Abridged version published on Manila Bulletin, September 16, 2009
Perhaps because of our history of being colonized more than once, we Filipinos find it easy to pick up new languages – the most prominent of which is English. With our many different dialects, and a history of debate over the true national language, English has helped us find a middle ground with which we can communicate with our countrymen, as well as with foreigners.
This, however, does not make us instant experts. Oftentimes, interviewers must struggle to understand what their applicants are telling them. Below are a few of their pet peeves, and some tips on how to avoid them.
1. Mispronunciation
Brought about by the differences in the phonetics of English and Filipino, we are very susceptible to replacing certain consonants for consonants that sound similar to them. The most common mistake is interchanging p’s with f’s, and b’s with v’s, giving you terms like “suferbisor” or “fropesor”.
Probably also due to our many different dialects, we are also susceptible to interchanging vowels for each other. Popular occurrences are even used for local advertising, such as “fich mengo pie” (peach mango pie). We also make the mistake of reading the word exactly as it is spelled, which is one of the main difference of English with many languages. Words with silent letters like almonds, become “ahlmonds”, and words with special pronunciation, like “façade”, can be a challenge for us.
To avoid this, it is important for you to familiarize yourself with the correct pronunciation of these words. When you encounter a new word, take some time to look it up in the dictionary and check the phonetic symbols. If you cannot understand the phonetic symbols, you can go online and check for English songs that make use of that word. If you can’t find it, the word you like may be too high falutin, and it might be better to look for an alternative word to use.
2. Filler Words
In any language we use, we are always limited by the amount of words we know. Some individuals find it easy to use the terms that they have learned. However, during stressful times, or when we are rushing, the right set of words may escape us. Many of us resort to the use of filler words that buy us a few seconds to think the correct term, or to organize our thoughts. Basic common fillers are non-words, such as “umm” or the tagalog term, “ano”. People also use fillers words at the start of a sentence, using terms like “actually” or “basically”, or with sentence enders like “you know”.
Frequent use of these terms can become irritating to the listener, distracting him from your message. Take a few seconds to organize your thoughts. Your interviewer would not take offense if you took a short breath before answering his question. The best way is to start with your gist of your answer, which is the topic, then follow-up with supporting details. You’ll find that filler words may not be necessary when you go straight to the point.
3. Forced Accent
With the advent of the BPO industry, there is an increase in employers looking for good verbal English skills. At times, applicants resort to imitating foreign accents to show their versatility in the English language. However, if you are not used to speaking in this language, your English comes out sounding like it went through a meat grinder and got stuck in the middle.
It is best to avoid using any accent to highlight your English skills. Your objective to be able to send your message across and the use of accents may prevent this from happening. A preferable style would be to have a neutral accent, similar to the diction of CNN newscasters. Do not be afraid to open your mouth for vowels, and make sure you are not speaking too fast. Your interviewer will surely appreciate your efforts.
4. Answering in the Wrong Language
There is a very simple rule in conversational skills – when you are asked a question, answer in the same language the question was asked in. Don’t give yourself a hard time by answering a tagalog question in English. Use simple words to convey your message across.
If you were asked a question in English, and you do not quite know how to answer it in English, ask for permission with the interviewer if you may answer it in Filipino. Being polite and respectful of your interviewer is always beneficial to you.
5. Unclear, or Round-about Answers
The way our sentences are constructed is different from the way English sentences are constructed. Sometimes, however, it is much easier for us to do a word per word translation, instead of taking the essence of the entire sentence and re-wording it to English. Doing a word per word translation can make your message unclear. It is important that we take time to organize our train of thought, and construct the sentences that can get that message across properly. Do not be afraid of using short sentences, as opposed to the popularity of longer sentences in formal Filipino. Be direct to the point, and spare you and your interviewer the extra minutes trying to make a short answer long.
Perhaps because of our history of being colonized more than once, we Filipinos find it easy to pick up new languages – the most prominent of which is English. With our many different dialects, and a history of debate over the true national language, English has helped us find a middle ground with which we can communicate with our countrymen, as well as with foreigners.
This, however, does not make us instant experts. Oftentimes, interviewers must struggle to understand what their applicants are telling them. Below are a few of their pet peeves, and some tips on how to avoid them.
1. Mispronunciation
Brought about by the differences in the phonetics of English and Filipino, we are very susceptible to replacing certain consonants for consonants that sound similar to them. The most common mistake is interchanging p’s with f’s, and b’s with v’s, giving you terms like “suferbisor” or “fropesor”.
Probably also due to our many different dialects, we are also susceptible to interchanging vowels for each other. Popular occurrences are even used for local advertising, such as “fich mengo pie” (peach mango pie). We also make the mistake of reading the word exactly as it is spelled, which is one of the main difference of English with many languages. Words with silent letters like almonds, become “ahlmonds”, and words with special pronunciation, like “façade”, can be a challenge for us.
To avoid this, it is important for you to familiarize yourself with the correct pronunciation of these words. When you encounter a new word, take some time to look it up in the dictionary and check the phonetic symbols. If you cannot understand the phonetic symbols, you can go online and check for English songs that make use of that word. If you can’t find it, the word you like may be too high falutin, and it might be better to look for an alternative word to use.
2. Filler Words
In any language we use, we are always limited by the amount of words we know. Some individuals find it easy to use the terms that they have learned. However, during stressful times, or when we are rushing, the right set of words may escape us. Many of us resort to the use of filler words that buy us a few seconds to think the correct term, or to organize our thoughts. Basic common fillers are non-words, such as “umm” or the tagalog term, “ano”. People also use fillers words at the start of a sentence, using terms like “actually” or “basically”, or with sentence enders like “you know”.
Frequent use of these terms can become irritating to the listener, distracting him from your message. Take a few seconds to organize your thoughts. Your interviewer would not take offense if you took a short breath before answering his question. The best way is to start with your gist of your answer, which is the topic, then follow-up with supporting details. You’ll find that filler words may not be necessary when you go straight to the point.
3. Forced Accent
With the advent of the BPO industry, there is an increase in employers looking for good verbal English skills. At times, applicants resort to imitating foreign accents to show their versatility in the English language. However, if you are not used to speaking in this language, your English comes out sounding like it went through a meat grinder and got stuck in the middle.
It is best to avoid using any accent to highlight your English skills. Your objective to be able to send your message across and the use of accents may prevent this from happening. A preferable style would be to have a neutral accent, similar to the diction of CNN newscasters. Do not be afraid to open your mouth for vowels, and make sure you are not speaking too fast. Your interviewer will surely appreciate your efforts.
4. Answering in the Wrong Language
There is a very simple rule in conversational skills – when you are asked a question, answer in the same language the question was asked in. Don’t give yourself a hard time by answering a tagalog question in English. Use simple words to convey your message across.
If you were asked a question in English, and you do not quite know how to answer it in English, ask for permission with the interviewer if you may answer it in Filipino. Being polite and respectful of your interviewer is always beneficial to you.
5. Unclear, or Round-about Answers
The way our sentences are constructed is different from the way English sentences are constructed. Sometimes, however, it is much easier for us to do a word per word translation, instead of taking the essence of the entire sentence and re-wording it to English. Doing a word per word translation can make your message unclear. It is important that we take time to organize our train of thought, and construct the sentences that can get that message across properly. Do not be afraid of using short sentences, as opposed to the popularity of longer sentences in formal Filipino. Be direct to the point, and spare you and your interviewer the extra minutes trying to make a short answer long.
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