As the language spoken by most people worldwide, and the language of international business, English has become increasingly important in facilitating communication between different cultures. Improving your English before moving abroad is a must because the ability to communicate clearly and correctly can help in the new environment, in finding a job, and in understanding the local cultures. Correct pronunciation in English can improve your communication and make living in a new place a whole lot easier! Expressions and phrases used by locals can be a challenge, so correct pronunciation as well as a good understanding of the language can give a better and less confusing experience.
Meet Yael, a master’s student about to relocate to the U.S from Israel who talks about why she felt it was important for her to improve her accent, pronunciation and conversation skills in English in preparation for the move abroad.
As someone who is about to relocate to the US, why do you feel it is important to improve your conversation and pronunciation in English?
I think it is very important to improve conversational skills in English, especially when you are relocating because you want to be able to narrow the gap between your thoughts and ideas how you communicate them to other people. In terms of pronunciation, I feel (especially after my Accent & Pronunciation training at Say What) that it is easier to connect words and sentences clearly and with the correct pronunciation, because I don’t feel as ‘stuck’ as I used to.
How important is it, in your opinion, to have clear spoken English for living in a country with English as the native language?
I think that anyone who relocates [to a country like the U.S. for example, where English is the primary natively spoken language] and wants to feel ‘at home’, having clear spoken English helps you a lot so that you don’t feel like a foreigner. It’s equally important to be able to converse daily and know the local phrases at the local supermarket or pharmacy for example, so that you can understand what you hear and how to communicate what you need/ want.
Do you think it is a necessity to improve your English and pronunciation to convey your message and be taken seriously?
Absolutely. If I know how to speak it [English] correctly so that I am fully understood and can get my point across, I will feel more confident to take part, not just in daily ‘casual’ conversations, but also in ones where I want to convey a message which is work-related, or in my case in an educational learning environment (university).
With cross-border business communication mostly conducted in English, is having good (grammar) and clear (pronunciation) English a useful tool to reach more people around the world?
Yes, of course. For example, I am currently working in a company where I have to speak to colleagues from countries like Spain and Paris, so having a ‘good’ accent is not as problematic because for many of my colleagues English is also not their mother tongue. But if I don’t speak clearly and mispronounce words, that’s a whole different story. Clear English is essential to getting my point across and I will feel less ‘lost’ and make less mistakes because I am more confident to sound professional.
What accent barriers and mispronunciations have you faced in your line of work (perhaps when conversing, lecturing, or networking)?
There have been a lot of meetings with the CEO for example, where my colleagues have been mostly American, and I didn’t feel confident enough to speak because of my mispronunciations. I felt the need to ‘apologize’ for my English before I even started to speak.
Do you think that some important messages are not conveyed because of poor pronunciation and conversation, and a heavy accent?
Yes. I feel a lot of times I know what I want to say in my Native language [Hebrew] and if I feel that it is hard or won’t be clear in English, I avoid saying it altogether. Or if for example, I have a specific idea I want to talk about, I elaborate less in English.
