Why Should I Improve My Pronunciation?
Sound investment. Have you heard that term before? It is what many educated, non-native English speakers working in the United States are doing. The purpose is to take voice training and work on accent reduction to improve presentations, workshops, and everyday conversations with American-born coworkers and friends.
Accent reduction means learning how to hold your jaw, lips, and tongue to create American English sounds. Clients also focus on stress and intonation. They learn how to acquire the American accent; it’s a process of gaining, not losing. Is this all that important for non-natives to focus on? Absolutely. If you speak English correctly, especially while living and working in the USA, people take your ideas seriously and focus on what you say instead of how it’s being said.
Have you ever been asked to repeat yourself? Do you ever hear, “excuse me, come again?” While some non-native speakers aren’t even aware that they are speaking incorrectly, the majority know that they have room to improve.
Why do some hold back from sound investment? The pricing. An article from 2007 in the New York Times said, “Training fees and duration vary. At the Accent Reduction Institute, group training begins at about $40 an hour per person, and individual training at $100 an hour, with additional fees for materials…Pawlitschek charges from $75 an hour for semi private lessons and $100 to $125 an hour for private ones. Loxley coaches individually at a fee of $150 an hour, or $210 for a 90-minute session, plus material and travel time, though most clients visit him.” (source. NYTIMES)
The good news about Yax Accent? You can invest in sound and confidence without breaking the bank. Even one class will help you gain awareness and get you on the road to being clear and confident.
P.S. Here's a question for you. Is reducing your accent really a matter of money or how much it costs? Ask yourself these questions:
What is the value of being able to tell a joke that my colleagues understand?
How much is getting my voice heard worth?
What’s the cost of me expressing myself freely without anxiety?
On a scientific note: Did you know that accent influences credibility? That’s right-an American can acutely detect an accent and perceive the words said as lies or not believable. Our brains must make an extra effort to process foreign speech!
Yes, Americans will eventually have to get used to foreign accents, but you have the power to bridge the gap. By working on understanding speech patterns and English sounds, you prove that communication isn’t only about money- it’s about saying, “My voice matters!”