Accents and RT
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From: In la la land.......
Accents and RT
Silly question came to my head recently and it was how are people's accents handled by the ATC training process?
For example, and I use these only as examples; no other agenda, the accent of say a Newcastle born controller or a Glasgow controller or an Irish controller can be quite strong and in pressured RT situations I was wondering if the training process included some form of voice coaching for to enable the RT to be understood first time.
Thanks
z...
For example, and I use these only as examples; no other agenda, the accent of say a Newcastle born controller or a Glasgow controller or an Irish controller can be quite strong and in pressured RT situations I was wondering if the training process included some form of voice coaching for to enable the RT to be understood first time.
Thanks
z...
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From: Belgium
There is no such thing as a silly question, just silly answers 
......and anyway, shouldn't it be
Howaaaaaay noo broon coo-man.....
On a serious note....the answer is obvious really, an atco needs to be understood at all times, a strong regional accent is not a good thing, and as such will put a potential controller in a very weak position when applying for a post. No voice training is given, because people who are hard to understand generally need to find another vocation.
......and anyway, shouldn't it be Howaaaaaay noo broon coo-man.....
On a serious note....the answer is obvious really, an atco needs to be understood at all times, a strong regional accent is not a good thing, and as such will put a potential controller in a very weak position when applying for a post. No voice training is given, because people who are hard to understand generally need to find another vocation.
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From: Well I know where I'm not....
Och Aye, I dinnae ken whit ye mean! 
Well I managed to get through the recuritment process, but I did talk proper like!
I would imagine people will create a R/T accent in much the same way as you create a strange english accent when you are attempting to talk to a non-english speaker! (Or when you are speaking to someones posh parents - am I the only one that does that
)
Well I managed to get through the recuritment process, but I did talk proper like!
I would imagine people will create a R/T accent in much the same way as you create a strange english accent when you are attempting to talk to a non-english speaker! (Or when you are speaking to someones posh parents - am I the only one that does that
)
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From: southampton,hampshire,england
zoink
There is ample precedent in NATS. Where it is perceived that an accent may be a possible handicap to the clear and precise transmission of ATC instructions and their meaning, voice coaching is available.....I know of a couple of cases.
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From: darn sarf
a strong regional accent is not a good thing, and as such will put a potential controller in a very weak position when applying for a post.
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From: UK
I know of at least two people who once they started their competency training were sent to a voice coach because of a strong regional accent. They were only their to work on certain aspects of their accent however ie how they pronounced their numbers mainly.
Thread Starter
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From: In la la land.......
015566k
- Thanks for that.. I do know of some people who have postponed application to NATS because they conceive the accent to be too strong (namely a couple of Irish guys)...
This should be of good news to them!!
- Thanks for that.. I do know of some people who have postponed application to NATS because they conceive the accent to be too strong (namely a couple of Irish guys)...
This should be of good news to them!!
PPruNaholic!
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From: Buckinghamshire
I've seldom misheard a controller due to their accent (although I have misheard placenames, ref another thread, but I don't really think this was because of the controller's accent...).
Surely more of an issue for you guys is the accent of foreign pilots? I have sometimes heard some Europeans (not the majority, just some) and others being handled on radar frequencies when I have also been on the same freq and have been impressed at how the controller has been able to decode what the pilot was saying!
Andy
Surely more of an issue for you guys is the accent of foreign pilots? I have sometimes heard some Europeans (not the majority, just some) and others being handled on radar frequencies when I have also been on the same freq and have been impressed at how the controller has been able to decode what the pilot was saying!
Andy
Thread Starter
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From: In la la land.......
topupper,
If you read my first post
You will see that from the outlay, nothing was implied, no piss taking was involved; only a simple question was asked.. I used 3 references to accents which are a broad range of those available. No reason why not to include London or the home countries...
Nothing more.. Nothing less..
If you want to make this into anything more, feel free but make sure you read what was written first...
I am from Ireland myself so i guess that I can at least comment on the Irish element of accents and how hard it can be to understand us!!!
Tanks.. Thats a "regional variation" of the word thanks... In case you didn't know....
zoink...
If you read my first post
For example, and I use these only as examples; no other agenda, the accent of say a Newcastle born controller or a Glasgow controller or an Irish controller...
Nothing more.. Nothing less..
If you want to make this into anything more, feel free but make sure you read what was written first...
I am from Ireland myself so i guess that I can at least comment on the Irish element of accents and how hard it can be to understand us!!!
Tanks.. Thats a "regional variation" of the word thanks... In case you didn't know....
zoink...
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From: The Road to Nowhere
Sometimes a 'regional' accent or an odd twang in someone's voice can be a positive thing ... as long as the words are enunciated.
In the military, in an environment where spoofing is available to an enemy, a distinctive accent may be impossible to immitate.
Isn't there a post somewhere on here where a Phantom mate queries his pilot about whether he is going to authenticate a controller's instruction? His response is to the effect of "No need, I've sh@gged her!"
Ah yes, here it is:
Thanks Beagle!
IMHO, in general, regional accents aren't a problem, but stammers, on the other hand ...
Regards
STH
In the military, in an environment where spoofing is available to an enemy, a distinctive accent may be impossible to immitate.
Isn't there a post somewhere on here where a Phantom mate queries his pilot about whether he is going to authenticate a controller's instruction? His response is to the effect of "No need, I've sh@gged her!"
Ah yes, here it is:
Thanks Beagle!
IMHO, in general, regional accents aren't a problem, but stammers, on the other hand ...
Regards
STH
Press to Reset
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From: Cambridge, UK
If you use the official pronounciations then you end up doing a good impression of some regional accents anyway. "Three", "thousand" (both Irish) and "seven" (Welsh) come to mind. 
MC
(No offense intended.)
MC
(No offense intended.)
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From: Belgium
Can of worms + tin opener + stand back, wait for Geordies/Mancs/Yorkies/Taffs/Paddys/Jocks to rip your head off!
Geordies/Mancs/Yorkies/Taffs/Paddys/Jocks
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Now i am sure the gentelman in question is a very nice chap and is very good at his job.
But there is a chap on the twr in Shefield who has shall we say a strong Yorshire Indian accent. So much so I use to listen in to see if he was on and not bother booking in if he was on.
Now a good Jock accent is no problem. Just as well really as it seems sometimes that half of NATS is jock.
MJ
But there is a chap on the twr in Shefield who has shall we say a strong Yorshire Indian accent. So much so I use to listen in to see if he was on and not bother booking in if he was on.
Now a good Jock accent is no problem. Just as well really as it seems sometimes that half of NATS is jock.
MJ
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From: southampton,hampshire,england
zoink
You mention "Irish".....well do not be put off . We have a high number of Scottish/Irish at Swanwick and they form the core of the "best". N.I. in particular has been a source of high-grade controllers for many years. The operational staff make-up at Swanwick covers a complete spectrum of ethnicities and the majority of relevant management is of Scottish origin. Regionality and accent is just NOT an issue. To put your mind at rest, imagine an airliner flying a long distance; how many countries and sets of controller accents will the crew encounter?...So you see...don't worry.
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From: Ayrshire, Scotland
Having worked at 9 different units in the UK I have seldom found accent a problem on the R/T. Often the Scottish and N Irish ATCOs come across better on the R/T because of the way they project their voices. South London is bad for co-ordination in a noisy room because it is usually delivered in a mumbling tone.
What is a problem is local dialect and pronunciation.
The only trainee I have ever thought would be hindered by his voice had a very pronounced local way of emphasising different parts of a word which often ended in a tailing off at the end. In six weeks working with me he had so many calls of "say again ???" that even he knew there was a problem.
What is a problem is local dialect and pronunciation.
The only trainee I have ever thought would be hindered by his voice had a very pronounced local way of emphasising different parts of a word which often ended in a tailing off at the end. In six weeks working with me he had so many calls of "say again ???" that even he knew there was a problem.
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From: In the CIR
As all you peepel haf said, ze problem is wiz all ze brittischers. Zey all speek so funny, it doezent matter if zey arr vromm Schottland or Irrland! Us ozzer europeans all speek propperly und haf no problems anderstanding eech ozzer, ekzept maybe ze french kontrollers/pilots. I zink zey mast be ze vorst.
