SEtalk: Your Accent Is Not a Mistake

Can I tell you about the worst thing I ever did as a teacher?

我可以跟你們說說，我當老師時做過最糟糕的一件事嗎？

For twelve years, I taught English in London.

我在London教了12年英文。

And I was obsessed with fixing accents.

而且我對糾正口音非常執著。

My students had to sound British, or they'd fail.

我的學生一定要講出英式口音，不然就算失敗。

One of my students was a brilliant young engineer.

我有個學生，是一位才華洋溢的年輕工程師。

His vocabulary was wonderful, and his ideas were clear.

他的字彙量很棒，想法也很清楚。

But I kept interrupting him to correct his vowels.

可是我一直打斷他，糾正他的母音。

One day, he just stopped speaking in class.

有一天，他在課堂上乾脆不說話了。

Weeks later, I asked him why.

幾週後，我問他為什麼。

He said, "Every time I open my mouth, you hear mistakes."

他說：「每次我一開口，老師聽到的都是錯誤。」

"You stopped hearing me."

「老師已經聽不見我了。」

That sentence has stayed with me ever since.

從那之後，這句話一直留在我心裡。

So I started reading the research.

於是我開始讀相關的研究。

And here's what surprised me.

而讓我驚訝的是這一點。

Roughly three out of four English speakers today learned it as a second language!

現在，大約每4個說英文的人當中，就有3個是把它當成第二語言學的！

English doesn't belong to London or New York anymore.

英文已經不再屬於London或New York了。

It belongs to everyone who uses it.

它屬於每一個使用它的人。

Researchers have found something else that matters.

研究人員還發現了另一件重要的事。

A strong accent doesn't automatically make you hard to understand.

口音重，不代表別人就一定聽不懂你。

What matters is clarity: stress, rhythm, and a steady pace.

關鍵在於清晰度：重音、節奏，還有穩定的語速。

You can sound like yourself and still be perfectly clear.

你們完全可以保有自己的聲音，同時講得清清楚楚。

Today, that student leads a team of forty engineers.

現在，那個學生帶領一支40名工程師的團隊。

He gives presentations all over the world!

他到世界各地做簡報！

And he still has his accent.

而他的口音還在。

Nobody cares. They're too busy listening to his ideas.

沒人在意。大家都忙著聽他的想法呢。

So if you're learning English, please hear this.

所以，如果你們正在學英文，請聽我說。

Work on being clear, not on becoming someone else.

要努力講清楚，而不是努力變成別人。

Your accent tells the story of where you've been.

你們的口音，訴說著你們走過的路。

It isn't a mistake. It's a map!

它不是錯誤。它是一張地圖！

Thank you.

謝謝大家。