Jamaican Call Center Seeks Workers With American Accent

When a job advertisement is placed in a Jamaican newspaper specifying that applicants for the position must have an American accent to be considered, it is quite clear employment requirements are at an all time low in a country with such high unemployment rate. Certainly this Jamaican call center has promised an American organization to provide a service that, in fact, is not easy to achieve. First, what type of American accent are they looking for? Should it be a southern drawl or a distinct one from a northern state? Are applicants expected to demonstrate a southern California valley girl accent or is an urban swag accent okay? Regardless of how hard a person who grows up in Jamaica and now living in the United States tries to speak with an American accent, the Jamaican accent will no doubt be heard some where in the conversation. So, professional and social assimilation into the American way of life for many years does not completely erase the accent of their roots. Therefore, is it possible for a Jamaican, who has never left the island, to be capable of speaking with an authentic American accent? Attempts to speak with an American accent has not been successful even in India although their call centers go through great lengths to provide American accent classes to their recruited employees who are even required to answer the phone with English sounding names. But, it is never difficult to identify that these call center reps are not Americans. Therefore, this is an expectation that has already been tried and failed. The Jamaican call center's silly selective process is definitely not making any positive difference in helping the country's high unemployment rate. But, good luck to that Jamaican call center in their ridiculous quest for applicants with an American accent!
No Even Likkle Twang - Louise Bennett