The Story Behind L2 Accent Reduction Centre

Accent Reduction is very dear to my heart. My father came to this country in 1970 when he was only 28 years old. He had previously worked as a draftsmen with the US army and spoke fluent English, however, no one here in Canada understood him. From a young age I had to translate ENGLISH to ENGLISH for those who spoke with him. I thought that people were crazy because he was obviously speaking the same language!!! I realized then that my dad's problem wasn't an English language issue but a pronunciation issue. My dad, like many immigrants, was a university educated Internationally Trained Professional yet, because of a pronunciation issue (not a language issue) my dad had to work at entry level jobs eventually getting a trades ticket as a welder. As a tradesman, life was a lot better, but his logic skills and eloquence were more suited for a profession as a lawyer. If he had only been given the chance and was not dismissed as one who couldn't understand the language.

Everyday in our work, we see skilled professionals struggling at either an entry level position or a position that is underemployed. It is for this reason that the L2 Accent Reduction Centre was established to address the growing communication needs of Vancouver's multicultural workforce. When we opened our doors in May 2008, we knew that there was a lack of services for skilled professionals. Having effective communication skills is often one of the biggest barriers facing internationally trained professionals. The ability to present ideas clearly and interact effectively with co-workers can impact job performance and a company's bottom line.

The L2 Accent Reduction Centre is an advocate for diversity in the workplace.

Diversity brings fresh ideas and new perspectives which are strong assets for organizations. We help organizations to harness that energy by improving communication skills with our unique service.

The L2 Accent Reduction Centre supports immigrants in our community through our volunteerism at various immigrant services organizations such as SUCCESS,PICS,Multicultural Helping House, and through our Fresh Start Program, which offers free support to single immigrant parents.

L2's instructors are highly skilled and have over 25 years of combined experience in Curriculum Design, Accent Reduction, English Language Training, Test Preparation, Linguistics, Speech Pathology, Human Resources, e-learning, Management, Marketing, and Cultural Diversity.

Click here to learn more about our Fresh Start Program