not make you easier to understand.
It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your own level of competence. , ).
One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins.
Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling. , The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. ("Big" is a better choice than "enormous" for example. "Make" is a better choice than "manufacture.") However, with a Romance language speaker (i.e.
Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), these 'complex' words can be useful as they are rooted in Latin. , "Look out" sounds very close to "look for." Both are similar to "look out for." Many times you can use another word in these cases. (Example: look out = be careful, look for = search for, look out for = watch for). , as non-native speakers, especially ones of lower proficiency levels, may get hung up on these thinking the filler language is vocabulary that they don't possess.
Colloquialisms are likely to be unknown as well, especially if they are not easy to find in the dictionary. , Then again.
It could be that they simply didn't hear you.
If your listener still doesn't understand, however, change a few key words in the sentence.
It may be that they couldn't understand one or two of the words.
Also repeat the whole sentence and not just the last couple of words.
It's time consuming, but it helps prevent confusion. , For example, most non-Americans expect the second t in the word "twenty" to be pronounced. , if you happen to know a similar word to the word you are searching for then use it.
As your knowledge of the foreign language builds this becomes even easier. , Use long forms. “Can’t” is one word you must use the long form with.
It is difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the difference between “can” and “can’t” in a sentence.
For example, “I can’t take you on Friday” and “I can take you on Friday”.
Use the long form, “cannot”. “I cannot take you on Friday”. , The idea is to remove the “noise” from your speech.
Imagine trying to listen to the radio with two young children in the same room.
They are playing and screaming.
What is the result? "Family of...car...on vacation...in Arizona." If your oral communication is filled with "um"
"like"
"you know"
or other fillers, comprehension is more difficult. “Right” is a word that commonly fills conversations.
It is better to use “Yes, that is correct”.
A non-native speaker may not understand “right” and confuse it with its opposite, “left”. , Do not say: “Uh-huh” or “Uh-uh”.
Those words are not in grammar books! , Wait until the person is done so that you can clarify if needed and give correct information based on all they have said. , Someone standing too close or not looking you in the eye is merely following their own cultural standard and not trying to offend. , The more relaxed you are, the more you are in control of your communication.
Do not give a busy lifestyle or a meeting agenda permission to control your speech.
Think as you speak and do not speak as you think. , Unless it's really noisy, volume is not the issue; speaking louder won't help understanding and it may offend or embarrass.Yelling at them really doesn't help.
About the Author
Jerry Ramirez
A seasoned expert in government, Jerry Ramirez combines 3 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Jerry's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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