In a recent Business Policy rehearsal, we were discussing anxieties about public speaking when one group member made the following statement:
“I’m concerned about my accent. The only way to get a good job in the U.S., is to not have an accent.”
I was stunned…. firstly, because this student did not have an accent that was impeding her ability to communicate effectively; and secondly, because I had never heard that this attribute would prevent someone from getting a “good” job.
The Baruch Campus is incredibly diverse, multilingual campus. Everyone has an accent of some sort, right? In this global economy, could this attribute truly prevent one from getting a job?
I bring this issue up again, link it to previous Cac.ophony thread discussions, the Baruch Teaching Blog, and Baruch resources…
- Accent Reduction (3 May 2006)
- Accent Reduction: Take 2 (5 June 2007)
- Teaching Blog at Baruch: A+…despite heavy accent (11 March 2009)
- Link to Baruch ESL Language Lab
A pertinent and persistent student issue!
I agree: we should further reassure our students that this is a globalized and globalizing world, and that accent should not decrease their chance to succeed. However, their concern is valid, and more provincial attitudes still abound. I tell my students about my own initial insecurities about my accent and how they will outgrow them with time. They always appreciate the personal note.
I agree: their concern is valid, as much as we’d hope that it’s the ability to effectively communicate ideas– with or without an accent– that will help them to get a job.
I’ve had an interesting experience this semester related to this question. Working with accounting classes, I’ve been told on a number of occasions that accent reduction isn’t a goal for some students, precisely because English isn’t necessarily the language that they do business in during their day jobs. Many of them work at jobs that hired them and retain them for their native language skills. They work in that language, they present in that language, and they understand the field in that language.
This is truly sad. People should realize that accent reduction should be considered important only if it is inhibiting a person’s ability to communicate. Otherwise they should be proud of that unique characteristic. If communication is not an issue, I urge people everywhere to keep their accent. In answer to the final question of whether an accent could keep people from getting a job, we should hope that it doesn’t. If a person does believe their accent kept them from getting a job, or a promotion, perhaps they should be speaking with a qualified lawyer.