Is it Bad to Speak English with an Accent?

You may think your accent makes it hard for people to understand you when speaking in English. Or maybe you want to get rid of your accent because you want to feel “less foreign” at work or with friends. But is your accent really such a bad thing when it comes to speaking English?

Why some people don’t like their accents

Many of my students say they they don’t like the “sound” of their voices when they speak English. They say they wish they could get rid of their original accents so that they can sound more like native speakers.

• Some students want to improve their accents to help them feel more accepted in their jobs or when meeting with English speaking friends.
• Others believe that native English speakers cannot understand their English because they have strong accents.

Whatever the reasons, lots of English learners see their accents as a problem.

If you’re a non-native speaker, you should try to speak clearly in English. You should also try to pronounce words in a way that native English speakers can understand.

Is your accent giving you communication problems?

Speaking English with your own accent is definitely NOT a problem and will NOT stop native speakers understanding you. This is because foreign accents make only small changes to English pronunciation. If native speakers cannot understand your spoken English, then your problem is poor pronunciation, and not accent.

So, find out what pronunciation errors you’re making that are making communication difficult. Then start working on improving these sounds, so native English speakers can understand you. And don’t worry about your accent!

Accent vs poor pronunciation

Having an accent

If you have a foreign accent when speaking English, this means that you pronounce some English words and phrases like words you pronounce in your own language.

For example, maybe you pronounce the word “sheep” as “ship“, or “fish” as “feesh“. These small pronunciation changes sound different to other English speakers, but they can usually still understand what you are saying.

I’m an Englishman, so when I hear a person speaking English with a Scottish accent, the words I hear sound unusual to my ear. But I can still understand every word. This is because the “Scottish” sounds I hear are different, but not TOO different. I know that when I hear “way” they are really saying “why”. And when they say “doont”, I understand “don’t”. The different sounds are regular, so it’s easy for me to guess what they mean.

Having poor pronunciation

On the other hand, poor pronunciation means that you are pronouncing words in an irregular and unexpected way. This means that other English speakers can’t recognise the sounds you are making.

For example, if you pronounce “television” as “terepitchoon”, this is poor pronunciation. Why? Because your pronunciation of “television” is too different for English speakers to understand it.

Pronunciation is more important than accent

So you can have a strong (foreign) accent but still have good pronunciation in English. And it’s also possible to have a reasonable English accent – but poor pronunciation.

For this reason, having good, clear pronunciation is much more important than having an “authentic” English accent.

English speakers don’t always know best!

When English speakers tell you they can’t understand your accent, they may actually be complaining about your pronunciation – and NOT your accent.

Most English speakers are not language experts. So, they probably don’t know the difference between having an accent and poor pronunciation.

Most likely, they just don’t understand some of the words you are trying to pronounce. Again, this is probably because you are making pronunciation errors.

It’s definitely NOT because you’re speaking English with a Polish or Turkish accent.

How strong is your accent in English?

Students who speak languages that sound very different to English (like Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc) often complain that people can’t understand their English because they think their accents are “too strong“.

This might happen because some native English speakers have never heard a Thai or Mandarin accent before.

But it’s more likely that pronunciation patterns from your (very different) first language are affecting the way you pronounce words in English.

In this case, you’ll just need a little more time to develop the way you speak to make yourself understood.

So, again, this is a pronunciation issue – not an accent issue.

Should you try to lose your accent?

I would say that you should NOT try to remove your accent in English if communication is your main concern. As I have already explained, your foreign accent will not stop people from understanding you.

If people are finding it difficult to understand your English, you will need to work on your pronunciation, not your accent. You can improve your pronunciation with the help of a native speaker, your English teacher or a voice coach.
However, if you want to reduce (or get rid of) your foreign accent for other personal reasons, then this is your choice. Just remember that accent is not everything.

Feeling under pressure from other people to speak with a more British or American accent is not a good reason to fix your accent. After all, if people don’t like your foreign accent, then this is their problem, not yours.

Above all, you should only try to change the way you speak English for your own reasons – and not for other people’s.

Can you “get rid of” your foreign accent?

In my experience, most students find it very difficult to lose their accents completely. And this can be even after their English has reached native proficiency.

This probably happens because the accent of your native language was the first accent you learned. And so you continue to use that accent unconsciously, even in other languages you learn.

I know several older people who have lived in the UK all their lives, but who continue to speak with a slight accent.

However, it is possible to “soften” (or reduce) your accent if you want to.

How to reduce your accent in English

There are two main ways to reduce or “soften” your accent when speaking in English. Firstly by recording and listening back to your own voice, and secondly by modelling native speaker accents.

a) Record your own voice and listen back to check for words you are pronouncing in a “foreign” way.

Recording – and listening back to – your own voice is a very effective way to reduce your foreign accent. However, you may find it difficult to identify your own accent issues, by yourself.
To make this task easier, ask a native English speaker to listen to your voice recordings. They will be able to spot accent problems and suggest more “authentic” alternatives.
For more professional guidance, you can also hire a voice coach.
Voice coaches are trained to recognise accent and pronunciation issues. They can also give you expert tips on how to fix these problems. Sometimes you only need a few sessions to make a big difference to your accent or pronunciation skills in English.

b) Listen carefully to native speaker examples (or “models”) of spoken language and copy their speech patterns.

This technique is called “modelling” or “shadowing”. When you “model”, you listen to a recording of native speaker language, and you copy the way they speak.
Modelling is a very useful way to develop a more authentic English accent. This is because it focuses on listening and copying real accents.
Modelling / shadowing also helps you to “relearn” spoken English as it really sounds – and NOT as you think it sounds.
Modelling native speech can help you break out of your old pronunciation habits. This means you can start speaking English with a less obvious foreign accent.
You don’t need a native speaker or voice coach to help you with this. You just need to find some examples of real-life English speech. YouTube is a great place to find accents to model, and my students find celebrity interviews particularly useful.