On a recent self directed medical equipment explainer voice over job for a client in Sweden I had sent him the VO recording only to find he thought my pronunciation of a word was incorrect. The word in question was “respiratory” and my client was adamant that I had got it wrong.

The way I have always said this word is “ris-pira-tree” with the emphasis on the second syllable. He sent me a reference to an online pronunciation website where the word was said “res-pera-tor-y”.

So I recorded the version my client preferred and sent him the amended files. At the time I was quite busy and so did not have time to double check the pronunciation elsewhere. It was a bit disconcerting as I’ve said the word my way for my whole life – only to find I had apparently got it wrong.

However further, more recent, research has confirmed I was right – at least if you want “British-English” and my client was right if you want “American-English”.
Which I think I probably did already know but I had been wrong-footed by the situation.  I had queried some words in the script but not respiratory as it was one I was confident I knew how to say only then to be pulled up on it.

Actually for this particular job the client is correct as the product I was describing in the voice over will be sold all over the world and for – people who have English as a second language – American English pronunciations do seem to be more widely known then the British ones.

Chris Radley -Voice Over