Accent reduction has become very popular among foreign professionals who wish to improve their communication in English. Accent reduction programs have been around for about twenty five years, but not all teachers or tutors have the qualifications or experience to help change their students' English pronunciation.
One of the keys to success in any accent reduction program, is to choose the instructor wisely. Language schools which specialize in teaching ESL (English as a Second Language), for example, have tried to hire teachers who have experience with improving accented speech. The demand for accent reduction (also known as accent modification, or “accent improvement”) is high, especially in a challenging economy where a job may go to another individual who is perceived to have more clear English speaking skills.
ESL tutors and teachers have a range of education and experience. Some ESL tutors have formal schooling in teaching English as a Second Language, but may have little to no training in how to technically improve English pronunciation. An ESL tutor more commonly has strengths in grammar and writing. Some language schools or companies that provide ESL tutoring, may hire teachers who have studied in unrelated fields such as History or Science.
The most qualified professional who can provide accent reduction, is the speech pathologist. A speech pathologist with a Master's degree, has typically gone through extensive training in anatomy, physiology, the science of phonetics, phonology, speech science, and has taken a national exam on human communication.
Additionally, speech pathologists who offer accent reduction, have usually attended at least one 15 hour certification workshop in the area of accent reduction. The speech pathologist has typically passed a national exam on communication. Some speech pathologists work in hospitals, where they may assist patients who have suffered from a stroke, brain injury, head trauma, or some other cause for speech or language impairment. Others have primarily worked in the public schools with a focus on helping children with articulation difficulties, stuttering, or other language issue or delay. The lead accent coach for Advanced Accent Training (AAT) in Atlanta, GA, worked in both the hospital setting and public schools as a speech-language pathologist for approximately 20 years, prior to solely focusing on providing communication skills training for companies and individuals.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has determined that having a foreign accent is not a “disorder” or “pathology”, so it is not required that an accent teacher or coach be a speech pathologist. However, speech pathologists are uniquely qualified to analyze sounds phonetically and to plan effective programs for many areas of communication (pronunciation, voice, dialect, and language) change. That being said, not all speech pathologists have the same amount or level of experience with accent training. Some speech pathologists include accent reduction as only a small part of their practice. While we recommend that an individual who might be interested in accent coaching, select an instructor who is a speech pathologist, there is a range of experience among speech pathologists, just as there is among ESL tutors.
There are a handful of speech pathologists who have devoted their entire practice to providing accent reduction for foreign-born professionals, and presentation and regional dialect coaching for native English speakers. Advanced Accent Training (AAT) is one of the businesses that has devoted full time efforts to assist companies and individuals to improve their English pronunciation for work and social success. The lead accent instructor for Advanced Accent Training, Jon Berton, M.A.-SLP, is speech pathologist with over 25 years of experience. He has been trained and certified in three accent reduction methods, as well as several dialect coaching programs. Jon studied with the late dialect coach, Sam Chwat, who you may know as the dialect coach to the stars. Jon started his career as an ESL teacher in Japan. He majored in psychology and linguistics while attending the Year in Japan program at the University of Southern California.
Jon also taught ESL to Japanese business people and was the lead ESL teacher at Asian Rehabilitation Services in Los Angeles, while completing his Masters degree in Communication. Jon has worked as a clinical speech pathologist, as an ESL teacher, and during the last fifteen years as a lead accent trainer with 100% focus on helping his clients to achieve their communication goals. Jon’s unique combined experience has made him one of the most sought after accent and speech consultants around the United States.
There has been a resurgence of interest in accent reduction classes since they first started being offered in the late eighties and nineties. The wavering economy here in the United States and around the world has led to more and more professionals wanting to improve their communication skills. Competition is more fierce for higher paying jobs, so any advantage can potentially increase the chances of being hired. Accent training is offered as an online accent class, making it even easier for the busy professional to fine tune his/her speech skills, without having to battle traffic after work. Accent lessons can be taken from the comfort of one’s own home on weekdays or weekends. Yet, some things have not changed. Choosing the most qualified and experienced teacher remains one of the most important ways to maximize successful communication in the new year.