Accent?

[Spiker]

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So anyone here ESL? I can write and read better than most people, but I got an accent (chinese accent which apparently no one likes lol) , when I speak. It is my worst downfall ever. I make up for it by try to excel in everything else (for example I became excellent student so classmate who knows me will pay attention when I have something to say) but this is still holding me back (for example when I ran for president of premed club). I also hate it when people judge on how you say things rather than what you say. I am sure other ESL has similar experience.

I tried numerous attempts in correcting this. I got a set of books/CD. However the problem is that: 1. some sound I just dont know how to pronounce. 2. What I hear is actually different from what everyone else so I dont know if I am saying it right anyways. This is literally the hardest thing I ever done in my life.

My gf is helping me but she is a premed so she doesnt have that much time either. I am trying to get a digital voice recorder that can easily record and quickly playback (nothing else is important since I just need to hear my voice for a few sec) any suggestions?

What you guys, what have you done that worked? what is your story? interviewing experiences? (historically I am pretty good with interview...but I can obviously do much better!)

 

[NotAndrew]

So anyone here ESL? I can write and read better than most people, but I got an accent (chinese accent which apparently no one likes lol) , when I speak. It is my worst downfall ever. I make up for it by try to excel in everything else (for example I became excellent student so classmate who knows me will pay attention when I have something to say) but this is still holding me back (for example when I ran for president of premed club). I also hate it when people judge on how you say things rather than what you say. I am sure other ESL has similar experience.

I tried numerous attempts in correcting this. I got a set of books/CD. However the problem is that: 1. some sound I just dont know how to pronounce. 2. What I hear is actually different from what everyone else so I dont know if I am saying it right anyways. This is literally the hardest thing I ever done in my life.

My gf is helping me but she is a premed so she doesnt have that much time either. I am trying to get a digital voice recorder that can easily record and quickly playback (nothing else is important since I just need to hear my voice for a few sec) any suggestions?

What you guys, what have you done that worked? what is your story? interviewing experiences? (historically I am pretty good with interview...but I can obviously do much better!)

Watch a lot of tv.

Note: I'm not kidding.

 

[BlueElmo]

My friend who has a cantonese accent said he was going to watch a lot of english movies. I don't know if it worked though.

 

[nick_carraway]

Listen to speeches, watch speeches, write speeches, and practice speeches.

Are you a confident speaker? If not, that will definitely help. Even if you are, you'll learn how to pace your speaking and how to articulate and use humor that can cut the tension and help people to look past your accent.

In the end, though, an accent is just an accent. This is a country of immigrants and as long as you're confident in your own skin, others won't even see it as an issue.

 

[Spiker]

Let me tell you it doesnt work for. And here is why...for like the longest time like 3 years I thought I had ok accent...until....in a project we had to record ourselves. That is actually when I heard my voice closely for the first time. And I was like WOW WTF do I actually speak like that? I think sound wave travel though your head to your ear drum gets altered lol....

And for some sound I just cant make unless someone is with me. I have to guess about 20 times before the person stops me and tell me that sound was the right sound......

 

[Lukkie]

good luck man... im actually informally tutoring a chinese guy right now who failed his step 2 CS exam because he didnt make the marks for speaking proficiency. his accent is extremely heavy. very smart guy, teaching me a lot about medicine but getting him to pronounce "r" is just wow

 

[nick_carraway]

Let me tell you it doesnt work for. And here is why...for like the longest time like 3 years I thought I had ok accent...until....in a project we had to record ourselves. That is actually when I heard my voice closely for the first time. And I was like WOW WTF do I actually speak like that? I think sound wave travel though your head to your ear drum gets altered lol....

And for some sound I just cant make unless someone is with me. I have to guess about 20 times before the person stops me and tell me that sound was the right sound......

None of us like our voices when they're played back to us. If you can get past that and learn to articulate and speak slowly (many Asian immigrants speak quickly), with conviction (many speak softly), and with confidence (don't make excuses for your accent or slouch while talking), then people will be able to listen to what you're saying rather than how you're saying it.

 

[Handy388]

get american friend/girlfriend.

i am not kidding.

 

[BOBBIO2]

Speaking English more often will help. I have a friend who used to have a thick accent, but after she got married to an English speaking partner, her accent wasn't as noticeable.

 

[NotAndrew]

Listen to speeches, watch speeches, write speeches, and practice speeches.

Just don't listen to Kennedy, Carter, or Obama.


Also: Watch the news a lot, I mean watch like 4 hours of news a day.

 

[nick_carraway]

Speaking English more often will help. I have a friend who used to have a thick accent, but after she got married to an English speaking partner, her accent wasn't as noticeable.

Idea!! Go to Britain or Australia or New Zealand and come back with a sexy hybrid accent. You'll still mispronounce words, but you'll be badass.

 

[Spiker]

get american friend/girlfriend.

i am not kidding.

I got an ex-national debater for gf lol.

 

[Spiker]

Idea!! Go to Britain or Australia or New Zealand and come back with a sexy hybrid accent. You'll still mispronounce words, but you'll be badass.

Well I stayed in Africa for two years (in on of the ex-brit colony) and that is where I got exposed to English first...and probably where I got messed up too lol

 

[nick_carraway]

I got an ex-national debater for gf lol.

If a speech junkie doesn't care about your accent, why are you stressing?

 

[JackInTheBox]

Just don't listen to Kennedy, Carter, or Obama.

What's...uhh....wrong with...uhh...the way Obama...uhhh....speaks?

 

[NotAndrew]

Well I stayed in Africa for two years (in on of the ex-brit colony) and that is where I got exposed to English first...and probably where I got messed up too lol

Kenya?

 

[nick_carraway]

Well I stayed in Africa for two years (in on of the ex-brit colony) and that is where I got exposed to English first...and probably where I got messed up too lol

Seriously. The British messed up English. They don't say half the letters in their words and then call us *****s for pronouncing them incorrectly.

 

[NotAndrew]

What's...uhh....wrong with...uhh...the way Obama...uhhh....speaks?

I uhhh just [pause] came um up with [hold for applause] the uhh worst um combination of uh speaker. The accent of Kennedy the constant pausing of Obama and the utter nonsense of Carter.

 

[NotAndrew]

Seriously. The British messed up English. They don't say half the letters in their words and then call us *****s for pronouncing them incorrectly.

I think they came up with it, so therefore whatever they do is correct.

 

[Culebra132]

English was also my second language but at a young age (6-7yrs old)... The key is more so the grammatical sense of the language rather than the accent... even if you have no accent native english speakers will be able to tell if you have slightly altered the usual order of the words... as others have said for the accent watch tv and don't think about it when your speaking... when you concentrate excessively while you speak you will tend to have more erros... overcome the accent with a bright smile... helped me with french 🙂

 

[BlueElmo]

Seriously. The British messed up English. They don't say half the letters in their words and then call us *****s for pronouncing them incorrectly.

Well, what do you expect, they are British after all.😉

 

[Spiker]

If a speech junkie doesn't care about your accent, why are you stressing?

lol she helps me whenever she can but like I said she is also a Premed and want to graduate in 3 years...so not much time lol

 

[nick_carraway]

I think they came up with it, so therefore whatever they do is correct.

No. The guy who created the first wheel made it crap. It took an American to make it better. Ditto for English.

<waves American flag>

 

[BlueElmo]

I uhhh just [pause] came um up with [hold for applause] the uhh worst um combination of uh speaker. The accent of Kennedy the constant pausing of Obama and the utter nonsense of Carter.

we should include the idiocy of Bush as well.

 

[nick_carraway]

we should include the idiocy of Bush as well.

Y'know... I've been catching myself doing Bush's smirk and slight forward hunch when he makes a funny or when he's emphasizing a point.

I think I fail at life.

 

[NotAndrew]

we should include the idiocy of Bush as well.

I disagree, Bush while unpopular and an easy target for comedians and the media is actually not as bad/dumb as people want him to be.

 

[nick_carraway]

I disagree, Bush while unpopular and an easy target for comedians and the media is actually not as bad/dumb as people want him to be.

Unfortunately, the people who surrounded him were smarter than he was.

 

[BlueElmo]

I disagree, Bush while unpopular and an easy target for comedians and the media is actually not as bad/dumb as people want him to be.

well we should include Bushism at least.

 

[BlueElmo]

Unfortunately, the people who surrounded him were smarter than he was.

I tend to think that was a fortunate thing. Imagine if his advisors were like him, we would be even worse off right now.

 

[nick_carraway]

I tend to think that was a fortunate thing. Imagine if his advisors were like him, we would be even worse off right now.

Well he'd at least be able to hold them at bay once he realized their plans.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

get american friend/girlfriend.

i am not kidding.

She love you long time. 👍

 

[bkz]

So anyone here ESL? I can write and read better than most people, but I got an accent (chinese accent which apparently no one likes lol) , when I speak. It is my worst downfall ever. I make up for it by try to excel in everything else (for example I became excellent student so classmate who knows me will pay attention when I have something to say) but this is still holding me back (for example when I ran for president of premed club). I also hate it when people judge on how you say things rather than what you say. I am sure other ESL has similar experience.

Hey,
I hope I speak for many people when I say I would never judge u based solely on your accent. Many of the smartest people I've met speak w/an accent and it makes NO difference. I can imagine this is something you're struggling with but please know that many people do not give a crap 🙂 I guess you asked for advice though so my advice is to never consider that people care about your accent. If they give u a weird look after you say something it is incredibly likely to be due to the content of what you said, or maybe they ate something weird for lunch. 🙂 Seriously. If you have been this successful so far I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[vinniekan]

So anyone here ESL? I can write and read better than most people, but I got an accent (chinese accent which apparently no one likes lol) , when I speak. It is my worst downfall ever. I make up for it by try to excel in everything else (for example I became excellent student so classmate who knows me will pay attention when I have something to say) but this is still holding me back (for example when I ran for president of premed club). I also hate it when people judge on how you say things rather than what you say. I am sure other ESL has similar experience.

I tried numerous attempts in correcting this. I got a set of books/CD. However the problem is that: 1. some sound I just dont know how to pronounce. 2. What I hear is actually different from what everyone else so I dont know if I am saying it right anyways. This is literally the hardest thing I ever done in my life.

My gf is helping me but she is a premed so she doesnt have that much time either. I am trying to get a digital voice recorder that can easily record and quickly playback (nothing else is important since I just need to hear my voice for a few sec) any suggestions?

What you guys, what have you done that worked? what is your story? interviewing experiences? (historically I am pretty good with interview...but I can obviously do much better!)

Start hanging out with more white people, or black, or whoever that are native English speakers. I know from experience that I have met a lot of FOBs that don't improve in speaking in English because they only hang around Chinese and never have a chance to speak much conversational English. Watching TV is good, but practicing IMHO is more important

My credentials: I speak Cantonese myself, although I've hung around non-Chinese speaking friends for the last 10+ years that I sometimes forget how to speak it when I go back to see my Parents