It's weird. If I ever go abroad, people normally understand me absolutely perfectly. I was booking some flights over the phone and needed to speak to the Spanish office of Iberia, for some reason. The delightful Spanish woman at the other end of the phone understood everything I said perfectly, and I didn't make any attempt to talk slower or anything! And yet when I order takeaway food in the UK, I'm forever having to repeat my name or my phone number or the address as the person on the other end of the line has absolutely no idea what I'm saying! It's weird, I'll give it that. Face-to-face speaking is a bit easier for all involved, as I can use bodily language and intonation to get across my message. I definitely prefer it to phone conversation and typing, as a loooooot of my verbal and physical mannerisms get lost when I just write everything down.