As an audiobook narrator, I frequently have to pronounce names that are unfamiliar to me. Here are some steps I take to make sure that I'm getting them right.
1. I ask the author for a pronunciation guide. Ideally it is print and recorded.
1. I ask the author for a pronunciation guide. Ideally it is print and recorded.
2. If the author is unavailable, I use tools like forvo.com or YouTube to look for interviews in which the name is used by the author.
It takes longer, but is better than having to return to rerecord parts of an audiobook to fix the mistake later.
It takes longer, but is better than having to return to rerecord parts of an audiobook to fix the mistake later.
3. I write a phonetic rendering above the name in my script so that I remember how to say it when I get there. This isn't using a fancy phonetic alphabet, it's just syllables that are easy for me to grok.
Michi Trota, for instance, I might write as MITCH-ee TRO-tah
Michi Trota, for instance, I might write as MITCH-ee TRO-tah
4. I practice the name in context. Sometimes, I can mimic something perfectly when I first hear it, but the words leading up to it put my mouth in the wrong position.
Often, when this happens, I'll start with the name and then back up in the sentence, adding a word each time.
Often, when this happens, I'll start with the name and then back up in the sentence, adding a word each time.
For instance I'd build backwards like this:
* AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Memory Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* A Memory Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* Memory Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
* A Memory Called Empire by AHR-kah-dee MAHR-teen
It's a technique that puts the bulk of the rehearsal on the thing that you are unfamiliar with but focused so that the sentence and your mouth shapes are leading to it.
It doesn't take more than a minute to do.
It doesn't take more than a minute to do.
5. If I'm still having trouble, I might also work with a coach.
For instance, at the Nebula Awards, Aydrea Walden worked with a Mandarin coach so that she felt confident saying Liú Cíxīn (lew tsuh-shin*) on a live broadcast.
*(tones not rendered here.)
forvo.com/search/%E5%88%…
For instance, at the Nebula Awards, Aydrea Walden worked with a Mandarin coach so that she felt confident saying Liú Cíxīn (lew tsuh-shin*) on a live broadcast.
*(tones not rendered here.)
forvo.com/search/%E5%88%…
As a note: if you're looking for a name that's not written with a roman alphabet, then pasting in the original spelling will often get you there and more accurately.
Again, it's a little more work, but well worth it.
Again, it's a little more work, but well worth it.
I hope that this view into a narrator's life is interesting and useful for other people.
