Worldly Voices : Russian Voices
Mother Russia... Opulence... Rasputin...
What do you think of when you hear a Russian accent or the Russian language?
Find out more about this beautiful language in our interview with Natasha Votyakova, native Russian voice talent.
When you think of Russia, images are evoked of caviar, furs, books by Tolstoy, Faberge Eggs, tennis player Anna Kournikova, the Romanov Dynasty, and Doctor Zhivago.
While chatting with Russian voice talent Natasha Votyakova, Natasha pointed out not only is Russian culture and history a part of mainstream knowledge, the Russian language is also very widely spread across the world.
According to Natasha, who happens to speak both Russian and Ukrainian, there are Russian and Ukrainian diasporas in Canada, the US, Israel, and Australia to name just four. This further implies that the Russian language is quite popular with International clients from those countries as well as other nations.
In particular, Natasha has found that the numerous jobs she has voiced for North American clients vary quite a bit, including voice work for telephone IVRs, broadcast television and radio commercials, to corporate presentations and educational recordings.
Again, the US Dollar comes out as the currency of choice when billing clients outside of Russia. I wonder if this is the case with all freelance artists globally?
Natasha also shared that her efforts to find work online are amplified by her presence at Voices.com and manages her own network of contacts around the world.
By using a neutral accent, Natasha is able to provide clear voice overs that can be used anywhere in the world where Russian or Ukrainian is required. There is a vast difference between native speakers and those who pick the language up in other ways, noted mostly in the heaviness of the accent.
To learn more about Natasha Votyakova, visit her website:
If you are seeing patterns here, you're not alone!
So far, nearly every voice talent featured on the blog this week has agreed upon these five things:
1. Always bill in US Dollars when working with clients outside of your homeland
2. Having a neutral accent is far better than a regional dialect to be hired more universally
3. It is very important for clients to hire native speakers for jobs in foreign languages
4. Marketing efforts are rewarded more so online than through offline efforts
5. The majority of International voice talents do not have US talent agency representation
Next up, we have a feature on German voice talents, so stay glued (or subscribed) to VOX Daily!
Best wishes,
Stephanie
