I consider it a point of pride that I can understand virtually anyone speaking English no matter how strong their accent is. I assume it's from being around a l

I consider it a point of pride that I can understand virtually anyone speaking English no matter how strong their accent is. I assume it's from being around a lot of people that learned English as a second language. It would make sense that one of the factors that has made English successful is that it's very forgiving of varying pronunciations. Some other languages are much more precise. But it does often require a lot more effort to understand someone speaking with a heavy accent. A really great podcast, History on Fire, is hard for me to listen to because the author has a strong Italian accent. I can understand it perfectly well but it's mentally exhausting so I don't listen regularly. I consider it a shame because I like the content.