I have a dear friend from France. When we talk on the phone, I cannot understand 80% of what he says. His French accent is so strong. He has been struggling to get a job in London for a year, even though he is a highly qualified financier.
I suspect that interviewers may have the same problem I do when speaking to him on the phone: they struggle to understand him. When I mentioned that possibility to him, he replied: "But if people don’t understand me, they would ask me to repeat myself or tell me that.”
I know that in the UK, many people would feel embarrassed to tell someone, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you. Could you repeat that, please?” Rather than risk making the other person feel uncomfortable, they might move on to another candidate whose speech they can understand. Plus, it's more practical to hire someone whose speech is easy to understand.
I find a French accent really charming. But if a French speaker wants to be understood in the UK and USA, I recommend working on a few sounds with the apps Get Rid of Your Accent UK1 App (iOS / Android), Business English Speech (iOS/Android), and Elocution Lessons (iOS/Android).
The List of English Sounds to Practice:
[w] as in "was", lesson 25
[θ ] as in "think", lesson 36
[ð] as in "that", lesson 37
[r] as in "river", lesson 41
[æ] as in "mad", lesson 15
[ɪ] as in "pit", lesson 7
[j] as in "yes", lesson 24
[h] as in "hat", lesson 40
[ŋ] as in "sing", lesson 31
[l] as in "light", lesson 33
Additional Recommendations
Avoid nasalisation of vowels when followed by [n] or [ŋ] sounds.
Anglicise words of French origin. Check that with the app Business English Speech (iOS/Android)
Work on comparisons [iː-ɪ], lesson 8, and [ʊ-uː], lesson 14.
Take time to pronounce both parts of diphthongs, lessons 16- 23.
For best results, book a few elocution lessons via our website: https://www.batcsglobal.com/contact
Yours
Olga Smith
www.batcsglobal.com