Hear, Hear!
A new book just came out by Cyril Flerov and Michael Jacobs on voice training for interpreters: Improving the Interpreter’s Voice.
![[Improving The Interpreter's Voice book cover]](https://i0.wp.com/www.ata-divisions.org/ID/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/improvingvoicecover-202x300-202x300.jpg?resize=202%2C300&ssl=1)
It is now published and available worldwide from:
(You can check out as a guest and do not need to create an account.)
The book also has a companion website with free voice training tips, vocal warmups, and recorded exercises as well as links to voice training resources:
https://interstartranslations.
Simultaneous and consecutive interpreters must master control of their voice if they want to achieve perfection in the art of interpretation. This unique collaboration between a conference interpreter who teaches simultaneous and consecutive interpretation and an actor who teaches public speaking and accent reduction for interpreters summarizes decades of experience in teaching interpretation, improving the voice, and mastering vocal techniques.
The authors explore critical concepts such as:
• finding your natural fundamental frequency so your voice is less subject to stress and fatigue;
• using the fall intonation and nuclear tones to have more flexibility in simultaneous interpretation; and
• giving listeners what they expect, minimizing a foreign accent, and using pauses appropriately.
Image: https://interstartranslations.com/voice
What a pity that there are interpreters who do not consider voice production and elocution to be important! So is accent (or lack thereof) for instance. I know of two busy interpreters whose regional British accents are so strong that they would be incomprehensible to say, an American.
Regional accents in native tongue reduce interpreter credibility. This is one of the topics the book discusses.