The people listed below have language or subject matter expertise and may be able to help you with pronunciations related to their field.
Accent and foreign language experts can help a narrator properly pronounce another language with the correct inflection needed for contextual meaning.
Industry professionals can decode the lingo and acronyms used by people within certain group, as well as help a narrator understand the context that someone within that specialty would know but wouldn’t necessarily be known by others.
Town and city names are easier to obtain in our research because we can always call people in that area and ask them.
If the person volunteers their time, I encourage you to give some small payment in appreciation when possible. Contact these people directly and let them know that you found them on NarratorsRoadmap.com!
British Isles Accents
- Anne Flosnik is a British native of Southern Irish parentage and has over 20 years of experience in narrating audiobooks with English accents of all kinds, including Scottish, Welsh, Northern, and Southern Irish accents. She has narrated over 500 audiobooks garnering numerous awards and distinctions, with acclaim for accents including others not her own. Anne will provide feedback for these accents and/or help with easy techniques to help you acquire them. Her fee is $75.00 for 30 minutes or $130.00 for a 1-hour consultation. AFlosnik@hotmail.com
Building and Construction Trades
- Mike White spent over 20 years in the building trades. As an example of pronunciation issues you might encounter, “16d nails” should be read “sixteen penny nails”, and “1/4 inch” should be read as “quarter inch” or “a quarter of an inch” but never as “one fourth of an inch”. Contact him for a quote. Michaelwhite402@yahoo.com
Danish
- Melissa Lucas is fluent in Danish and earned a BA in German, an MS in Speech Pathology, an MA in Linguistics, and a Phd in Scandinavian Studies. She is happy to offer free assistance in pronouncing up to 10 words. For sentences or short paragraphs, she’d appreciate $5-10. The fee for longer pieces would be negotiated with the narrator. LetsDansk@outlook.com
Dentistry
- Sara Morsey was a registered dental hygienist for 10 years, was on the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, published, and attained job of Associate Professorship. She will answer a question or so for free but charges $50/hour for questions involving research. SaraMorsey@yahoo.com
Drug Names
- Lauren Pedersen worked a previous career as a pharmacist and still holds a license to practice in Iowa, which requires her to complete annual continuing education. She will offer quick assistance with the pronunciation of a common drug name at no charge. Work that requires further research or extensive time would be charge at $50/hour. ApothecaryAudio@gmail.com
Finnish
- Tuula Beals is native speaker from Finland and can help with pronunciations, meanings, and cultural questions about the Finnish language. She doesn’t charge for help with a word or two. For work requiring more of her time, her rate is $30 per half hour or $50 an hour. TuulaBeals@sbcglobal.net
French
- Alexandra Bitton-Bailey is French Moroccan and grew up in Montreal. Her primary and secondary educations were in French. She completed both her French and Canadian high school studies. In Montreal, Virginia, and Florida Alexandra did theater and was an award-winning public speaker. Alexandra also completed an M.A. in French Linguistics and has been a college professor of French for over 20 years. She also works as a translator for legal trusts. She is working on recording audiobooks in both French and English. She is happy to provide quick assistance (5-10 minutes) for free, for further assistance with pronunciation, translation, or cultural context she charges by the hour ($40 for ½ hour or $80 for 1 hour). Email her at alexandrabitton@cox.net.
- Elisabeth Lagelee speaks native Parisian French and is happy to help with pronunciation, accent and translation questions. She was born and raised in Paris to a French American family. She went through the French public school system and obtained a masters in management from the EDHEC business school. She also worked and studied acting in Paris until 2016 when she moved to the US. She currently record audiobooks and VO in both French and English. She will answer quick questions for free. Her fee for longer projects is $50 for 30 minutes or $90 for one hour or her time. DM her on Instagram or send her email at eli.lagelee@gmail.com.
- Hope Newhouse is bilingual in English/French. She’s an American who has lived in France for 15 years and narrates and acts in both languages. She can help you with French language meanings, pronunciations, and French culture questions. If you have a single sentence or a question she can answer in less than 5 minutes, she is happy to help for free. For lists of words/sentences/questions, contact her for an estimate. Contact Hope through her site above, her professional Facebook page, or DM her on Instagram.
German
- Tuula Beals speaks German and can help with pronunciations. She doesn’t charge for help with a word or two. For work requiring more of her time, her rate is $30 per half hour or $50 an hour. TuulaBeals@sbcglobal.net
- Melissa Lucas earned a BA in German, an MS in Speech Pathology, an MA in Linguistics, and a Phd in Scandinavian Studies. She’s traveled extensively in Germanic-speaking countries and was focused on phonetics when working on her linguistics degree. She is happy to offer free assistance in pronouncing up to 10 words. For sentences or short paragraphs, she’d appreciate $5-10. The fee for longer pieces would be negotiated with the narrator. LetsDansk@outlook.com
Hawaiian
- Shiromi Arserio lived in Hawaii off and on for six years. She can help with pronunciations and also help with differences in pronunciation based on if the person is kamaaina (lives in Hawaii) or Malihini (newcomer). She’s happy to offer free help for just a few words. If you need more extensive help, she charges $50 an hour. admin@ShiromiSpeaks.com
Mathematics
- Kyle Tait studied mathematics at GA Tech and wrote the explanations for the case studies on the How to say mathematical symbols and equations page. As the level of difficulty of mathematical texts varies, contact him for a quote. TaitVoice@gmail.com
Sciences
- David Gilmore taught biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, human anatomy and physiology (medicine), zoology, genetics, and the various branches of each of these subjects for 40 years in American public and private high schools. He offers narrators assistance with the pronunciation of terms in these content areas and brief explanation of the concepts. Initial 15-minutes at no charge. Rates for additional time available upon first contact. David@DavidGilmoreAudiobooks.com
Spanish
- Massiel Pena was born and raised in a native Spanish-speaking family in the Dominican Republic. Her company, Sirena Audiobooks offers Spanish boutique services that includes Spanish translations, editing and proofing plus Spanish full audiobook production. Rates are $35 for 30 minutes, $65 for 1 hour, $85 for zoom video calls. She is happy to offer free assistance for just a couple of words. She will provide recording of phrases plus a document with phonetic pronunciations. She can also assist with translations, latin cultural context, sensitive reader, pronunciation and Spanish accent from Caribbean Islands, Mexico, South America (excluding Brazil), or Spain. MPena@SirenaAudiobooks.com
Swedish
- Tuula Beals speaks Swedish and can help with pronunciations. She doesn’t charge for help with a word or two. For work requiring more of her time, her rate is $30 per half hour or $50 an hour. TuulaBeals@sbcglobal.net
US Military/Government
- Joya Colucci Lord is a US Army veteran and member of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronic Association. She offers a free 15-minute consultation and a negotiable rate after that, depending on scope. Joya@JCGooden.com
Are you a language or subject matter expert willing to share your knowledge who would like to be listed on this page? If yes, please send me an email with this info:
1) acknowledgement that I have permission to publish your info
2) the type of expertise you have and the basis for it
3) the level of assistance you offer and your rate(s)
4) the contact info you want me to use for your listing
I’ll get back with you once I’ve added your info so you can check it for accuracy.