Marg says that even though she received just one communication session before being trained live, she was never conscious of trying to adopt the American accent. “I didn’t try to adjust my accent,” she explains. “It just comes naturally when I talk.” However, the responses from customers reveal how accent and identity are closely tied. Many callers assume that Marg grew up in the United States. “They are often surprised to hear that I’m Filipino. They think I was born in the US.”

Compliments about her “good English” may be common, but moments like these also show that there is an unspoken need to be more familiar and more Western, a need that can easily be parsed as coercive when examined through the lenses of economic and social survival. A lengthy history of colonial violence and neocolonial violence, has tied the “Western sound” directly to one’s ability to earn a living, survive encounters with law enforcement, and other areas of tension that go overlooked.” In Marg’s company, there is still a silent expectation to make communication feel easier and more trustworthy by sounding more “American.”

Customers sometimes trust you more when they think you’re American. When they realize you’re not, the way they treat you can change.

Marg, together with many multilingual workers, has adjusted the way she speaks until it has become second nature. This daily code-switching helps them take advantage of employment opportunities, build confidence, and establish a sense of belonging. Each interaction proves it’s more than just a conversation because they also need to negotiate their credibility silently.