Judy Ravin: Reducing Language Barriers

As someone who works for a German company, I found your interview especially intriguing. I find it more and more difficult to understand my German co-workers because their accent is so heavy. I think that your services would be much needed where I work! As someone who spent so many years in school, teaching and doing independent course study, what made you decide to become an entrepreneur? Was it the fact that your work was needed by so many outside entities such as GM and Pfizer? Or was it a path that you wanted to go down eventually to get your ideas of the Accent Reduction Institute more widely recognized? I think that in order to start a business you need something that is going to be successful and something that is needed today. I think that you have cornered that market. In today’s world almost every company is global. Whether it is a small corporation or a large one, on some level they deal with international corporations. I think that your training would take down some of the barriers that they face. I am sure that some business transactions have gone south because of a communication barrier. Even if they are speaking the same language it is not always easy to understand if it is not their first language. What are your plans for the future of the Accent Reduction Institute? Do you plan to continue your work with outside corporations? Or do you think you will stay within the university side of it? Best Regards, Jennifer Kaiponen Eastern Michigan University Student

I thought this was an interesting interview mostly because I had no idea that there was an Accent Reduction Institute. It is a wonderful idea because it would be very helpful to anyone. Judy says that she not only teaches accent reduction to foreign nationals living and working in the United States, but she also teaches a way to help others understand different accents. The Accent Reduction Institute is filling a need that many businesses have. The Ann Arbor area has a very diverse population and many of its residents are from other countries. A lot of these individuals are working or attending school in the United States. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to live in a place where, although you speak the language, the residents may not understand you because of your accent. Judy encountered this when she was in France studying and turned it into a positive experience to help others with the same sorts of issues. I think that this is such a great program because most business transactions are conducted in English and people could have great difficulty trying to get their point across if the other party can't understand what they are saying. Judy has taken English as a second language to a different level with her business. She accidentally found a need that people have and found a great way to fill it. Finding that need is the key to any successful business.