Should you try to “lose” your foreign accent?

“I have lived in the US for 13 years. I want to lose my accent. I’m tired of people asking me where I’m from.”

I hear some variation of this almost every single day.

Everyone has an accent. You can’t “gain” or “lose” an accent. You can simply change it from one accent to another accent. No one is “without an accent.”

For those of you who don’t know, I was born in Canada, so I grew up speaking English and I learned French in school. Then I lived in the UK for nearly 5 years, followed by Hong Kong, New York for a bit, Ireland for about 2 years, and I’ve been in Spain for the last decade.

I love languages, and it should go without saying, I love accents. The variety of the ways in which people speak will never cease to fascinate, entertain, and intrigue me. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with having an accent. They’re beautiful.

Having said that, I can relate to the feeling of wanting not to sound so different. Of having people constantly make comments on the way you say something rather than fully engage with the message. Of having to repeat yourself and feeling the insecurity and the frustration that goes with that.

I worked to make my accent in Spanish (a language I didn’t learn until I was an adult) pretty damn close to native-speaker level. I’m not perfect. But I’m not too far off.

Why did I do it?

Because I wanted to work as an actor and a coach in Spanish as well as English. I wanted more opportunities, and if anyone was going to judge me for the way I spoke, I wanted it to be in a positive light. The usual response I get is “Wow!” and not “What?” Do I attempt to speak perfectly at home with my husband and out with my friends? No. I’m not Spanish. I don’t need to sound like it. But I can “turn it on” if I’m in a context that requires it. It was a chance to really test what I do on myself by reverse-engineering the work I do with non-native English speakers who want to sound more American or British. (ahem… American Reshape)

So, back to whether or not you should change your accent- it’s entirely up to you. I think everyone can benefit from learning the muscularity of native English. It doesn’t mean you have to “lose” your accent. That’s part of who you are. But, particularly in work, you want to be able to communicate effectively. To be understood the first time all the time. To be able to flow your speech together in a way that will make your message go directly to the heart and mind of the listener without having to pass through a filter of understanding first.

If you don’t want to change it- great. I know people who speak Spanish with a very foreign accent. Their grammar is great. Everyone understands them. It doesn’t matter if they can’t roll an R. They don’t care.

I did care. Not because I felt insecure, but because I love the language. I want to get as close to speaking it as someone who grew up with it speaks it because I enjoy how it sounds and I wanted to sound like that. It’s fun. It’s a challenge. And, I’ll be honest, I like the reaction I get from people.

If you feel the same, and you are someone who wants to shift your accent, I know exactly how to help you do that. Do I think you “should”- of course not. Not unless you want to. Do it for yourself if it matters to you and if the thought excites you. If it doesn’t- great! Your accent is no better or worse than mine or anyone else’s.