With Austrian-born Arnold
Schwarzenegger winning the California governor's race, it might seem that having
a foreign accent is a secret to success. After all, much of Schwartzenegger's
cinematic fame has come from his renowned delivery of lines.
However, most immigrants to the US
are not quite as lucky when it comes to using their accents as assets.
While many immigrants learn to
speak English, not all English as a Second Language (ESL) courses automatically
teach students clear and correct pronunciation. As a result, many people
who learn English still have difficulty being understood, including those who
have lived, studied and worked in the US for a long time.
Accents can be a problem for those
looking to get ahead in their careers, said Gail Moore, who has worked in human
resources for 40 years at a variety of companies. "If you are interested in
working in corporate America, you would have to work on elocution," she said.
"If someone is looking to move up the ladder, they know what they need to do to
get there and will seek to better themselves in all areas. Just like you need to
dress for success, you also need to speak for success."
Apparently, a lot of people don't
realize that accent reduction courses exist. Many students say they had
always wanted to reduce their accents but didn't know how until they found a
school - often by accident - while searching on the internet.
Lisa Mojsin, director and head
trainer of L.A.-based Accurate English Accent Reduction Training School, has an
extensive background teaching ESL courses. While she agrees that mouth
positions are important in accent reduction, her program emphasizes accuracy in
pronunciation and grammar.
According to Monica Cass who took
Mojsin's Accurate English course, it's unrealistic to think you are going to
master an American accent in a couple of classes. Cass, who left Peru at 21 and
has been living and working in LA for the past 10 years, said she believes the
longer you speak a language incorrectly, the longer it's going to take to
correct.
"I wish I had been introduced to
this in the beginning as I would have been better off, but in school they don't
emphasize these things," said Cass, who is currently looking for work in the
financial field.
Whether students achieve flawless
speech, one of the most significant effects of such a course is the impact it
has on confidence.
As Cass said: "For a while I didn't
want to apply for any jobs. But I got over my complex about my accent so I am
applying... I'm much more hopeful now. My English wasn't so bad before but the
course helped me a lot."
