by GuestfromEU » December 1, 2022, 10:13 am
Most officers and crew from India, Ukraine, Philippines, Indonesia, and other non-native English speaking countries I have worked with had better comprehension of English than many native speakers. English is the international language of shipping. When local harbour or mooring pilots speak with tugs and shore personnel, the local language is often used but the ship's crew always uses English for giving and repeating orders, communicating with other vessels and authorities, and even on board. Indian officers and Filipino crew do not usually speak Tagalog or Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, or others as a mutual language (though some phrases are so commonly used they are understood). If officers or crew speak a common language they often do with each other for on board communications but never when dealing with external parties.
I never fault anyone with an accent because they are probably trying their best to speak another language. It would be like someone criticizing my Spanish...it is not perfect, but I also speak Spanish infrequently and do not consider myself fluent. But I also have a fascination with languages and grew up speaking German and English daily. The only obstacle from a technical viewpoint is that sometimes when describing a problem there are no words in other languages for specific tools or parts we call things in English. Then there is different terminology in British English (the rest of the world), American English, Canadian English, etc.
Most officers and crew from India, Ukraine, Philippines, Indonesia, and other non-native English speaking countries I have worked with had better comprehension of English than many native speakers. English is the international language of shipping. When local harbour or mooring pilots speak with tugs and shore personnel, the local language is often used but the ship's crew always uses English for giving and repeating orders, communicating with other vessels and authorities, and even on board. Indian officers and Filipino crew do not usually speak Tagalog or Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, or others as a mutual language (though some phrases are so commonly used they are understood). If officers or crew speak a common language they often do with each other for on board communications but never when dealing with external parties.
I never fault anyone with an accent because they are probably trying their best to speak another language. It would be like someone criticizing my Spanish...it is not perfect, but I also speak Spanish infrequently and do not consider myself fluent. But I also have a fascination with languages and grew up speaking German and English daily. The only obstacle from a technical viewpoint is that sometimes when describing a problem there are no words in other languages for specific tools or parts we call things in English. Then there is different terminology in British English (the rest of the world), American English, Canadian English, etc.