[Studiotalk] Narrators with an accent?

[Stephen Lewis]

NLS has very specific guidelines that can be cited:

Art and Science of Audio Book Production - Issued September 1995: Evaluation of Narration
...
The narration is free of strained, unclear, inconsistent or overplayed accents, dialects, or character interpretations.
https://www.loc.gov/nls/other/audioart/evaluation.html
https://www.loc.gov/nls/other/audioart/allinone.html

... and a document I have a digital copy of but which I can't find on the NLS website:

NLS Engineering Section Advisory Document
CRITERIA FOR JUDGING NARRATION
This advisory document was prepared for the NLS Engineering Section by:
Bill West, Audio Book Production Specialist / July 22, 1996
...
4.            Narration of the text
The criteria for judging narration of the text include, but are not restricted to, the following:
...
f. the narration shall make effective use of the speech art skills that are most appropriate for avoiding character interpretations, dialects, and accents that are strained, unclear, inconsistent, or overplayed

I've always heard this expressed as: we should strive to approve narrators with little or no regional accents.

However, this can be significantly constraining and I know several of our local Texas narrators have thicker accents than I would prefer. That said, as others have indicated, you can focus those narrators with specific regional accents towards appropriate titles.

- SMiles Lewis
Volunteer Recording Studio<https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/vrs.html>
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
Talking Book Program
Audio Production Administrator / Studio Director
(512) 463-5546 voicemail
(512) 936-0685 fax
www.TexasTalkingBooks.org<http://www.texastalkingbooks.org/>
www.Tsl.Texas.gov/tbp/<http://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/>

From: studiotalk [mailto:studiotalk-bounces at islemail.org] On Behalf Of Coffman, Linden
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2016 8:51 AM
To: studiotalk at islemail.org
Subject: [Studiotalk] Narrators with an accent?

Hi all,

I have not had this come up but it may and I wondered how some of you may have handled this?  How does one decide if a narrator has too thick of an accent to be effective as a reader?  I do not want to accused of discrimination in regards to the individuals I select, but on the other side I have a patron population that may not be able to follow a narrator with an accent, especially a foreign one.  Any suggestions?  Ideas for handling this issue?

Linden Coffman
Director
Indiana Voices
Indiana State Library
Talking Book & Braille Library
315 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317-232-3683
E-mail: lcoffman at library.in.gov<mailto:lcoffman at library.in.gov>

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