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Whether you are a native speaker or a second language learner, what’s one word you pronounced incorrectly that still haunts you to this day?
BIRD GEI, established in São Paulo, specializes in providing strategic language training solutions and best practices, empowering corporations and professionals to excel in internationalization and language acquisition. One of our most sought-after solutions is the full language proficiency diagnostic assessment.
Many of the hundreds of Brazilian and Spanish speakers from Latin American countries who take our language proficiency tests each year admit that they avoid situations where they have to speak because they feel their pronunciation is not perfect.
When asked why this is so important to them, most acknowledge this mindset originates from the fear of making mistakes or being judged, which creates a significant barrier to language development. The problems?
- It keeps them from gaining the exposure they need in the business world.
- The search for perfect pronunciation has always been a goal, and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as they don’t fall into the trap of item number one. Whereas it might have been relevant at language schools some twenty years ago when perfect pronunciation was seen as a must for learning English, let’s be real – it’s not anymore.
What truly matters in today’s multicultural and globalized business environment is the ability to convey ideas effectively, not the pursuit of unattainable perfection. By focusing on clarity and confidence rather than flawless pronunciation, professionals can enhance their communication skills and build stronger connections, ultimately advancing their careers.
For years now, linguists have been stating that English isn’t just a “second language” anymore – it’s rather a communication tool. And if there is an “English pronunciation” in the U.S. or UK, with all its regional differences, there’s also the English spoken in South Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Canada, just to name a few, and pretty much everywhere else. And guess what? Brazil is right there in the mix!
In a few years, when someone asks if your English is American or British, you might just say, “Neither, it’s a bit of both,” or maybe even, “It’s a mix of a few!” If your English sounds Brazilian, that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s kind of awesome because it shows off your cultural roots. Accents aren’t something to hide; they make communication more inclusive and authentic.
The exception, of course, is when pronunciation doesn’t effectively convey ideas, and this might even happen to native speakers, as in the following video.
If that’s your case, then it’s worth sitting down with your teacher and working on it.
If you are curious about how your pronunciation sounds, check out Accent Oracle: Discover Your Native Language , a cool AI tool that can pinpoint your native language based on your English accent.
Video source: ahstegs88 TikTok
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