Learning something new - easier in your own accent

The survey enumerators for our project are learning to enter survey data electronically on pda devices, thanks to programming help from Eric Green . One of the most difficult things in teaching such a detailed process is that our American accents seem to disguise some words, even with enumerators who speak excellent English. Jack, one team member, is always reminding us, "Shape your mouth more clearly so I can understand what you are saying." My research coordinator, Jessica Pian, discovered that asking one of our team members to explain some of the steps was a more efficient way of making sure everyone is on the same page - or screen. This is Hellen, one of our team members, who caught on quickly to the pda. She is explaining to the others how to input the correct identifying information of an interviewee.