This is what my student have said. Why do YOU want to reduce your accent?
1. “My boss told me that some clients are complaining that they don’t understand me.”
2. “I am an actor and I my agent told me I have to get rid of my accent.”
3. I am tired of always being asked “Where are you from?”
4. “People treat me differently because I don’t sound like them.”
5. “I am ambitious and driven in every area of my life. I believe in self-improvement and I know that I can improve the way that I communicate in English.”
6. “My American friends are not able to correct me. I need a professional to help me. I know the mistakes that I am making but I don’t know how to fix them.”
7. “I went to an audition and I didn’t get the part in the film because my accent was too strong.”
8. “I think people have negative stereotypes about my accent.”
9. “I get the impression that people take me less seriously at work because of the way that I speak.”
10. “I am a nurse and sometimes my patients complain to my supervisor that they don’t understand me.”
11. “I love the American culture and the way the accent sounds. I want to learn to sound like that.”
12. “My boss told me I need this class. He told me to call you and that he would pay for the classes.”
13. “I want to feel more confident when I give presentations in English.”
14. “I get nervous to speak at work meetings because of the way that I sound.”
15. “Everyone else in my company is American. I feel that I am seen as different.”
16. “I am a college professor. My students complain that they don’t understand me. Sometimes they also use it as an excuse for not doing their assignments.”
17. “My kids make fun of my accent.”
18. “People love my foreign accent and I don’t want to lose it, but I just want to reduce it a bit.”
19. “I want to learn the rules of correct English pronunciation.”
20. “I hate speaking on the phone in English.”