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Originally Posted by edgarj
I can't believe that you equate call center workers (in India, which is far more English oriented being a former British colony, LOL) with university professors. Conveying your point in your field is really easy amongst peers. At conferences, those who try too hard to speak English are a distraction more often than those who treat their data as language. The fact is, if language is a consideration in hiring of academic faculty, then we will end up with two faculties: one that "talks American" and one that earned his/her position based on merit. In many fields, these will be two very different entities and as university budgets are slashed, we have to decide on which paradigm we wish to base our hiring. Our leadership in the sciences will disappear if we choose the former. Our leadership in the sciences exists solely as a function of our meritorious tradition in higher education.
Every time I’ve ever heard this complaint, it’s either been from the most mediocre student justifying his/her lack of performance in a course or from an utter racist who resents being instructed by someone who doesn’t fit his/her cultural ideal of a mentor. Either way, it’s pathetic.
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I don't equate call center workers with professors
I think that AFTER the person has been offered the job, IF their students have trouble understanding their accent, then a few lessons in pronounciation should help. I am not saying that spoken language skills be a criteria for getting the job.
Btw, as it stands right now, comprehending spoken English with an American accent, and speaking English ARE a requirement if you accept a TA-ship at a graduate school. There is a test called the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) and TSE (Test of Spoken English). Both are mandatory as far as I know.
If accent and pronounciation are still issues after arriving in the US, then some basic pronounciation training can go a long way.