by Heather Chetwynd | Sep 27, 2021 | Language Training
Most cities have their landmarks. In Toronto, we have one that was sold after the death of its owner, Ed Mirvish. A poor immigrant to Toronto in the 1920s, he built a discount store in 1948 that catered to immigrants and the working class, delighting passersby with...
by Heather Chetwynd | Aug 5, 2021 | Voice to Word Post - Other
“Working in the C-suite obliged me to refine my speech and presentation skills.”“I knew that I needed to improve my English to further develop my career…”“I often experienced prejudice because of my accent, as if I were unsophisticated…”“He is too direct and...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 11, 2021 | Language Training
Pluto the dog is a character that has become popular under Covid. I’ve always enjoyed the humour but this one – called “Losing your Marbles” – is wonderful for my line of work. He speaks in almost pure idioms throughout the 3-minute clip. Listen to...
by Heather Chetwynd | Nov 5, 2020 | Business Communications, Culture and Values
The North American concept of personal space Many coaches working in English-speaking environments were born and raised in another cultural and/or linguistic environment. And the reverse is also true, especially in Toronto, where roughly 50% of the population was not...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Aug 18, 2015 | Accent Modification
I am always correcting my daughter’s pronunciation of MILK which always sounds like MELK. It is a losing battle since I realize that language changes and clearly the Canadian accent is shifting. I just hadn’t realized that MILK is one of those words. The...
