If you’re a non-native English speaker with a thick accent who’s living and working in America (or working with a lot of Americans), you may be wondering if you need an American accent trainer.
Will they actually help reduce your thick accent and communicate better?
You could try to learn the American accent on your own, right? Couldn’t you just read a book or two, watch a few YouTube videos, and cobble a self-study program together? You could certainly try.
But if you’re like most people, you need the expert guidance, support, and structure of working with a professional in an American accent training program.
Many students we work with tell us how they wasted weeks, months, or even years trying to learn the American accent by themselves, only to find they were never able to make sufficient progress.
No matter how hard they tried, they still experienced things like accent anxiety, shyness, holding back at parties, or watching less qualified people get promoted over them – all because of their thick accent.
When they finally enroll in our accent academy and start taking accent reduction classes, they often wonder why they waited so long!
We’re passionate about helping people just like you gain the confidence and speaking skills they need to thrive.
And the good news is that improving your accent in English doesn’t take away your identity or your native tongue. On the contrary, it expands your skills, increases your options, and empowers your success.
Let’s break down 3 benefits of working with a professional American accent trainer in a program like ours.
1- An American Accent Trainer Helps You Communicate with Ease
Language fluency is the ability to communicate confidently, competently, and smoothly so that you can fully express yourself in a non-native language. It’s about ease, not perfection or anxiety.
A professional accent trainer in a quality accent academy will help you achieve this kind of fluency.
An accent trainer can do this in two ways:
- First, they help you improve your listening skills by ensuring that you slow down and hear the subtleties of American English speech. You can’t voice what you can’t hear, so fine-tuning your ear and focusing on listening skills is critical.
- Second, a trainer will help you correctly voice and pronounce words in the standard American accent. Many of our students mistakenly believe that they’re voicing or pronouncing words correctly when they actually aren’t.
Just listen to what this accent reduction student said: “Over the past few months, I learned a ton. It was mind-blowing when I found out I have pronounced some words wrong my whole life.”
Accented speech patterns can be incredibly complex and confusing. They affect how you hear very similar words and make it more difficult to voice them correctly. These subtle distinctions are the difference between getting laughs when you make a joke or puzzled looks.
Let’s look at a quick example:
Consider the “TH” sound in “tin and thin” and “this and dis.” Yes, we know “dis” is not a formal English word but it is the sound many non-native speakers with thick accents make when they try to say, “this.”
There are many “trouble spots” like this. An accent trainer knows them all and has the most effective exercises to correct and address them.
Read more about our accent reduction classes and methods.
2- An American Accent Trainer Will Meet You Where You Are
A competent accent coach is an expert in what they do. They know the exact exercises, as well as the most efficient progression of exercises, to help you master the American accent.
With professional American accent coaching, there’s no guesswork or chance of you choosing the wrong exercises and making a misstep. All you have to do is show up and let your trainer guide you through an accent correction program that’s proven to work.
A trainer will also provide a safe, non-judgmental space for you to practice and meet you exactly where you are. Think about this:
If you practice by yourself all the time, you have no objective, expert feedback or course correction. If you practice in front of other native speakers, you won’t get the specific feedback that you need. Even though most people don’t shame others on purpose, many native speakers may not have the tact and sensitivity that is needed to give constructive input.
Your trainer will also be able to customize your lessons to address your unique speech patterns or habits.
For example, here’s what one of the trainers in our accent academy did with her student: “She was really patient with my learning process and greatly helped me fix those sounds and pronunciation mistakes I make. Molly adapts herself to my way of learning. I made a suggestion for what I wanted to learn and she immediately included it into the sessions.”
3- Accent Reduction Classes are the Fastest Way to Change Your Accent
You already know English. You simply need to adjust how you speak the language. This is much easier to do in a one-on-one class where you’re getting personal attention and customized guidance.
Your trainer is like your own private American accent coach. They have the most effective exercises in their teaching toolkit. They ensure that you practice enough and stay on track. And they provide direction and encouragement when you struggle.
If you have to find time to teach yourself and figure things out on your own, it’s much more likely you’ll get discouraged, confused, or lose motivation. An accent coach will help keep you motivated so that you make the fastest progress possible.
Get Matched With The Perfect American Accent Trainer For You
A thick accent no longer has to hold you back. And you don’t have to figure things out on your own.
There’s no doubt that a professional accent coach is an invaluable asset in your journey to speak English easily and fluently.
Our accent reduction classes and vetted accent coaches are the best. Our hundreds of 5-star accent academy reviews speak for themselves. When you enroll, you’ll get matched with the perfect trainer for you.
Our online accent training program is made for your busy schedule so you can learn in 1-3 short classes per week. The program is fun, fast, effective, and tailored to work with your schedule, no matter where you are in the world.
Check out our affordable American accent training and start working with one of our expert American accent trainers today!
