Making every word count

Alex Rozrum minds his p's and q's like an expert.

But his r's? That's another story.

Ten years after the Czech native learned English, the "r" remains a renegade letter, a rebel of the American alphabet, too "arrr" for his tongue to wrangle, at least when it comes to pronunciation.

But that's about to change, with the help of speech pathologist Amy Nassar and her accent reduction class.

Rozrum joins a growing number of Las Vegas transplants from other countries who, for personal or professional reasons, are seeking out accent reduction services in an effort to give them a boost in the business world or just in their self-esteem, local language professionals say.

"A lot of people who are ESL (English as a second language) say that they think sometimes people look down upon them because of their accent," Nassar says.

In Nassar's private practice, about 20 percent of clients want help with their accents. They tell her that reducing them may help secure a raise or a promotion.

What's at issue is clear communication, says speech pathologist Shelley Paulson. People sometimes, and erroneously, believe that heavily accented English is a sign of stupidity. After a while, that can cause frustration and even embarrassment.

"They know they're not less intelligent but if you're constantly being asked to repeat yourself, that could eat away at your self-esteem," Paulson says, adding that she has seen an increase during the past 10 years in the number of people seeking accent reduction.

About 20 percent of her clients want to reduce their accents and many are referred by their employers.

There's nothing wrong with an accent, Paulson says. In fact, many of them are beautiful. The goal is not to eliminate an accent, Nassar and Paulson say. It's unique to each individual and makes people interesting. Rather, they work to help non-native English speakers pronounce words and sounds more clearly, such as the "r," which is a difficult consonant for Hispanics, Asians and some Eastern Europeans to pronounce, Nassar says, noting she plans to devote a lot of time to it in class.

Communication is important in fields that require high customer contact, notes Eileen McGarry, director of career services for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Employers recruiting on campus routinely tell McGarry they want to hire people who have strong communication skills, spoken and written.

MGM Mirage offers ESL classes free of charge to employees who want to work on their English, says spokeswoman Yvette Monet. While they don't pay for accent reduction, the company does value good communication skills.

"(They) play a critical role in maintaining our service standards and providing the best possible service to our guests," Monet says. "I admire employees who take the initiative to improve their communication skills and as a company we certainly value their efforts."

His accent is part of who he is, Rozrum says, and distinguishes him from others. But he believes it has held him back in the business world so he wants to reduce it. Currently a car salesman, Rozrum thinks his accent handicapped him when he interviewed for jobs in the hotel service industry.

"You don't come across as smart or intelligent if you have an accent," he says. "Maybe it's just me, nobody really told me that. I feel that it gives me a disadvantage. Applying for a job, I think it has more of a chance to go to a native American because they don't take you as seriously if you have an accent."

Nassar teaches her accent reduction class at UNLV every semester. It's so much in demand there's a waiting list. The $200 tuition pays for eight sessions and is worth it, Rozrum says.

Marek Haczkiewicz, a performer in Cirque du Soleil's "Mystere," still has his Czech accent and never considered eliminating or reducing it. Now, it's part of the character he portrays. Though he works with many people who have foreign accents, Haczkiewicz says that outside of work, he stands out.

Most people are charmed by his accent, he says, and often strike up conversations with him because of it.

Sometimes, though, "some people are really ignorant," Haczkiewicz says. "They're going to judge you from your accent. They think you really don't understand or that you're not smart or something."

When Rozrum started learning English, he didn't talk a lot if he felt uncomfortable. Eventually, he realized he wouldn't learn any other way and overcame his reluctance.

Speech experts say talking is the best way to improve language skills. But seeing a speech pathologist will ensure proper pronunciation, Paulson says.

Stan Saito, president of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, says he has talked to Asians who are less likely to speak because they're not confident of their English. Recently, a young man told him he was concerned that he might be negatively affected by his accent and knowledge of the English language.

"From my perspective, I know of many successful businessmen who have managed to build very big businesses here, despite" having heavy accents, Saito says.

His advice to the young man? Don't let language or accents be a barrier. Join a group such as Toastmasters, which gives people regular opportunities to speak and hear others talk.