A Question of Attitude – continued:
- give up and go on, assuming you will get the meaning from the context of the rest of the conversation.
- ask again and again to have the sentence repeated, until you do understand.
- ask the person to spell out the words or use an alternative word or phrase.
- get someone else who understands the person better to come over and serve as an interpreter.
- make a joke about the situation and laugh at your inability to understand the person.