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Can I be a lawyer in the States even if I have an accent?
Guest,
"writing mistakes" ???? What's that? Look up in your dictionary, if you ahve one, and see how that is called. Are you native? I dubt it!!!!
>>Oh, please -- Canada has its share of hicks and rednecks.<<
One word: Alberta.
>>"writing mistakes" ???? What's that?
Look up in your dictionary, if you ahve one, and see how that is called. Are you native? I dubt it!!!! << Writing mistakes: Look up in your dictionary--I'm looking up; all I see is a ceiling. ahve--have. and see how that is called--how? what? are you native--native to what? dubt--George dubW?
"I dubt it!!!! "
11. Do not overuse exclamation marks!!! (In fact, avoid them whenever possible!!!) http://writing.umn.edu/tww/grammar/self_humorous.html
<< One word: Alberta >>
To think that all the rednecks in Canada are from the U.S.A
Canada is a wonderful country. Nearly half of my extended family is from there (my grandparents were Canadian natives before moving to the US as adults) so I still have strong ties and a proud and natural affinity towards that Great Country to the North (if being "Canadian" were an ethnicity I might reasonably claim I was "half Canadian," after all ;) ).
However, Stan, as much as I like the country I'm realistic enough to realize that, like the US, Canada certainly has its share of problems too (and, believe it or not, many of those problems have nothing to do with the US or being neighbors with the US). For example, you can't even equitably compare things like immigration trends and policies as the underlying contexts as far as that subject goes can vary quite differently between the two countries. Notice I'm not blindly supporting the US (as much as I like the country for what its strengths are I disagree with a lot of official policies as many others do) but I'm not naive enough to believe Canada is the end-all utopian panacea for the world's ills, either. Anyway, I find the way this thread has developed to not be very much about "Discuss(ing) learning English and the English language" as the Antimoon forum states its mission to be. This is a discussion best had elsewhere.
looking through the last 3 pages of this discussion one can see the initiative topic (Can I be a lawyer in the States even if I have an accent?) has been lost forever. Everybody's talking about Canada...
"I dubt it!!!! "
11. Do not overuse exclamation marks!!! (In fact, avoid them whenever possible!!!) >>> It was just a pen work, Jean P etc
"are you native--native to what? "
Try "native of" instead. However if you don't see a dic on your ceiling, maybe you have never had one, and this could be the problem.
"Can I be a lawyer in the States even if I have an accent?"
It's probably a requirement.
As a current student in one of the top-ranked law schools, I might be able to provie a personal account relevant for this discussion.
Like the original poster, I came to the U.S. as a teenager and completed undergraduate study here, graduating summa cum laude. I worked many years in high-tech, where foreign accents are common and well-accepted, as long as they do not hinder understanding. However, once I entered the law school, I found it is a different world entirely. Upon hearing my accent, many professors and fellow students immediately assumed that I am "foreign," as in "came over yesterday," although I have been an American citizen for many years. Everyone confirmed that I am "fluent," but the accent colored their perception considerably. In fact, it is better to have a limited vocabulary and no accent, than a perfect vocabulary but a heavy accent, even if such accent has no effect on the listener's understanding. My grades in law school are great in classes that are blind-graded. However, once the professors know I am the author of that otherwisely well-written paper, my grades tend to drop significantly. It is not an overt form of racism or xenophobia; it is just a perception that a "foreigner" is unlikely to be one of the best students in a subject that prizes excellent English skills. When the job-hunting time came, the difficulty I encountered was beyond my worst estimate. I literally went through 50 interviews before landing 1 job. It is not racist per se, since all interviewers saw my resume ahead of time, knowing fully well that I had a foreign background. Time after time, they told me they liked my personality and understood my speech. However, they were unable to offer me a job. The politically correct career placement office told me the problem was not my accent. But some plain-spoken professors know better. I tried very hard to correct my accent with little success. But the silver lining of the story is, I do have a job offer. Yes, just one, while a native-born American would have 20 offers given the same qualifications. But that one is all I need. The merit of my story, if there is one, is that yes, youc an be a lawyer in the States even ifyou have an accent. It may be much, much harder for you than for someone without an accent. It may seem highly unfair to you time after time. But it is possible, although a potentially painful process. Good luck!
A Current Law Student, thank you very much for the account of your first hand experience. However, I find trouble understanding your logic. You say it was incredibly difficult for you to find a job, and that professors gave you lower grades based on your accent. Is that really possible in a "top-ranked" Law School? I have never heard of such behavior on the undergraduate level. Is your Law School in the T14 group? Also, why would you suggest people endowed with an accent to choose that track if the difficulties are so overwhelming?
PS. Mods, please do not delete this thread too! It is very insightful. |