SEtalk: Your Accent Is Not a Mistake

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

我能跟你们讲讲，我当老师时做过最糟糕的一件事吗？

For twelve years, I taught English in London.

我在London教了12年英语。

And I was obsessed with fixing accents.

而且我执着于纠正口音。

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

我的学生必须说一口英式口音，否则就算失败。

One of my students was a brilliant young engineer.

我有个学生，是一位才华横溢的年轻工程师。

His vocabulary was wonderful, and his ideas were clear.

他的词汇量很棒，思路也很清晰。

But I kept interrupting him to correct his vowels.

可我总是打断他，纠正他的元音。

One day, he just stopped speaking in class.

有一天，他在课堂上干脆不说话了。

Weeks later, I asked him why.

几周后，我问他为什么。

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

他说：“每次我一开口，您听到的全是错误。”

"You stopped hearing me."

“您已经听不见我了。”

That sentence has stayed with me ever since.

从那以后，这句话一直留在我心里。

So I started reading the research.

于是我开始读相关研究。

And here's what surprised me.

而让我吃惊的是这一点。

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

如今，大约每4个说英语的人里，就有3个是把它当作第二语言学的！

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

英语已经不再属于London或New York了。

It belongs to everyone who uses it.

它属于每一个使用它的人。

Researchers have found something else that matters.

研究人员还发现了另一件重要的事。

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

口音重，并不代表别人就一定听不懂你。

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

关键在于清晰度：重音、节奏，还有平稳的语速。

You can sound like yourself and still be perfectly clear.

你们完全可以保持自己的声音，同时说得清清楚楚。

Today, that student leads a team of forty engineers.

如今，那个学生带领着一支40人的工程师团队。

He gives presentations all over the world!

他到世界各地做报告！

And he still has his accent.

而他的口音还在。

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

没人在意。大家都忙着听他的想法呢。

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

所以，如果你们正在学英语，请听我说。

Work on being clear, not on becoming someone else.

要努力说得清楚，而不是努力变成别人。

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

你们的口音，讲述着你们走过的路。

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

它不是错误。它是一张地图！

Thank you.

谢谢大家。