The Conversation That Tested My Ears: Why Clear Spoken English Matters

A 15-minute call with a fellow entrepreneur revealed the hidden challenges of unclear speech—and why even technical professionals benefit from confident, understandable English.

A few months ago, I connected with a lady through one of my references. She has been working in the United States for many years, and we bonded over our shared journey in entrepreneurship. Our conversations, though infrequent—about once every six months—were always insightful, as we exchanged learnings from our respective startup experiences.

During our chats, I noticed something striking: despite living in an English-speaking country for years, her spoken English still carried a strong South Indian Mother Tongue Influence (MTI).

Recently, she called to check on the progress of my software product, Speakho—a tool designed to help users speak English confidently by identifying pronunciation and fluency errors in recorded speech.

During our conversation, she shared her belief that pronunciation doesn’t matter much for technical professionals like herself. She felt that since her workplace discussions revolve around technical jargon, mispronunciations are unlikely to cause misunderstandings. According to her, technical people understand each other just fine.

To be fair, her point had merit. Most technical work relies on emails, documentation, code comments, and reports, where written English ensures precision and clarity. For most technical discussions, conceptual understanding, problem-solving, and logic are indeed more important than accent or grammar. Mispronunciations rarely affect project outcomes—as long as ideas are clearly conveyed.

Out of respect for her expertise, I didn’t challenge her view. But as soon as I hung up, I felt a sharp pain in my ear and an overwhelming sense of fatigue. No, It wasn’t a medical issue—it was the mental and physical strain of trying to follow her speech. Despite being exposed to a wide range of Indian English accents, I found her English particularly difficult to understand.

I couldn’t help but wonder how her colleagues in the U.S., especially native English speakers, manage to communicate with her. Our call lasted about 15 minutes, during which I had to ask her to repeat herself several times. Often, I chose silence over repetition to avoid making her uncomfortable. I pressed my phone harder against my ear, hoping to catch her words more clearly, but it didn’t help. I ended up guessing parts of her speech, which added to the cognitive load and drained my energy.

The painful irony was that the very person whose speech was so hard to follow believed pronunciation didn’t matter. Imagine the challenge faced by others who interact with her daily.

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Living in India, I’ve been exposed to countless Indian English accents—each shaped by local languages, culture, and exposure to international English. Indian English is highly diverse and dynamic, but it’s also deeply affected by what linguists call Mother Tongue Influence (MTI).

MTI simply means that the sounds, rhythm, and structure of our native language seep into our English speech. It’s completely natural and part of what makes Indian English unique—but when strong MTI affects clarity or pronunciation, it can make conversations tiring for listeners, especially non-Indians.

How MTI Impacts Spoken English

1. Pronunciation Variations – Native sounds, stress patterns, and intonation often carry over, creating distinct regional accents.

2. Grammar and Syntax Influence – Sentence structures from the mother tongue may appear in English, affecting clarity.

3. Vocabulary and Word Choice – Literal translations of idioms or phrases can result in unusual or non-standard usage.

4. Intonation and Rhythm – English is stress-timed, while many Indian languages are syllable-timed, leading to unnatural rhythm.

5. Fluency and Hesitation – Mental translation from the mother tongue can slow speech and affect confidence.

6. Cultural and Pragmatic Effects – MTI can influence tone, politeness norms, and phrasing, creating unique expressions.

MTI is the single biggest factor shaping Indian English accents. While it’s natural and unavoidable, it can be moderated through focused pronunciation practice, exposure to standard English, and AI-assisted feedback.

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If you believe your English is good, consider whether your spoken English might be the issue. People in your network—may struggle to hold conversations with you but choose not to say anything out of courtesy. However, repeated requests for clarification and long pauses might already be signaling that something is amiss. Over time, this can quietly affect your career progression, networking, and confidence—especially in global or client-facing environments where clear speech is key.

Think about it: if your ideas are strong, your expertise deep, and your intent clear—shouldn’t your speech reflect that too?

If you see yourself in this story,, I urge you to evaluate your spoken English. Like the lady I spoke with, you might unknowingly be jeopardizing your professional growth, personal relationships, or even undiscovered opportunities due to this overlooked shortcoming.

You may already have strong written English skills—so why not overcome the final hurdle: spoken fluency?

Don’t just take my word for it—take a spoken English assessment. Ask for honest feedback. 

It’s your responsibility, not anyone else’s, to ensure your speech is understandable.

Let’s make every conversation less jarring and more joyful for everyone.