Susan moved to the U.S. 11 years ago and attended an American
university. Like most people in her
situation, she started learning English in her home country in
middle school. She learned grammar and vocabulary, reading and
writing. But since her teachers couldn't really speak English
well, she didn't have many opportunities
to use the spoken language.
When Susan arrived in the United States, she was a little
surprised to find out that it was much more difficult to
understand many Americans than she had anticipated. They seemed to
be speaking quickly, running words together, swallowing entire
syllables, and using lots of idioms and slang that had never shown
up in any of her textbooks. But with time and diligence, Susan got
used to hearing everyday spoken English and was able to become
nearly fluent. Despite the difficulty with the language, Susan
managed to do very well in her university and got a good job in a
respectable American company.
With the amount of success she had found in her life, you would
think Susan would have felt very satisfied. But the truth was- she still
felt like there was still some kind of hole in her life. She couldn't believe
that after all the years she had put into learning English, her
problems were still based on communication.
Many of her colleagues got used to her accent and would tell her
she sounded fine. But when she would meet with new clients or talk
on the telephone, she was often asked to repeat herself. They
sometimes treated her as if she wasn't all that intelligent, and
occasionally as if she weren't even there. She was passed up for a
promotion last year because of “communication problems.” Her
husband told her not to worry, but even he would tease her
sometimes about how she sounded.
(Does Susan's experience sound anything like yours?)
Then Susan found the American Accent
Workshop. She studied along with the video lessons and
joined the live classes whenever she had a chance. She was
given personal advice on which areas she should focus on first-
the ones that would make the most difference in how other people
understood her. She was also told to focus on just a few
things at a time so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed. It
would give her time to adjust the muscles of her mouth as well as
get used to the new sounds and patterns of English.
Susan started feeling like something was
changing right away. She was noticing things in other
people's speech that she had never noticed before. It was
like opening a new world. Day by day she made adjustments to
her new American accent. A few people who knew her well
commented on how great she was starting to sound, but most
people never really noticed. They just thought she was
sounding like everyone else. Susan was aware of how she was
very rarely asked to repeat herself.
Last month Susan got a promotion. Her
boss was very impressed with her improved communication skills and
recognized a new-found sense of confidence in his employee.
Susan finally feels like she is starting to fit in. She
continually strives to improve herself and her speech, and while
she isn't expecting to lose her accent completely, she knows she
is well on her way to the successful life she has always
envisioned for herself.
This is a common story of a lot of people
we meet, and we know how it feels to be in this situation. The American Accent
Workshop was created for people like you who need to get past the
communication barrier. If you are someone who is
ready to make changes to your English, get started with our online
program today.
