In The News
Ahhhnold “Afraid” of Deportation from AZ
In his thick Austrian accent, Schwarzenegger explained to Emory University: "I was also going to give a graduation speech in Arizona this weekend," he joked. "But with my accent, I was afraid they would try to deport me."
Doctors benefit from accent reduction training
It is essential that patients can understand the information that the doctor is giving them and a strong accent can sometimes be a distraction. Mispronounced words, instructions spoken too rapidly, as well as inappropriate tones, can cause confusion and give the wrong impression to patients.
Heavily Accented Teachers Removed from Arizona Classrooms
School districts in Arizona are under orders from the state's Department of Education to remove from classrooms teachers who speak English with a very heavy accent or whose speech is ungrammatical.
Heavily accented teachers removed from Arizona classrooms
School districts in Arizona are under orders from the state's Department of Education to remove from classrooms teachers who speak English with a very heavy accent or whose speech is ungrammatical.
See no profiling, hear no profiling
What might give an Arizona public servant "reasonable suspicion" that a dark-skinned landscaping worker with limited English and a pronounced Mexican accent were in the United States illegally, as opposed to, say, a light-skinned journalist with an American accent like me? Primarily three factors: skin colour, accent and social status. It seems extremely unlikely that Arizona agencies will begin asking everyone they encounter to produce a passport or proof of American citizenship.
Air passengers admit to feeling safer when a male pilot with a 'posh accent' is flying a plane
An address to passengers by a pilot with an upper class accent is more reassuring than those who are in possession of a regional twang, new research has found.
Accent-reduction classes now in demand
Tom Zabkowski dreams of one day becoming a firefighter; and on paper, the Elmwood Park resident appears a near-perfect applicant: The 29-year-old served honorably in both the U.S. Army and the Illinois National Guard, and his resume touts his commercial driver's license as well as his numerous athletic interests.
Yet Zabkowski feels there's one thing holding him back.
"My accent," said the Poland-born plumber, whose family immigrated to Chicago when he was 10. "In formal interviews I want to sound professional, but I often find myself avoiding words I want to use."
When you can’t understand your doctor’s accent, you may be in trouble.
There are 329 languages being spoken in America, and with that comes many different accents. If you can’t understand your doctor, you may be in trouble. If you can’t hear the instructions for your surgery, how to take your medications or the information they are telling you about your disease, then how will you be able to get better?
A doctor’s accent
Although foreign-born physicians may have excellent medical training and comprehension of English, patients and co-workers can struggle to understand their speech and are often reluctant to call attention to the problem. For example, the numbers 15 and 50 can sound similar in some accents, as can the words “breathing” and “bleeding.” This increases the potential for medical errors, Wilner says.
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