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Losing the Accent
By businessbroad | September 18, 2007
A good friend of mine moved to the United States from Hong Kong when he was in junior high, and even after living in the United States for almost two decades, he still has a thick accent that makes it hard for new people to understand what he’s saying. When he was younger, of course, he was more concerned with getting a handle on the language and doing well in school. When you’re in school, though, teachers can’t do much if your accent drives them nuts. They can’t exactly get rid of you for that.
Now that he’s an adult, he often finds less experience co-workers being promoted above him. His progress reports often list “communication skills” as an area to work on. While I know that he’s an intelligent, articulate person, it’s hard for others to figure that out. They’re too distracted.
I’ve told him for some time that he should sign up for an accent reduction course. It’s not that I want to encourage him to hide who he is, but when it affects his earnings and life at work, it’s a problem that should be dealth with.
What do you think? Have you ever dealt with a similar problem at work?
Topics: General |