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Best ESL tip you ever received. - Flybabymt

Posted: Aug 30, 2010

I am working on a presentation about understanding ESL physicians. What is the best tip you were given, or have discovered to understand ESL dictation?

For ANY dictator difficult to understand, - Anon.

[ In Reply To ..]
make up lists, organized by sections of reports, of words and phrases typically used. They can be in a notebook, in templates, in an expander. (Don't bother doing this for ESLs in general, of course.)

BTW, from reading complaints here for years about dictators with accents, the "problem" for some people seems to extend well beyond those who are genuinely difficult to understand. Like grouchy little Alexander in the kid's book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (a favorite around here), negative attitudes create those days all by themselves. So a tip for those to whom it applied would be to work at developing a positive attitude, maybe even set aside the term ESL altogether and save the stress for the real headache machines--the THDs--Terrible Horrible Dictators. Mercifully, there are a lot fewer of them.

Like my no good, very busy ER guy (I'm taking a break from right now) with an obviously oversized tongue, who apparently gave up on enunciating his consonants decades ago.

Most effective for me - - NYMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Though it takes extra time, it will save time in the long run to not agonize over every word you don't understand at first and just leave blanks, then listen a second time and fill them in (this has the added benefit of catching mistakes you've made in hearing the first time around, too). By then often context will have helped, and I find that if I listen to the same thing over and over I start hearing only the pattern I expect to hear. After clearing out my brain a little I can often hear things in a different way (and sometimes feel really foolish, like - Oh, THAT's what it was?!)

Excellent point from NYMT for any dictator. NM - Anon.

[ In Reply To ..]
x

I second this. (sm) - in-house QA MT

[ In Reply To ..]
It's surprising how much more one can understand on the second pass.

What I do .. - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
When doing ESLs, or any new or difficult dictation, I do not stress over a phrase/word I cannot understand. I listen to it once or twice, then put in a qa marker and go on and finish the report as quickly as possible. Sometimes I have 10 or more ... HOWEVER ... I am going to relisten to the whole report anyway and oftentimes by the end of the report I have "tuned in" the accent, or something else is dictated that helps complete the blanks when I go do the relisten.

I also sometimes get up, take a quick break, and can hear it clearly when I sit back down. Acoustic nerve overload or something I guess .. LOL

Another one that is hard to explain. Don't listen too hard -- I kind of don't focus so much on what I am hearing and think more about the content of where I am at in the report, and suddenly, I can hear it!

Good luck on your presentation.

Samples are also very very helpful. Network and save the hard ones for sure!

My tip - FBL

[ In Reply To ..]
It takes some practice, but I have developed a new skill I call listening with an accent. Some groups tend to have trouble with "L" sounds, others pronounce E's like AY's (her s/l hayer, for example). Think about how you would speak if you were an actor playing the part of someone from an Asian or Middle Eastern (or wherever) culture, and listen to the whole report using that "ear."

Also, especially on medical terms, I have noticed ESL's will pronounce phonetically, sounding out each syllable even when the proper pronunciation might include some silent letters, etc.

Good luck with your presentation, and GO FLYLADY!

if your software allows it - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
try starting the voice file in the middle of the word you cannot hear. Sometimes if you get the last syllable, the rest of it falls into place.

Best ESL Tip - Liza

[ In Reply To ..]
Insist that the dictator email or fax you a copy of his "normal" exam, if possible get 3 or 4 samples, then read and listen at the same time to catch their rhythm of speech. Easy once you see the words they're actually saying in print.

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