Lifestyle Magazine
Before I even begin, let me tell you the inspiration behind the title.
Recently I was traveling to Mumbai from Delhi via Jet airways. I just love traveling by air and every other details that is associated with it. The roads that lead to the airport, the airport (infrastructure), the duty free shops, the lounges etc. So far so good. Now let’s talk about the airline staff at the ground and in the air. I am not sure if they have been trained to speak in an accented language or they do it on purpose but then that’s none of my concern. First of all let’s get this straight - being an American and speaking like one are two different things.
Now since I had lot of time to kill I was just trying to analyze the announcement made by the airline crew at the ground. By the time I could make out what they spoke at the beginning I missed the end. And this happened on multiple occasions. The flight attendant was no different. Though I do appreciate all the efforts they put in for the comfort of our journey. The accent is something I really can’t digest. Please do not get me wrong am not against American accent, but speak if you are truly confident about it. Else speak neutral.
Secondly their rate of speech is so fast that many a times it’s hard to figure out the purpose of the announcement. If you have seen the insurance advertisement you would understand my dilemma. Remember the familiar quote at the end of the advertisement “Insurance is the subject matter of.... read the offer document for details" that’s exactly how the announcement is made.
Priyanka Chopra from Bollywood is no different - she pretends her hometown is Amrica and not India.
I can understand a call center employee putting up an accent. That’s his bread and butter. But for the rest of you - it’s time to move over your love for the American accent. We are Indian and lets be one. If you really want to sound good, brush up your English and speak neutral.