Inirida Rabinovich

When Inirida Molina Rabinovich proudly announces that she has passed her English proficiency test at work, it means a lot more than just a raise. She can testify that being able to speak the language in a foreign country can literally be a matter of life or death.

Several years ago, Inirida's doctor informed her that she had cancer. She didn't understand what kind - her English was not good enough to learn what treatments were available, or to express her questions. Throughout the months that followed, she had to ask her ex-husband to accompany her to the doctor's office and serve as translator - an arrangement that left her feeling humiliated and powerless.

Inirida's limited English was also holding her back financially. Back home in her native Colombia, she was a highly respected business accountant for a large company, making the equivalent of an $80,000 annual salary. Here in the US, she worked hard to finally land a job as a bi-lingual customer service representative, with only about a $25,000 per year salary. "If you are not able to communicate," she says, "you are not able to make money."

Inirida's performance was excellent and she had been offered promotions - if she qualified. Advancement was contingent on passing an English test ... something she ended up taking over and over again for five years ... but had never been able to master.

Now, she says with a grin, she has. She credits her private pronunciation coaching at Xavier University with her recent success. After four months of one-hour-a-week coaching sessions, she has accomplished something she has been waiting years for.

Like many international business people now living here, Inirida had strong English comprehension - she could read and write well. She was highly educated and accustomed to being able to express herself eloquently. However, she was extremely frustrated to find that, even when she used the correct words, people still couldn't understand her.

"I am a professional, I speak English - so why couldn't people understand me?" she says. "It wasn't bad English ... it was not the words, I just said the words in different ways. Now I am feeling more confident. People understand me because I pronounce things better and more slowly - now I am able to help more people on the phone.

"Inirida is pleased with the possibility of being promoted at her current job, but what she really wants to be doing is her profession - something she now feels is within reach. "This is helping me to get back in my profession as an accountant. I'm almost there."

Even more important than the promise of career advancement is the effect of fluency on quality of life - and survival. "My cancer came back last year," says Inirida. "Because I improved my English, I was able to understand what happened, and make my own decisions about treatment. Now I am cancer free again. Improving English saved my life."