Do you see your accent as an advantage or a disadvantage?
As soon as I speak, the first thing people say:
“where is your accent from?”
Is this true for you?
I get it a lot here in the United States.
When I first moved here, I always asked my husband to make phone calls or talk to people for me.
I was scared that no one would understand me because of my accent. My English skills are much better now (even the neighborhood kids understand me), but my accent did not go anywhere.
Fortunately, along the way I’ve learned that my accent is not is such a big disadvantage as I thought it was.
Let’s look at both the pros and cons of having a foreign accent.
Advantages Of Having An Accent:
- Positive stereotypes. You accent suggests the positive qualities people associate with your culture: Italians are passionate, British are smart, French are charming etc.
- It is easier for others from your to identify you as someone they share a background with. This can be a wonderful way to find new friendships.
- It is a conversation starter: “Where is your accent from?”
- People are less likely to criticize the way you do things (eat, dress, raise kids etc). Often, they hear my accent and think that, if I do something that seems strange to them, it must be because I’m from another country and that’s the way they do it there.
- Accent can be a big romantic factor in couple’s relationships. 14 years later, my husband still finds my accent attractive!
- Having an accent implies that you know two or more languages – which is awesome! If someone does not understand you, you always have a chance to say: “Sorry, English (or other majority language) is not my first language.”
Disadvantages Of Having An Accent:
- The obvious – people can have trouble understanding you. Kids especially have trouble, and they are very honest – and sometimes rude – about it.
- Negative stereotypes – the same way positive stereotypes can shine your culture’s good qualities on you, it can also reflect negative ones. Not to offence my own language, but a man with a Russian accent sounds to people here in the States like a movie villain.
- Sometimes you can feel that you don’t fit in (which could be a good thing if you like to stand out!)
- Your accent can create the impression that you don’t know your second language very well, or that you are not competent or even smart enough..There are a lot of examples of people who speak English fluently, but because of their accent are thought to be dumber than they are – Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated this way for years, and he eventually went on to become a governor!
- The accent can automatically include you into the ethnic group that is not in favor in the society.
Personally, I found out that my accent is more an advantage for me then disadvantage. Definitely, sometimes it could through you out of the comfort zone: I was recording a little video for my article the other day and I had to stop multiple times because my accent got much worse.
How to tackle these disadvantages so they are not on the way of your communication?
There are several things you can do:
1. Use scripts in certain situations:
-when someone doesn’t understand you: “I apologize, English (or other) is not my first language”.
– in the beginning of the conversation with a person you’ve just met: “I speak with an accent so feel free to ask me to repeat if you don’t understand me”.
2. You can get a professional help to decrease you accent.
3. Listen to podcast, radio shows and audio books in target language.
4. Read to improve language fluency.
5. Talk to people to increase language use.
6. SMILE and be sincere. It will compensate for any “wrong” sounds.
