Some immigrants in the northeastern state of Maine are learning to lose their accents. Some of the immigrants speak English fluently, but have a difficult time being understood because they have heavy accents, reported the Portland Press-Herald newspaper. Assouma Nyirabahizi says she left her home and job in Rwanda two years ago, coming to America on a green card “in hopes of a brighter future.” Nyirabahizi has a master’s degree in computer science and speaks English fluently. She says all of her classes in Rwanda were taught in English, “but here I have to learn again because of (my) accent.” She attends a free class to reduce her accent with seven other students. The city of Portland conducts the class. Marta Greenlaw is the teacher. She is also a speech therapist. She says immigrants who reduce their accent have better success at work. And they can communicate more easily with store workers, teachers, doctors and neighbors.