Female Russian founder. Should I talk in Y Combinator video?

[AnnaGuzova]

Hello, I am a female founder from Russia, and I am looking for advice, about my video for the YCombinator application. Thank you, for helping!

Here is my challenge: I have an accent when I speak English. Not so strong, but very obviously not native. My other founder is an American, so he speaks with perfect English. (And not perfect Russian!)

In my opinion, he should talk for maybe all the video. I can say hello and give my introduction, but he should explain the startup, and all technical details.

He says my accent is not annoying, and I should also talk, because of specific domain expertise of banking. For me, it is a simple practical issue. He speaks perfectly, so why should we use me, when my pronunciation is not perfect?

I read one interview from Paul Graham, about problems with accents. I took no offense! It is 100% logical. In each case, the accent interferes with communication. It is not racism. Just a truth.

Can we agree, that it is better for the American to speak his birth tongue? Or could the application be rejected, if I am shy to speak English?

All opinions are welcome. I truly appreciate advice.

[tsukikage]

I can't speak for YC applications, however day to day in my workplace I am surrounded by engineers for whom English is a second language (and, for that matter, also native speakers with strong regional accents); I also regularly interview such.

I find that speaking with an accent is generally independent of the ability to clearly, fluidly communicate, which is actually what is important.

Do you frequently find yourself pausing mid-speech to think of the term you need? Do you frequently find yourself struggling to understand idiom-laced speech? Do you frequently find yourself talking at cross purposes with people because you have used a term with a different meaning to the one you intended, or have failed to correctly understand a term they have used?

These and similar problems can represent genuine failings of communication that may become an issue. It is usually obvious partway through a discussion or interview if this sort of thing is likely to be a problem: they hinder the candidate telling you about themselves and/or answering the questions they are asked.

If you do not experience this class of problem - if you are merely concerned about unusual stress/pronunciation or similar, but do not have trouble making yourself understood, understanding your interlocutor, or speaking at a sensible rate - then I suggest you should not worry about your accent, and it would actually be to your benefit to contribute significantly to the video, in order to demonstrate that there are no significant communication issues to anyone who may otherwise be concerned.

EDIT: PG says similar things here: http://www.paulgraham.com/accents.html

[cauterized]

If this were a video to market to customers or clients, I would suggest letting him speak the whole time. Because your accent might get in the way of selling the product.

But when you're applying to an accelerator, the product you're selling is your team. You're an integral part of that team, and you need to show the YC folks what they're getting with you as part of that team.

YC seems to be trying to address the gender gap in startup founding, so I don't think that being female will put you at a disadvantage. And there are plenty of other foreign founders of successful startups.

Try to relax, speak slowly and as clearly as you can, and record as many takes as you need to feel confident that you can be understood. You'll be fine.

[endswapper]

Yes, you should speak in the YC video.

If your startup finds any reasonable degree of success in the US (given you are applying to YC, and perhaps other accelerators in the US) you will need to speak to prospective investors, and perhaps industry or trade groups, if not consumers directly. Consider this the first the first step getting comfortable doing it, which seems to be the problem.

As far as YC and rejection, the video, in part, is supposed to give them a read on how you guys interact. Not speaking certainly limits the amount of information you give them to do that accurately.

In the context of the team and how you guys interact I recommend considering your partner's input very seriously. If he is in favor of you speaking, and there is a significant practical reason, such as specific domain experience, you have to balance your discomfort against submitting the best possible application.

There will likely be many more items such as this and it's best to confront them, fail, learn, move through them and move on.

[kafkaesq]

Talk. I wouldn't worry about the "accent" in the sense of vocal register or overall "sound" (which is after all you), but (in the spirit of "don't make people think") it wouldn't hurt to get a precise script of you want to say corrected to be 100% grammatically (and idiomatically) correct, with the help of a native speaker. And to try to get the pronunciation smoothed over to be as correct as you can get it, also. Then practice it enough so that it sounds perfectly natural and not forced (resting for a few days in between, to let it seep in). Basic theatrical technique, in other words.

Because there's something about talking to people in their language on level that's 100% correct (while still not trying to hide the fact that you're a foreign speaker) that somehow really impresses people and makes them want to listen to you. (Which shouldn't be too difficult for you, because going by your writing, your English is really quite good already).

[DanielStraight]

English is spoken by over a billion people. Many of those people, even ones who are native speakers, have accents that are nearly incomprehensible to American English speakers. There are even debates about whether some dialects of English are actually separate languages at this point.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialects_of_the_Englis...

See also: http://dialectsarchive.com/

It's completely unrealistic in today's global world to expect everyone to speak with the same accent.

Talk.

[AnnaGuzova]

With respect, is this not proving the opposite point?!

If my accent is incomprehensible to the American English speaker, it is crazy for me to talk!!!

We need to communicate. My American founder has the strongest capability, for this extremist challenge. Every second I am taking from him, is one second he is not communicating.

[DanielStraight]

I obviously can't tell you how YC will respond to your video, but I find it very unlikely your accent is incomprehensible if your American cofounder said it was fine.

Here's an example from the site I linked before that I would consider completely comprehensible: http://dialectsarchive.com/russia-5

This, on the other hand, is probably pushing the limits the comprehensibility: http://dialectsarchive.com/russia-13

If you fall closer to the second example, then American English speakers may have trouble understanding you clearly, but if you fall closer to the first, then I can't see anyone having a legitimate problem understanding you.

But again, I'm just trying to address actual comprehensibility issues. I can't say whether YC will respond positively or negatively.

[davelnewton]

I'd divide the time between you both.

[lnx01]

Don't worry about it.

If you're a founder then you have something meaningful to contribute and you should speak and make yourself heard.

[AnnaGuzova]

Thank you. It's true, I have lots to contribute. It's why we are partners! But why cannot I give my information for him to read, in a video?

The video recording is only for one minute. Such a short time for communicating! We need every second. He is the most efficient.

If it was a computer algorithm, it would be stupid to use such a leaky channel, with much entropy. Why should we do the same in recording the video?

[davelnewton]

Because a YC application isn't a computer program: it's about people developing an idea. While the idea is important, the people behind that idea have a lot to do with whether or not that idea can be realized.

[randomnames]

deleted / a previous comment captured this already + my wording was bad

[oliwarner]

Let's just be clear: it is racism, but it's just the sort of naturalistic —more comfortable with what you know and like— discrimination that's subconscious and extremely hard to avoid.

One would hope an investor would be able to look past that, but when so much about pitching is already about making your audience comfortable, you'd be silly to ignore it. If your co-founder CAN do the talk and is likely to be more "familiar" to your audience, you probably want them to do more of the talking.

Also remember that it's not just who's the native speaker. I'm AWFUL at public talking and I've been speaking the bloody language for 30 years. Confidence and passion are important.

Without seeing you both pitch, I can't tell you what to do, but you could tell friends and colleagues how important this is and try to get their honest opinion.

[AnnaGuzova]

How can it be racism? I am the same white race. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Just Russian. My American founder is much darker. )))))

I have much experience with formal presentation, but only in my Russian language. I have made presentations about almost one billion dollars, but always in the native Russian.

In this language, my partner has so many accomplishments. Every week, he is appearing on BBC for example, as the respect expert. For me, this pressure is so strong.

We are equals in our company. He is the hacker, I am the banker. But it does not mean we are equals, in English presentation!

[oliwarner]

I include ethnicity under the umbrella that is "racism". It's less of a mouthful than "racial and ethnic discrimination". Ethnicity and race aren't the same thing, but people treat them in very similar ways. They'll hear accents, see facial shapes, learn small details and their stereotypes take over.

But we're not here to argue about that. I don't think we're here to argue at all. You've made a clear case that he should do the pitch. I agree.

[GoalkeeperMedia]

Just for the optics of it alone, you should speak. It might send the very wrong message if your company has a male and female co-founder and only the man talks. There are all kinds of ways this can be interpreted that aren't good. Own your space. I guarantee they've heard a lot worse, and still brought them into the YC family.

[davelnewton]

I'd vote for speaking. IMO it's easier to convey passion and drive in fuller communication mediums.

That said: if you're shy about speaking English, that will come through. I'd focus on that aspect first: practice speaking with force and excitement. Take videos of yourself and watch them; you're more than capable of deciding when you're ready.)

(Full disclosure: I'm biased; I like accents, and unless it's quite thick, generally have no comprehension issues.)

[saluki]

Definitely speck on the YC video . . . I think accents are cool and you want to show off the whole team . . . be yourself and show off your domain expertise . . . don't even think about your accent, just speak clearly as you would for any recording . . . good luck with YC and your startup!

[jgrahamc]

Yes, you should speak.

Congratulations on speaking a second language. Don't be afraid of your accent.

[AnnaGuzova]

I speak six languages! In Russia, it is not anything special!

[acemarke]

Very old joke, but one I've always found amusing:

"What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? American!"

(And as an American who spent a few years overseas teaching English, that is _so_ true :) )