Localizing the transnational call center industry
Training creole speakers in Dominica to serve Pidgin speakers in Hawai'i
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3666111 |
|---|---|
| Authors | C Higgins (0000-0002-9527-6872, Department of Second Language Studies University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Honolulu HI USA, corresponding author), Gavin K Furukawa (Department of English Studies Sophia University Tokyo Japan), Gavin Furukawa (0000-0001-7610-5413, Sophia University) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 613-633 |
| Publication date | 2020-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Sociolinguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1360-6441 • E-ISSN: 1467-9841 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/josl.12437 |
| OpenAlex | W3098516182 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
This study considers whether localized language training for call centers can fruitfully challenge the homogenizing principles of call center practices by examining a training program that aimed to familiarize offshore call center workers with Pidgin, the creole language that is widely spoken in Hawaiʻi. Call center agents in Dominica were familiarized with key aspects of Pidgin relevant to call center work, including the expression of empathy in response to customer complaints. The analysis focuses on how we drew awareness to the pragmatics of Pidgin empathy through Pidgin contextualization cues in scenarios we devised. We then examine how the call center agents displayed their awareness of these cues in role plays. The agents readily demonstrated their understandings in talk about pragmatic differences during our instruction, but the role play interactions revealed the limits of their ability to deploy similar locally appropriate pragmatics due to the homogenizing confines of call center business practices.Dis pepah try see local kine training for call centah can mek stuff bettah, cuz the way big company stay like make all da call centah same kine. We go look one training program we wen make for teach people no live Hawaiʻi about Pidgin. Call centah workah in Dominica wen learn abaut Pidgin stuff can use you work call centah, like how for show feeling wen customah call for make huhu. Da analysis tawk about how we wen get dem fo look how local people show feeling using small kine stuff. Den we stay tawk how da call center people wen show deir manaʻo of dis small kine stuff wen dey make pretend fo be customah and call centah workah. Da call centah people wen quick show they akamai abaut dis wen dey wen tawk abaut how people ack diffrent but wen dey waz make pretend dey no can make same like Hawaiʻi people cuz da way all da call centah like mek everbady all same
Call centre · Center (category theory · Creole language · Empathy · Feeling · Linguistics · Pidgin · Pragmatics · Sociology · Telecommunications · Utterance · Computer Science · Emotional Labor in Professions · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
TheIdea of English in Japan
Power and Politeness in the Workplace
The Multi/Plural Turn, Postcolonial Theory, and Neoliberal Multiculturalism
Varilingualism
Consuming the consumers
Stylization and language ideologies in Pidgin comedic skits
Marketing, management and performance
Linguistic globalization and the call center industry
Harnessing Storytelling as a Sociopragmatic Skill
From English for Dominicans to Dominican English
Taking Sides in Social Research
Practices of global capital
Vocatives as rationalized politeness
Building rapport' with customers across the world
Styling the worker
New perspectives on language and gender
The Commodification of Language
Skills and selves in the new workplace
The accents of outsourcing
Discourse Strategies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |