Voice and speech coaching for interpreters working into English

My name is Tim Birkett and I’m a voice and accent coach based in London.
Since qualifying as a voice coach in 2008 I’ve worked extensively with interpreters - notably with Christine Adams and Zoe Hewetson, delivering the voice and speech modules as part of their London based training courses. For a broader view of my work, visit my website.

The lessons will be guided and structured by the individual needs of the student. They can be taken over the course of three months, giving students time to develop the new skills they have learned between lessons.

Why voice, speech and accent lessons for interpreters?

Acting and interpreting may seem to be very different jobs, but in terms of voice and speech both professions require proficiency in 3 main areas:

• Clarity: Do your words sound right. Does “ship” sound a bit like “sheep” - or “dog” sound a bit like “dug”? Does your “th” sound like an “f”? Sometimes an actor can afford to be ambiguous if it’s right for the accent. An interpreter can’t!

• Tune: Every language and accent has its own musical patterns - its prosody. There’s a whole world of subtle meaning in these prosodic patterns. It’s important that you learn to use prosody appropriately. Getting the prosody wrong will confuse or irritate your audience. Failing to use prosody at all will simply bore your audience.

• Vocal Technique: A trained actor will learn the techniques needed to deliver their text in different performing environments. The specific vocal demands of interpreting can be considerable. Exercises used to train actors can easily be adapted to help interpreters meet their vocal needs.

If you if you have any questions or would like to find out more about working with me, please feel free to send me an email at tim_birkett@hotmail.com.