How do accents affect communication?
Accents reflect an individual’s native background and speaking traits. Yet, communicating in the United States, you might experience difficulty as a non-native English speaker. For example, social and business interactions may be challenging because people may not understand you. Listeners may focus more on how you speak rather than what you are saying.
Why is accent modification important?
In a world that grows increasingly interconnected by the day, both social and work settings require more than using the right words. Many non-native English speakers with proficient knowledge of U.S. English experience challenges due to their accents. These employees often report negative effects on job performance, educational advancement, and everyday life activities. It is frustrating for speakers with foreign accents to repeat or reword what they are saying to be understood. Non-native fluent English speakers can improve their accents to avoid these communication issues.
The goal of the training program is to achieve clear pronunciation, not to erase all traces of an accent. Cultural linguistic competence includes not only the content (vocabulary and grammar) but the natural flow of English which comes with the acquisition of a neutral accent.
Who pays for accent modification training?
Each client is responsible for the cost of the training program. Employers often pay for all or part of their employees’ fees because they are aware of the benefit of this investment to the success of their employees and their businesses.