Voice User Interface Design

Chapter 17. Working with Voice Actors

We deliberately use the term “voice actor” in the title instead of “voice talent” because these two terms have different connotations. When we think of a voice talent, we think of someone with a full and resonant voice—someone who could be a radio announcer, or perhaps someone who can do different foreign accents and celebrity impersonations. “Talent” connotes a raw, innate gift. In contrast, an actor does more than just perform announcements and vocal tricks. An actor assumes the role of a character—in the world of speech interfaces, perhaps a customer service representative, an executive assistant, a tour guide, or a stockbroker. Actors breathe life into characters, and those who voice speech applications, ...