Modify Your Accent!

Modify Your Accent! Communication Training and Accent Modification for Interpreters and Non-interpreters

Do you ever feel sensitive about your accent? Do you want to be sure you’re correctly understood? Do you ever worry that not being understood might lead to a complication?

Is your accent hurting your professional advancement? Perhaps making it more difficult to get a promotion or change careers?

Then attend this two-day interactive workshop for professionals that will help you to hone your American English pronunciation on the job. Led by a national expert in accent modification, and co-author of the guide, RULES for Understanding and Using Linguistic Elements of Speech, this hands-on and informative class is easy to follow. It includes practical pronunciation activities and break-out sessions for intensive practice. The techniques are clear and simple. You can continue practicing them at home. 

The course instructor has trained interpreters, physicians, pharmacists, researchers, financiers and many others to communicate more clearly and effectively - especially in this day and age when many of us still wear a mask at work!

Course registration includes your ebook copy of the 205-page self-study workbook, RULES for Understanding and Using Linguistic Elements of Speech (retail value: $39).

Feedback from our participants:

"Excellent find. A real treasure to have Marjorie as the instructor."

"The workshop was informative. The facilitator is knowledgeable and was responsive to the students' needs."

"Direct immediate feedback to my specific issues."

"Very interesting, didactic, and dynamic class. It was very nice to know that I'm not the only one with issues, doubts, questions, and insecurities related to my accent in English."

Instructor: Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker, MS, Co-founder, The Whittaker Group

Class Schedule: Spring 2023: Exact dates to be determined. Contact us for a spot on the waitlist.

Timetable: 12:00-5:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m.-2:00p.m. PT) with a break from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. PT)

CEUs: 

• Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI): 8 CE hours
• International Medical Interpreters Association: 0.8 IMIA/NBCMI CEUs
• American Translators Association: 8 ATA CEPs
• Maryland Court Interpreter Program: 8 CE credits

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Use newly learned techniques to be more clearly understood by familiar and unfamiliar listeners in a variety of communicative contexts including face-to-face, telephone, video conference and presentations.
• Speak in a manner more consistent with mainstream North American English.
• Communicate more effectively in a “listener-friendly” manner including adequate rate, voice projection, pitch, melody, and resonance.
• Appear more confident, competent, and credible in front of colleagues, patients, healthcare providers and others in the workplace environment.

Participant requirements:

• Beginning and experienced interpreters from all interpreting areas in addition to professionals from all other fields are welcomed!

Technical requirements:

• Desktop or laptop computer (recommend i5 processor or above) with webcam (The course may not be taken on a tablet, phone or other small device.)
• Zoom (Updated Version)
• Chrome or Firefox (Updated Version)
• Quality headset with boom mounted microphone Advice on choosing a headset.
• High speed internet (minimum 5 mbps upload/10 download) Test Your Speed.
• Ethernet cable (Must connect computer directly to router. Minimum quality CAT6)*
• Ethernet to USB adapter (if needed)*
• External Monitor*

*Recommended but not required

This course is limited to 20 participants. Once the course has reached capacity, those interested will be added to a waitlist in the order in which their inquiry is received.

Disruptive Behavior Policy

In order to uphold the collaborative nature of our online training programs, onboardings, support sessions and webinars, Cross-Cultural Communications reserves the right to remove any participant for abusive or aggressive behavior, spoken or written, towards CCC staff, trainers or other participants. We recognize that the past few years have been difficult for everyone. However, our participants, trainers and staff have the right to a safe and respectful learning and working environment. We thank you for your understanding.

Training Participant Information Release

By registering for our live online training programs, you agree to allow Cross-Cultural Communications, LLC to share your contact information with participants in the same training session for purposes of creating a collaborative online training experience for all participants. Should you have concerns or not wish to have your contact information shared by CCC, prior to the training session please email info@cultureandlanguage.net.

Cross-Cultural Communications records its live online training sessions for quality control purposes. Recordings are not shared with anyone outside of the organization or training session.

Visit our Terms of Use for our training policies and procedures, including our refund policies.