Cross-cultural communication is a formidable challenge. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had a hard time understanding a person because of his or her accent. We’ve also been in situations where we didn’t want to ask for clarification because of his or her accent. While a misunderstanding outside of work might only cost you a wrong take-out order or a bad haircut, a misunderstanding at work could cost you a lot more.

Cultural diversity in the workplace demands patience and understanding. More importantly, a functional work environment demands that all employees - including those who speak English with a different regional accent or as a second language - communicate effectively. Globalization has added a challenging dimension to this basic skill. However, we simply can’t afford to make mistakes in business because of communication misunderstandings.

Keep in mind though that communication is a two-way street. You, the listener, could also be the problem. Unfortunately you can’t always control how well you can decipher an accent. You can control how you try to understand the message. Ask questions. You might cringe as you ask “what?” or “can you repeat that?” for the umpteenth time; but the reality is that you need to get the work done right. Do you run the risk of appearing rude or culturally insensitive? Sure. The last thing you want to do is draw more attention to a cultural barrier. However, simply asking a person to repeat or clarify is part of communicating effectively with other people, whether or not they have accents.

Ultimately the trade-off is yours to consider. Do you risk doing your work incorrectly only to avoid asking for clarification? In the bigger scheme of things, do you actually promote cultural understanding by letting communication misunderstandings go unresolved?