Accent and intelligibility are different
A listener can notice an accent and still understand every word. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association separates accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility because they measure different things. Intelligibility asks whether the listener understood the message. Comprehensibility asks how much effort understanding required.
That distinction changes the goal. You do not need to imitate a native speaker. You need to find the sounds, stress patterns, pacing choices, or sentence shapes that block meaning in the situations you care about.
Target one communication breakdown
Broad instructions such as “improve your pronunciation” give you nothing to repeat. Research on workplace English training points toward specific pronunciation features and communicative tasks. The useful unit is one recurring breakdown, such as a technical term people ask you to repeat or a sentence whose key word loses stress.
Record the sentence in context. Listen for the word carrying the decision, contrast, or request. Change one feature, then record it again. The listener's job should become easier on the second take.
The intelligibility rep
- Choose a sentence you use at work, not a tongue twister.
- Underline the one word the listener must catch.
- Record the sentence once at your normal pace.
- Record it again with a short pause before the key word and clearer stress on it.
- Ask one listener what they heard. Keep the version that required less effort.
Accent modification is a personal choice. A communication app should not treat a non-native accent as a defect or promise clinical speech treatment.
Primary and official sources