Why your accent probably isn’t the problem

Hey, your accent is a problem, right? During a Discovery Session this morning, a prospective student asked for help with accent reduction.

I asked (of course!) why they wanted to work on their accent.

They told me that they don’t want to sound “foreign”, they want to sound “American.”

Is that the issue? Sounding like you’re not from here?

Let me ruin the surprise, allow me to let the Kitten out of the bag:

Your accent is only a problem if people can’t understand what you’re saying.

Some students struggle to get past their own accent, their feeling of foreignness. And sure, it’s true, you’re not from here.But transitioning successfully to a foreign-based job is not about forgetting or hiding where you’re from.

There are increasing numbers of companies, start-ups and big multinationals, where a variety of accents is taken for granted.

But even more than that, we know that trust is essential to success in your career. If you’re more worried about sounding or looking like the locals than improving your basic pronunciation and vocabulary, you’re concentrating on the wrong thing.

We build trust by being our best professional selves and keeping our promises. Your accent is way, way down the list of priorities.

Most of the time, you’ll be assessed against your skills and experience, and your ability to explain how you’ll solve someone’s problem. That’s very much about sounding clear and very little about sounding American or British.

So if you’re spending more time worrying about sounding “foreign” than your pronunciation, this sounds to me more about anxiety around identity, acceptance, belonging, than successful communication.

Here’s the good news: we can work both on your English and your ability to be successful in a English-speaking country or company.

It’s not about sounding American, or British, or Australian. It’s not about losing where you came from.

I want you to speak with confidence, with fluency.

I want you to be understood. And I want you to be comfortable and confident working with native English speakers — no matter where you’re working, the size of the company, your industry or your own personality. It’s not about sounding American, or British, or Australian. It’s not about losing where you came from.

Focus on efficient communication, focus on being understood.

Hey, right now, is there a problem with your pronunciation?

Maybe there’s room for improvement.

When I hear those pronunciation errors, I’ll let you know. We’ll work on it together.

And if you’re not confident about your ability to “fit in” in an English-speaking country or company — we’re going to work on that too.

Good English and effective relationships?

That’s exactly what Working English is about.

See you in class.

Originally published on teacherhamish.com