Accent and Dialect Reduction

Description

Have you ever thought that you might need help with Accent and Dialect Reduction?  Were you born in Brooklyn? Or the Deep South? Or perhaps even Mexico or Germany? If you have an obvious accent or American regionalism, it may be holding you back from booking some of the jobs you would like. Especially if you are trying to break into the national or even global voice over market. Most casting professionals want to ensure that their audience will connect and identify with the voice talent they are hearing, and prefer someone who might sound just like your neighbor, regardless of where the spot will air. A Boston accent might be just fine for a local Massachusetts piece but inappropriate for a high paying national gig. Our resident accent specialist Pen-Pen Chen is here to help you deliver in the coveted Standard American, neutral accent. 

In this hour-long, one-on-one Accent and Dialect Reduction session, Pen-Pen will help you develop a routine to reduce your accent or regionalism. Your session will touch on topics like breathing, diction, articulation, and the clarity of your words. Each session with Pen-Pen is different and catered to the needs of the individual student. 

Pen-Pen Chen is President/CEO of Penguistics Solutions, LLC, her educational consultancy based in New York and Edge Studio’s resident speech and language pathologist. Her clients include many notable people:, she has interpreted for Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She trained translators, interpreters, and reporters for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; advised on intercultural issues for Frontline News Service, and facilitated contract negotiations for executive movie producers. She even co-hosted a bilingual talk-radio show “Talkbox” on Beijing’s Radio 774.

Pen-Pen is also a lecturer in the Curriculum and Teaching and Bilingual/Bicultural Department at Hunter College, and an English language and curriculum consultant to the United Nations. She was recently named a TED-Ed Innovative Educator and has created TED-Ed lessons as well as the voice-over narration.