Professors with heavy accents

[Sparda29]

I just wanted to know how much of a problem this was in other pharmacy schools. Sometimes you just don't get what they are saying, like they'll ask a question, you raise your hand to answer it and they look at you like you have 3 heads or something.

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[ValeRx]

It's a huge problem with chemistry and physics TA's, that's for sure.

 

[Sparda29]

But why do schools hire them if they know its a potential problem?

 

[PharmB10]

But why do schools hire them if they know its a potential problem?

+1. Some of my teachers have been completely unintelligible. I'm sure they know their material backward and forwards but if they can't explain it or speak English for that matter, they shouldn't be hired in my opinion. I guess a few of them knew they were so bad they handed out complete notes so we didn't have to transcribe anything they were 'trying' to say.

It's good to know this isn't just going on at my school.

 

[aboveliquidice]

We have a couple of professors with heavy accents - thankfully we also have students from those same countries...

Rely on your peers - and have a good laugh about it later.

~above~

 

[Storm90]

I had a few of those professors. Fortunately, they were good natured and understood that language was a bit of a problem, but they were all more than accomodating if you couldn't understand them. It was funny to watch though when they got excited about a topic.

 

[confettiflyer]

I love hearing different phrases being used. For example, I think someone used "coursemaster" and "headmaster" the other day...I know what they meant, but that's not exactly used in the US academic lexicon.

 

[MadDash]

We have our share of professors and TAs that have trouble with english as well. Usually, you can get the main point across. Did have one TA though that couldn't pronounce orgANism. The day I learned about the "death of the orgasm" was probably the greatest day of pharmacy school ever.

 

[Knipps]

Our pharmaceutics TA was the worst, some of my friends were joking about making a dictionary for her.

Pahsquishy = Prescription
Prostitute = Plastic tube
etc.

I'm convinced they do it to save money, not that we don't give them enough as it is...

 

[PharmPrincess]

for my undergrad, i had a teacher that was from Africa. His heavy accent finally prompted him to write things down on the overhead projector and the blackboard. However, we couldn't even read his handwriting! He ended up typing his notes and putting everything on a powerpoint. Needless to say, that worked out just fine for us.

In pharmacy school, all the profs put their material on powerpoints so communication is not a problem (so far)

 

[medicalCPA]

I love hearing different phrases being used. For example, I think someone used "coursemaster" and "headmaster" the other day...I know what they meant, but that's not exactly used in the US academic lexicon.

Ah...this brings back memories of home. This person will probably use the word "invigilator" (proctor) in future.

I have an accent. It's not so thick that the majority of my words are unintelligible, but it's perceptible nonetheless. Funny thing is because I have an accent, I find it easier to listen to people with thick accents and understand what they say. When my parents visited, I served as their de facto interpreter, even though they were speaking English!

 

[confettiflyer]

Ah...this brings back memories of home. This person will probably use the word "invigilator" (proctor) in future.

I have an accent. It's not so thick that the majority of my words are unintelligible, but it's perceptible nonetheless. Funny thing is because I have an accent, I find it easier to listen to people with thick accents and understand what they say. When my parents visited, I served as their de facto interpreter, even though they were speaking English!

Haha...I knew you'd reply. Yeah, I understand asian accents really well (I can even mimic them, haha). I laugh sometimes when I watch random documentaries on HBO....they'll have someone speaking english but subtitle it, funny because the subtitling actually makes me think I can't understand them. Then I just close my eyes and realize I can understand everything. Weird how that works for me.

African accents in general intrigue me the most as I never heard them growing up or in college. It's kind of cool.

 

[RX CARE]

+1. Some of my teachers have been completely unintelligible. I'm sure they know their material backward and forwards but if they can't explain it or speak English for that matter, they shouldn't be hired in my opinion. I guess a few of them knew they were so bad they handed out complete notes so we didn't have to transcribe anything they were 'trying' to say.

It's good to know this isn't just going on at my school.

Uhhhmmm why don't u guys do the hiring?? And then tell us how it goes. Professors are not just plucked out of trees, and I'm sure you guys are aware of what percentage of the population holds a science degree, and what percentage of those actually go into academia....
Getting a professor is not a walk in the park.....

 

[confettiflyer]

Uhhhmmm why don't u guys do the hiring?? And then tell us how it goes. Professors are not just plucked out of trees, and I'm sure you guys are aware of what percentage of the population holds a science degree, and what percentage of those actually go into academia....
Getting a professor is not a walk in the park.....

Haha I know right...didn't we get eclipsed by China in # of PhD's in engineering produced? Or did I just make that up? Granted, they DO have 1/6 of the world's population...hrm

 

[Kinetics]

We have this pharmaceutics lab prof with this very very heavy chinese accent. And pretty much everyone complains about her, despite her being very ultra nice (in lab).
However as with all students, we got on with it and life continued on.

But for god's sake man, she was still on the boat!! My friends and I keep joking that maybe if she just spoke in chinese while my friend would translate for us, we might have had a chance of actually understanding her.

 

[Farmercyst]

I had the hardest time with one of our Immuno profs. I swear he talked like Buddy Hackett.

 

[sakigt]

The older you get the easier it is.

I remember trying to watch Trainspotting when I was 18 and just had to turn it off because I couldnt understand a word. Caught it on TV when I was 23ish and had no issue.

 

[Sparda29]

I tend to have a lot of trouble interpreting Russian and African accents.

Indian accents are pretty easy for me to interpret because I hear them all the time at home and the mosque.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

The older you get the easier it is.

I remember trying to watch Trainspotting when I was 18 and just had to turn it off because I couldnt understand a word. Caught it on TV when I was 23ish and had no issue.

I had to put the captions on for that movie

 

[ffpickle]

hopefully you all work in the whitest town in north america, lol

 

[jawnly211]

ahhhh yes

i can't understand people/profs with southern accents

canadian accents drive me insane

new englanders do not pronounce their r's which drive me up the wall

people from the midwest talk waaaaaay too slow

from now on, everything should be written/taught in print, therefore we wouldn't have to worry about "accents" getting in the way of learning

 

[Storm90]

eh?

 

[confettiflyer]

eh?

haha, my old roommate was Canadian...kinda fun talking to him. I'd watch Red Green too...woohooo for Canada!

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I would have no problem with gorgeous female professors with accents... bring it on!!

 

[farmist]

It never really bothered me, I would usually end up sleeping through class regardless.