<div dir="ltr">Hi Linden,<div><br></div><div>It's a tricky question. The first thing would be to know whether or not the candidate speaks English well, and how heavy the accent is. My understanding is that NLS prefers readers with a pretty neutral accent, not that exceptions aren't made. I had a Chinese woman audition for me, and I felt badly that we had to reject her because her English wasn't clear enough, even though she had a pleasant voice. We have had British readers in the past, which worked out fine. But you have to make sure that they are aware of the American pronunciations of some words. The fist one that jumps to mind is medicine - which they of course pronounce MED-sin. There are some other words though that really sound completely different. If they aren't good about seeking out those words ahead of time and "Americanizing" them, there will be a lot of corrections to do later. Also, you would just need to make sure that you choose appropriate material for them to read. Having a Brit read a book about the Old West or something might sound odd. </div><div><br></div><div>Regarding your other question, we have not formulated a plan yet for volunteer narrators returning. We will have to negotiate with leadership at Perkins as they make the call on that. I am hoping we might be able to work out some kind of limited/rotating access. We are still out until the 18th of May at the earliest anyway. Our governor keeps extending the stay at home order. When we go back I envision a constant disinfecting of all the equipment after every use. We have about 40 volunteer narrators and four booths. I worry about narrators being in a booth and then another person going in shortly after. Seems like that isn't safe. They can't record with masks on to keep particles that might get into the air contained. That seems to be the trickiest thing. </div><div><br></div><div>Will be interested to hear how others will handle the return as things develop! </div><div><br></div><div>Nancy<br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Nancy Gahagan</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recording Studio Manager</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Perkins School for the Blind</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Perkins Library<br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">175 North Beacon Street</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Watertown MA 02472</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">P: 617-972-7362</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(29,79,145);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Perkins.org</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NG4n4IwEEXiVSPcbZ0ZNJoFI6Rb-lMXf7iQKzBhgJRtU0Mvmuzx7T34RQphqXyv1FDQoyhl4jslNmW3CYx5yC1Vi0Yslryoi7TP3Bq8L1Ri_2XjCyOhy-iB5Lcjcgw76oqRumadA" width="180" height="49" style="border:none" alt="Perkins School for the Blind Logo"></span></p><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialPerkins" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/oVkVQtsgusRXLZODNhC2DKQpBBiQ9ltsQU981GBDlMllV-WVD6ub8oghRBpE32OlJel6AksnXQOZL42odiCnEbPeZxwUXxLEJgqZG2z5oLH-K9R0MkYUtFMOgqUvx2oN4BGvX6qG" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="Facebook Link Icon"></span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/perkinsvision" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/bOFKEkLLbPsk12TmZMF_xgfMIhHvbFcCo5ut4UlxG1GxgJhznTPxOCLjj5nK30CLWUZ4gU1Nlyj20u7mTyNfZ1RAWJy06-awPmHlpkiUgGJvVxVRODB8Ls3l2fM3fwWxw3BEGgOB" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="Twitter Link Icon"></span></a><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/perkinsvision/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/jDQhkqQcBUP1X03FNzfzv97TFKKYM_XuZHm0iZ8l6L92Wx7hSTuTSFQMWIBFK0OO6m2hVvOMUrivFibL9s0cj8cynquFmpsmwYt71nNl012T0LF4jvR6wXSejaT0fi_LZuMYEPPt" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="Instagram Link Icon"></span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/perkins-school-for-the-blind" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sRX04Xee0On1jBSudQ0ArEtADVobU7t1dBJ2MxdRGJwDvGf4VGK322FzSGslx9dP_HV--B6RWieOI3v4pJQXmWmWxAtF8tBfyweRTKDpA2QVJNcSYGe9FIgCjLJE18Rc_jX7K8uG" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="LinkedIn Link Icon"></span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/officialperkins/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/akZb8SRCxPwEZsgsxS-UCbTgZz64fF0csfZVMCxdxUciyTLCAC9xRQhMhBfa4OO8_ABh2Wxs8oc0OjCjE5qTmBAPx4nRFATo6tYDjTQgyyzk7Qr8XN1CXAkoLCPL6XgbQHYKQWXX" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="Pinterest Link Icon"></span></a><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PerkinsVision" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Nta-fRDheIf0PvRyFsS35W4BQRByc9WU7lJ6mzkhW82hOPFMSahVi5LIA5PZTX6uIZxbE8dzu0WRIQTOzHdkKN-9SrrD3be5vX5uVoD_wzubE-Jdiy_XDtdv_3_rPGsms5hBLDWB" width="18" height="18" style="border:none" alt="Youtube Link Icon"></span></a></span><br></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 11:35 AM Coffman, Linden <<a href="mailto:LCoffman@library.in.gov">LCoffman@library.in.gov</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Hello to all,</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
This is coming to you from my remote location and I suspect that many of you may be in the same boat as I am. I hope that all of you are doing well and staying healthy. These sure are interesting, and for those of us who do what we do, challenging times as
well. </div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Question One: What do you do in regards using narrators with a foreign accent? Do you use them? This comes because I have had a volunteer application sent to me from someone who is originally from India? I have not spoken to her directly as we are clearly
weeks away from opening up to outside volunteers, but I wondered how the rest of you would handle this. Many of the foreign nationals that I know and are friends with speak and read English fluently but the accent is still there. Suggestions?</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Question Two: Have any of you or your institutions come up with procedures for restarting the recording process after this Covid 19 "shelter in place" ( we've officially called it "Hunker down, Hoosiers" here in Indiana)? If you've got anything written down
or anything at all, I'd be interested in seeing how you might be handling the reopening.</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Thanks to you all and stay safe.</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
(See attached for the types of hazards / distractions when it come to working at home)</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Linden Coffman</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Director, Indiana Voices</div>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
studiotalk mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:studiotalk@islemail.org" target="_blank">studiotalk@islemail.org</a><br>
<a href="http://islemail.org/mailman/listinfo/studiotalk" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://islemail.org/mailman/listinfo/studiotalk</a><br>
</blockquote></div>