Non-native professional accent coach, actor & writer who will help you reduce your accent so you sound more clear, confident and American, using time proven methods used by actors to prepare for roles

Find out more about Dillon

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  This is actually one of the major reasons so many students work with me. I'm a non-native speaker of English (I'm German & Czech) but I studied acting in New York City. There, I had rigorous vocal, diction and accent training. I already excelled at English in school (grammar & vocabulary) but still had a noticeable accent when I first arrived. Then, after hard work and consistent & patient practice, I reduced my accent to a "Neutral American accent". At the time, I even went out of my way to study other accents when I didn't have to (e.g. Standard British, Cockney, Southern, the Peaky Blinders accent, Irish, Boston, New York, etc) and, because of this, even started to help out my peers at the time with their accent assignments. I realized I was very good at accents in general and that I wish I'd had a teacher with my non-native experience of the process when I first started my accent reduction journey. The "inspiration" behind learning all of this was my own desire to speak the English language to the best of my ability (like a native speaker) and to make sure I wasn't stuck in roles with a foreign accent as an actor.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  This one's kind of obvious but because I read a lot of comic books growing up, my immediate association with America is, well, Captain America. I don't think he necessarily represents America per se but, I suppose, all comic book characters mirror society back to us, whether the characters have superpowers or not. I'd actually say it's kind of impossible to choose one character to be the emblematic representation of America because it's such a big melting pot of different cultures, religious beliefs, and political views. Regardless of who I'd pick to represent America, there are people who would take offence to it being that person/character and they don't find that person/character representative of them at all. The thing that I like about Captain America though is that he stands for being honorable and doing the right thing, even if America itself, historically, hasn't always done so. The character of Captain America strives to do the right thing, even when it's not convenient. That's what I always associated with America as a kid when watching American movies.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  This is quite a modern phrase but I find it very fun: "lost in the sauce" - That's probably one of my favorite phrases in American English. It's pretty silly and definitely not "business English" but a really fun example of a more colloquial phrase.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  It matters a great deal for many reasons. As an actor, if you have a noticeable accent, it severely limits what kind of roles you can audition for. On top of that, since I live in the United States, I want to speak the language to the very best of my ability. For me, this means I want to have the same level of comfort with it as a native speaker, not just mastery over grammar and vocabulary. There's also the topic of "unconscious bias". No matter where you live: if you speak the local language with a foreign accent. Inevitably, you will experience unconscious bias against you based on the way you speak. I'm very grateful I'm blending in with the Americans around me and that I'm able to communicate my ideas without being worried that somebody will form opinions about me, solely because of my accent. Before I reduced my accent, it happened to me on occasion that people would make fun of my accent, even to my face. German accents are often the subject of jokes. This in and of itself is not something that's the end of the world but it gets tiresome the more often you encounter it. So I'm definitely really happy I don't have to anymore. Lastly, I'm also a writer, so it's not just spoken English that really matters to me. Really, I have to "wield" English expertly in all areas of my life.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I'd say that learning English grammar and vocabulary is, comparatively, not terribly difficult. My native languages, German and Czech are much more complex in those regards than English. I also learned French in school which definitely has more complicated grammar as well. However, the thing that I and all of my students have in common, is that our teachers in high school all taught us English with very strong accents. Our teachers had a grasp on vocabulary and grammar but very little knowledge of phonetics and what the proper mechanics of English sounds are (whether British or American). On top of that, in English, there are only these vowel letters: 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o' and 'u' BUT each vowel letter is NOT always said the same. In fact, every single vowel letter could be said in a variety of ways. It depends on factors like spelling or stress, and a lot of the times you simply have to remember that you have to go for a specific sound. Now, for the second part of that question, the process of learning can be helped by an enthusiastic and supportive teacher. I think both students and teachers sometimes underestimate just how much influence teachers have. A kind, patient and caring teacher can make you feel confident and like it's possible to master what you're learning. The opposite of that will make you give up and even resent what you're doing. I know people in various fields that ended up resenting their work/passion because a bitter & uncaring teacher took all the joy out of learning and caused them to burn out. Then, lastly, I'd say that having fun is incredibly important for the learning process as well. If it all feels like a chore, you won't stick with it.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  I distinctly remember starting the process of "accent reduction". I was in a small office at the acting school, reading out a text for one of my teachers at the time. I remember listening back to myself and being horrified. In my eyes - ears, rather - I had thought my English was MUCH better than what I was hearing. Sure, the words themselves were understandable but I'd been VERY good at English in school (namely, grammar and vocabulary). I was taken aback by my accent. It wasn't the stereotypical German accent you hear from most Germans but definitely noticeable. I really pride myself on doing things to the very best of my ability so hearing that was rough. At the same time, this provided me with a good dose of reality and, thus, motivation to work as hard as possible on reducing my accent. It was difficult and took about a year to a year and a half but I did it. During that process, I would have similar experiences. I would record myself quite often (this is a very useful tool in accent reduction) and I'd hear myself say something and be discouraged. The longer I stuck with it though, I noticed more and more improvements. This is why I think it's so helpful for my students to work with somebody who has done the work themselves. I've been there. I went through all of the same worry and self-doubt.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Well, here my studies specifically would be the best thing to cite. I traveled to New York City to study acting right out of high school. I'd been to New York City two times but this was different. I was now living with two roommates in a 1 bedroom apartment. Believe me, it was close quarters! Thankfully, we got along really well. Those two are still really good friends of mine and they are both native speakers. This means, I got to listen to them speak, day in and day out, which was so useful, especially in tandem with what I was learning in my accent classes at acting school.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I love languages in general. I like articulating ideas and honing my speech. Specifically in English, I really enjoy learning accents and systematizing them. It started with the "Neutral American accent" but then this interest branched out into learning all sorts of accents like Standard British, Cockney, Southern, Irish, Australian, French, German, Russian, etc. - I've broken the American accent (and others) down for my students for such a long time now that, often, it feels like I know it better than my native languages. And that's another reason why I think me being a non-native speaker is a huge advantage for my students. Of course, I'm incredibly comfortable in my native languages but I didn't have to analyze them and master them the way I did with English. I'm really glad that I have all of this knowledge for English. This way, I'm not locked into speaking it one way, e.g. with an accent (which, in my opinion, would stand in the way of expressing myself in the most authentic manner possible). Instead, I'm very aware of the sounds I'm using when I speak, and thanks to the habits I've worked hard to build, I can focus on communicating my ideas and expressing myself to my American colleagues and friends, instead of being worried about the way I speak.