In a world where everything has become more global, how do you create a project that feels neutral while still being distinctive? How do you communicate with thousands, if not millions of people, in a way that can be universally understood? Well, that's easy...you use an international voice!
So, what is an international voice? Well, let's define that first. An international voice is a mixed dialect from different parts of the world, combining different elements and therefore being harder to pinpoint to one country or nation. For example, my voice is a combination of rural Norfolk, where I was born in the United Kingdom, different parts of North America and Canada, where I spent much of my youth, and Northern England, specifically Lancashire, where I spent my teen years. As a result, I have a global, transatlantic sound that can change depending on the listener.
When I first started voice acting, I tried to hide this quality, remaining as neutral as possible and selling myself only as a British Voice. In such a competitive industry, I felt that I wouldn't get any work if I were honest about my quirky and different vocal qualities.
Then something changed, and the people around me, voice-over coaches, fellow voice actors and clients, assured me that my unique voice was my greatest selling point, and that's when things changed. There was no need to remove my British roots, and I'm very fortunate that I can also voice as a British male voiceover, but my international sound was the key to elevating my business and gaining clients around the world.
So, what are the benefits of an international voice? Well, let's take a look at some of them in more detail:
A universal understanding without a geographical association - sometimes clients want to remain neutral or appear not to favour a specific nation or place, and with an international or global accent, your advert, corporate narration or audiobook can be easily understood without someone wondering what part of the UK or the US the voice is from.
A widespread appeal - whether we like it or not, people around the world have their favourites; they are biased for many different reasons, and we all have our preferences. I absolutely love the Scottish accent. I can't get enough of it, but not everyone understands it. An international accent often has a more universal understanding, allowing a much wider audience integration and reach when it comes to your engagement. And you naturally remove those biases that your audience might harbour.
A distinctive sound - many of us are used to hearing the nasal twang of the American voice or the clipped and precise tones of the British received pronunciation. But what about something a little different, something that makes you stop and listen, something that grabs your attention because it is unique and interesting? One of the benefits of an international voice is that many people might not expect to hear something a little different.
Brand Image and Identity - If your brand or organisation operates internationally, then you want to reflect that in the work you do and the media you put out into the world. Enhancing your brand image by reflecting the truly global nature of your brand is important when inviting both old and new customers to purchase products and engage with you.
Diverse staff and non-natives - if you happen to have offices, factories, bases or freelance employees all over the world, having a universal sound can help to make any material more relatable to diverse audiences. And, of course, it can help materials like user guides, e-learning and safety information become more accessible to non-native speakers.
So now you know exactly why you should be using an international voiceover, what are you waiting for?
Thanks for reading my blog,
signing out
SBVO
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