Hello! all 
As always, this forum takes top marks in dealing with and discussing topics of varied interest which become a rich source of information to potential and new immigrants.
I would definitely like to know the common \"shrubs\"- mispronunciations - like veel for wheel by some gujjus or hab for have by some bengu's etc. among the Desi's in Canada while talking in English. Does this prove to be a stumbling block during job interviews?
Though knowing English is one of the most important criteria for selection, especially now when IELTS is mandatory, it is quite common to come across people of varied fluency in English, as is evident in different posts.
I am curious to know about this as we Indians have a particular accent( as the chinese and the french, and the martians 
) with an added dash of our regional / mother tongue essence in a large dose. SO how do the desis mingle into the Canadian society, in their workplace ? What is expected as regards English and how can we get better prepared before moving in and thus enhance the job prospects?
This post is with no intention to find faults but more as an enlightening medium whereby certain mistakes can be amended so thst we get better equipped to settle into the Canadian way of life.
Please give your valuable inputs Seniors.
sincere regards,
Worship
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It is so simple to be happy but so difficult to be simple
Location: Ottawa (Now in Bangalore)
Posted on: 02-09-04 17:18:09
Vonly Bhun point !
Just make sure you dont drink chum-pug-ne bephore an interbhiew !
More details to follow ....
But on a side note.. How would you rate your spoken english skills ? CBSE/ICSE/State board ?
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"Aur Vaise Bhi, Sharafat ki jab kapde utarti hai, sabse zyaada mazaa shareefon ko hi aati hai"....(From The Dirty Picture)
Warning !! SCAM ALERT !!
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This is a Useful Health related Tip
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Please visit
http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php for some interesting Information ! (Especially 009.005 )
O_N
For my spoken English, I would give myself Band 11 onwards if it existed! 
....just joking, .......I may not be considered a native English......but kaam chal jayega.. will be getting my IELTS results soon, so will post them here...gave State Board exams..
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It is so simple to be happy but so difficult to be simple
Location: Ottawa (Now in Bangalore)
Posted on: 03-09-04 02:25:06
Quote:
Orginally posted by worship
O_N
For my spoken English, I would give myself Band 11 onwards if it existed!
So you yourself can give me an assessment. How is the syllabus of the Maharashtra state board when compared with the ICSE board. AFAIK, anyone who does well in English in the ICSE board should easily sail through any job interviews here in Canada. Even though emphasis is on British english ( ring instead of call, rubber instead of eraser
, etc.,), with a lil' bit of tweaking you can adapt yourself to Canadain English. I can give you my example.. I may not be able to get a Canadian accent. Please do not try to get it. You will really distort your your speech. At best you can obtain an accent that Late Rajiv Gandhi had. It was, IMO, very good english for an Indian. Try to attain that level of expertise and you are all set and done.
Just dont sound superficial. Try and be natural. Language is just one part.. Ppl here take a holistic approach when hiring someone. Anyways, your immigration is quite some time off now. So when you get here.. you can do all the necessary stuff
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"Aur Vaise Bhi, Sharafat ki jab kapde utarti hai, sabse zyaada mazaa shareefon ko hi aati hai"....(From The Dirty Picture)
Warning !! SCAM ALERT !!
http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=4169 & http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=1379
This is a Useful Health related Tip
http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=3865
Please visit
http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php for some interesting Information ! (Especially 009.005 )
O_N, thanx for the reply......
I agree ICSE does have an edge over any State Board....though I feel individual grasping and knack for languages plays the most important part, be it any board.
In various post by Desis who are already in Canada, I have come across different levels of English Language, some to the point where the pioneers of English Language may feel like committing Harakiri yet the surprising fact is that they have sailed through immigration......
It is really a plus point that for jobs they use a holistic approach( I will decipher that out when I get there ) for if it was U.K. and not Canada, the locals would be rolling their eyes to Kingdom come!!
Maybe in a few years even the local Canadian will be able to pinpoint which part of India the desis belong to after hearing the accents... just like the Dr. in My Fair Lady!!
The best way to test the waters is to jump in ......SO "I SHALL WAIT FOR MY TIME"
sincere regards,
Worship
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It is so simple to be happy but so difficult to be simple
Location: Ottawa (Now in Bangalore)
Posted on: 03-09-04 03:57:21
Well yeah.. If you look at the posts ppl make here, I feel some (if not many) have a problem with the language. I cannot comment on specific cases unless I know what kind of background they are from. But I can give you a quick example. One can easily distinguish a Pakistani from an (educated) Indian merely by the manner in which they speak English.
Purists may find both versions sacrilegeous, yet, IMO an Indian speaking english wins. Exceptions are of cos present. I must say Imran Khan's English is sophisticated
Forget abt the U.K. They have a wierd accent (even if we discount the Queen's English). As you said, it would make Professor HIggins fret and fume with anger if he hears umm say an Indian with a strong Tamil or Bengali or Punjabi accent .. (Guju accent also...)
A person I knew once told me... Sher, chahe Jungle mein rahe chahe Pinjre mein... woh sher hi kehlata hain.. By the same token, a person, whether in the state board or within the ICSE board can excel only if he/she wants to excel. I can tell you emphatically that I did not have a knack for English when I passed out from High school. It was only in my final year of engineering when I began imnproving my communication skills. My writing skills were still marginally better, yet I have greatly improved my skills as I was writing my Ph.D thesis. It was, as I commonly say, an extremely sobering experience !
In other words you /shall "BIDE YOUR TIME" / (or in an active tone) are "BIDING YOUR TIME"
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"Aur Vaise Bhi, Sharafat ki jab kapde utarti hai, sabse zyaada mazaa shareefon ko hi aati hai"....(From The Dirty Picture)
Warning !! SCAM ALERT !!
http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=4169 & http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=1379
This is a Useful Health related Tip
http://www.canadiandesi.ca/read.php?TID=3865
Please visit
http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php for some interesting Information ! (Especially 009.005 )
O_N ,
Yes it is 'BIDING MY TIME' as Prof. Henry Higgins would like-propah English
Imagine him trying to figure out that 'Yam and Yen' are letters of the English alphabet
Intransit, thanks but I was not talking about myself......it was more a surprise that people of varied levels of English are sailing in the same boat. Specially since English is the official language of Canada... what I was trying to decipher was, why all this hallabulla about proficiency in English.....I don't find everyone selected, being tops with their English....as per various posts in this forum......so how did they pass thru?? and how are they managing in the job front?? They must be facing acute problems and if so how do they communicate? Speaking Skills are so inportant. Does it have an effect on the type of job they get?
I have all the confidence in my English as I have studied in a Jesuit institution run by British/Italian missionaries but affliliated to the state board.
regards,
Worship
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It is so simple to be happy but so difficult to be simple
