If you wrote this, you obviously speak and understand English already...google translator usually does not do translation this well...
What language do you speak now?

My answer to you is it is possible if you're musical. Musicians and singers only the people I've come across who learned English relatively late in life (after 14 years old) but still sound like native speakers. Most likely, people will always think you're a foreigner, even when your English mastery is, in fact, better than theirs.

I am a native speaker of English, but people still think I'm a foreigner. I think I have a combination of accents from living abroad most of my life outside of North America plus a mild speech impediment. English is not the only language I speak.

When will you know when you've truly mastered a language? When:
1. you can watch a sitcom on TV in the language and get the jokes, even the ones with subtle cultural references.
2. Understand everything in Internet articles (as well as the articles in fast-becoming-obsolete newspapers).
3. Can not only understand insults directed at you but can quickly respond with great comebacks.

Ya I never use Google translator. And I can write well if I sit down and think about it. But I don't speak, write or read as clever as a native. I mean I lack so many things can't speak advanced English at all. And I speak latino.

Mate, half the people i know in the uk cannot write as good as you did there.

With so many regional accents - it would be impossible to pick up an english accent in 3-6 months. At university, you are going to be hearing a lot of people from all over the country. So it would be hard to pick-up an accent. You would just be learning parts from around the country.

In the UK you can travel 30miles and its amazing how different people talk. I'm from nottingham -- if i go to sheffield, it's a different way of talking.

If you choose a uni in liverpool, birmingham, newcastle, etc -- they have VERY strong accents.

In 4 years? I would say you would easily be able to sound like a native. IF you mainly hang out with peopel with the same accents. OR try and mimic just one accent.

Good luck.

In the US most shows have a SAP channel in Spanish that may help relate one phrase to another.

If you have an ear for dialects you should be able to pick things up rather quickly. Some actors are very adept at this. The Actress Charlize Theron's first language is Afrikkans, but she shows no hint of it when she speaks English. In contrast, Gary Oldman, Eddie Izzard, Minnie Driver, etc. are English - but can effect American dialects to where many people do not realize they are English until they speak as themselves on a talk show...Many Americans, Australians, etc. can do the same...

Speaking like a "Native" may be misleading, as you want to be able to speak "fluently"
I applaud you for immersing yourself in the language -

The dialects of a native speaker are another level entirely...UK, Canada or USA or even Ireland all speak "english" - but with differences native to their regions - Just as someone from countries in South America do not speak Spanish as they do in Spain, or a French Canadien to French.

Your written English is perfect - better than alot of English Firsters in the USA (went to school to eat their lunch I guess)

As far as being here, we have so many people here now, that English is not their first language, that we have a new language and I am good at it.

It's called 'Broken English' - it is quite cute.

You can understand them and they can understand you but their grammar is not perfect (like the rest of us)

I don't speak it on purpose, it is just that so many people you talk to talk like that I start doing it automatically. I can't really explain exactly how it goes, but it does.

Thank you for speaking English especially in an English speaking country. To ignore the main language is just plain RUDE and it is exclusionary to speak some foreign language in the presence of NATIVE English speakers. Nothing like feeling like I am in a strange country and/or being excluded from a conversation, when this is where I was born.

Please don't say learn another language - which one? we have so many = Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Hindi, Thailand, Vietnam, etc etc - it is best to speak ONE language - whatever the main one is for the country...

Don't worry be happy you will be fine being sharp and considerate.

Zealzeal, you DO seem t write fine. Thunderbird is wrong. I have known people that spoke fine, and weren't musicians, and people that didn't that were.

As for time, it definitely varies. If you are immersed, REALLY have zeal, and REALLY want to, it can be pretty quick. Others have been here for 40 years or more and STILL sound VERY foreign. I doubt they ever tried though. If you wrote that post in a short period, it looks like you are mostly there. And there are SO many foreigners here that it has even affected NATIVE english speakers in the US. One of my coworkers on my current project SOUNDS like a native speaker, except a few words peg him as FOREIGN! ODD that a person from india actually says a word like an american, and this other guy says it like an indian!

Steve

Hi, it is good that you want to learn the accent and blend in so as to speak. However being a native speaker of a language that you were not used to when you were still in your childhood would be quite difficult if not impossible. Even the American English is different than that of the English in UK, I have once heard the phrase America and Britain are two nations divided by the English language.

Since you would be going to either UK, Canada or the US for studies, just communicate with the people around and a year or two of immersion, you will find that your accent would be comparable to that of your peers.

There is actually no need nor pressure for you to speak with the accent, just know and understand the language and that would be fine. People would not mind if your english has an FLI or first language influence, what is important is that you are able to communicate the language.

Ofcourse it's certainly possible, immerse yourself in the culture, and in no time no one will be able to tell you from the locals