Your accent is not a problem.

I can't even tell you how many times a Francophone has contacted me, saying, "I want to work on my accent" — and then I listen to them speak English, and their accent is not a problem.

This is one of the most interesting aspects of taking a learner-centred approach in 1:1 work.

The teacher or coach must listen to the learner and place their concerns at the heart of developing a coaching plan or personalized curriculum… but sometimes, the learner has an incomplete understanding of the problem.

In this case, our work is about helping the learner understand what's really going on.

So if the accent isn't the problem... what is the problem?

Often, it stems from a misunderstanding of the difference between accent and pronunciation.

Vous pouvez avoir un bel accent, mais si vous ne prononcez pas un mot correctement... votre interlocuteur ne vous comprendra pas tout de suite.

Photo credit: George Milton via Pexels

Je vous donne un exemple.

Imaginez une américaine qui parle français avec un accent.

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