Can you understand my accent?

I can understand you perfectly - although it takes a little more concentration :-) Some people have a very hard time with any strong accent, but I think you are clear enough that it wouldn't be something to worry about.

For someone who is speaking english natively there's no problem whatsoever, but someone who hasn't grown up close to the language might have a harder time understanding without focusing.

I think you sound great. I think people need to understand that they are going to get audio from many sources. This is global. I have heard video tutorials from folks with accents much harder to understand, but if the content is great I could overlook it. Thanks.

No problems here.

I'm in Sydney, AUS.

Sounds just fine to me

No problem here, you sound normal to me I am in the South of England but I would say non native english speakers may find it more difficult to understand.

Hi Claire, I listened to it and I can understand you perfectly fine.

I understood it perfectly.

But then I come from Airdrie.

My Grandpa was from Glasgow. Hearing you reminded me of how much I loved listening to his stories. And yes, I could understand quite clearly.

Sounds great to me. Perfectly understandable. I have audios of English and Asian marketers who are not as pleasant to listen to as you are. One aspect of marketing is testing. Here's what occurs to me... Check out Fiverr.com for voiceover gigs. Have someone read a short squeeze page audio. Then read the same script in your own voice. Follow up with a split test and see what happens.

You have a lovely and unique voice, that can be an asset for you instead of a detriment.

Grating's a Coatbridge thing. We don't have that problem

Seriously though, your voice was fine. I had the same thought when I was doing some tutorial videos at arpReach.tv but no-one seemed to have any problem with my accent.

Cheers,

Neil

It's good to see some other Scottish IMers. I've been doing this since 2000 and I could count the Scottish IMers I have been in contact with on one hand!

Claire, you not only have a lovely accent but you should remember that call centres often set up in Scotland because the accent sounds trustworthy. (Don't ask me how they work out these things but that is something that is sometimes said.)

It is as much a matter of our own perception of ourselves, and this is where I can give you my own experience. My day job is training adults (face to face training) and I am a bit of a computer whizz, so you would think that creating videos and holding webinars would come naturally to me. Not a bit of it - the reason being that I always hated the sound of my voice. In fact I recorded one video countless times and junked it each time because it didn't sound right.

That all changed when I eventually bit the bullet and did my first webinars. I thought I sounded awful but the feedback (unsolicited) was amazingly positive. One said it was "the best and most engaging webinar he had ever attended"; another that it was "absolutely wonderful" and yet another that he "loved the presentation".

This is not to blow my own trumpet but actually to say that our self-perception can sometimes drag us down and stop us doing things when we should just be getting on with it. In my case I must have wasted three years not doing videos or webinars.

The moral is to be proud of your accent rather than thinking it is a barrier, and just go out there and do the job.

I am not a native speaker, yet I can understand most of it. Of course, the message in its whole is quite understandable, so I think it is not very difficult to catch your drift :-)
I think your accent in very cute :-)

Chuck it on a roll with a tattie scone and you're on.

I'm American and I understand everything you said. Just be sure to speak clearly if you make an audio product and you'll be fine.

Claire,

I adore your accent. My boyfriend grew up in Glasgow but he's been here so long that he doesn't sound like you! My only suggestion would be to slow down a bit. That applies to anyone doing a recording of any type - it gives people more time to digest what you are saying!

Bonnie

You sound understandable to me..................! I'm from the midwest, the middle of the United States.

I love your accent ! American here, and I understood you perfectly...

It is good to see so many supportive comments on this thread for Claire. As I suggested in my post above (#28) sometimes we can put barriers in front of ourselves to stop us succeeding and a simple little thing like an accent can seem insurmountable.

One other observation: I have come across many excellent internet marketers who are not native English speakers but have to speak English in order to promote their business, and some of them have very strong accents. The rest of us should be thankful that we don't have to cross the language barrier.

Do not let a mild accent stop you from creating and publishing content. It is not hard to understand your accent.

Guess what, an accent makes you different from all the other people in the niche, and is the first step to building a lasting relationship with your clients.

We all talk different, but if you slow it down and pretend that you're speaking to a numpty in a call centre and you'll be fine. If you were to be talking like you could be on Sauchiehall Street on a Saturday night it would be a different outcome.

Aye - nae bother at aw hen!

Though I was born in England, I had no problems understanding
your clip.

I have a Scottish father and even spent the formative
years of my life in Newarthill - so not too far away.

I've got a silly English accent now though!

Dedicated to mutual success,

Shaun

Claire, I understood every word. You speak very clearly but like someone else was saying, remember to slow down a bit in videos because it would be easier for your listeners to digest the content.
These days most of us are used to hearing different accents from all around the world.
Honestly, you sound fine.

Hey, I like that accent!

No problems here - very clear and easy to understand IMO.

Love the accent, I grew up in Wishaw so not far from you. I know my accent is still very strong on audio, and a bit of a monotone, but yours is very nicely modulated.

Sounds perfect to me, but I'm from Irvine

I'm from Iowa in the heart of the U.S. and I understand you perfectly.

I would also urge you to do the voice over and video yourself... Americans
are often intrigued by and attracted to British/Irish/Scottish accents. I think
it will help your sales.

Hi Claire,

I'm a non native English speaker, and I'm sorry to tell you that your accent a bit hard for me to understand

I can probably understand about 70% of it, but it took a bit more concentration from my part.

My suggestion is, you can always create a transcript and add subtitles on your video, I'm sure it would help a lot of non native like me.

Anyway, I wish you good luck with the product

Coatbridge, Fife, Airdrie, Strathaven, Newarthill, Wishaw, Motherwell, Irvine all on the WF.

Loving it!

I am not a native speaker, and i am usually only can understand " American English " , and when i hear Scottish Accent, i can't understand a single word, but in your case it was fine.

Understood you just fine, but talking slower is tricky esp when you're talking about something that you're interested in. I think regional accents make your products feel more accessible rather than being just for our American neighbours.

(by the way, i have the same worries about my own Northern Irish "Norn Iron" accent, in case it sounds "harsh" - don't want it to make people think about balaclavas or Nadine Coyle!)

vicky

I can understand you perfectly and i´m not a native english speaker, i think the accent might even be helpful.

I love all our UK regional accents, especially if the occasional local expression or phrase is used. Somehow it makes the speaker sound "real". I have a boring, "received English" non-accent.

I'm from Lincolnshire in the UK and I understood you just fine (Can I say Och the Noo btw)!!!

Try and understand my accent, it's much worse lol

Kim

Kim, that reminds me of a previous life when I used to work for a living and, on arriving in my company's posh Ascot office, was always met with "Therrrre's been a murrrrrrder, Inspectorrrr Taggarrrrrt!" emanating from the Marketing Manager's office!

I didn't have a hard time understanding you, but can't speak for others..

One thing I would mention is try work on your breathing, it quickly became distracting to me. Just some constructive criticism.

I always think that headsets highlight all the breaths, splutters, lip smacking and saliva gurgling and that a quality desk mike really helps to mask those.

Cheers,

Neil

Welcome, we all do the same thing here, no big deal, as long as you know up sell, down sell, affiliate. lol

Nice to meet you.
Thanks Rob.

Hi Claire,

Sounds great, but I am from the UK and have read Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh - so never mind listening to the Scottish accent you can talk it after reading that book! :p

Seriously though it sounds good - if you are really conscious about it try speaking a tiny bit slower than you normally do and saying every word clearly.

Sounds fine.
No problem at all.

/Izerman

No, but I'm terrible with accents. I live with an Irish girl and half the time I don't know what she's just said to me. I simply nod along and smile then say something like, 'really? That's crazy/cool/ridiculous'.

"mild accent"?!?!? Frankly, I think it is one of the stronger native accents I have heard. You ran over some words, like "paleo"(It sounded like pelio) so fast that it made it harder to understand. For a native speaker, it was no problem, but it might be for a foreigner.

Steve