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On the one hand, I agree that finding a BBC Presenter Voice is the most professional for this sort of thing. On the other hand, your post struck me as loaded w

by crux_ 17y ago

On the one hand, I agree that finding a BBC Presenter Voice is the most professional for this sort of thing. On the other hand, your post struck me as loaded with racist and sexist overtones. If you don't want to come across that way, you should be more careful with your word choices. Finally, unless I'm completely of base, the speaker has a Chinese accent. Nothing India about it.

viraptor 17y ago
Well... I see where you're coming from, but I assure you there was no racism. Sexism... well - depends what's your take on it - a toned down, smooth voice of a person of the opposite sex is generally considered "most pleasant". That's how it's treated in marketing and that's how big companies make their presentations to people who aren't already into the product. IT is dominated by men, so a girl is a practical choice if you want to be successful. Why no racism? I'm not a native speaker. I simply can't understand the demo in some places. It's not a problem of the language per se. I'd tell the same thing to people who can't speak in their own language clearly enough -- find the "best voice" for your target audience and use it instead. But those would be really rare cases - the most common problem is a native / not native accent. Every time I know I don't need a proper dialog with a customer, I pass the information back through the support people (native speakers). Customers have a better experience this way. As for the Indian call centres - it was just an example of a case where we don't usually have a choice (banks, services, support, etc.) not a comment on this exact accent. Still - reality, not racism. PS. My choice of words might be caused by not being a native English speaker myself <- these problems are also what you want to avoid making a public demo :)
- crux_ 17y ago
  I can only report my own reaction; I can't read your mind nor determine your intent. As to "why racist," a big part of my impression came from the way you chose to present your experience as excruciatingly unpleasant, rather than an obstacle. Toss in a stereotype, mix well. An example of sexism, beyond your desire for a sexually attractive presenter: it seems to me that in your world men are 'men' and women are 'girls.' Edit to add: Your written English, at least, is just fine. :)
- moe 17y ago
  a toned down, smooth voice of a person of the opposite sex is generally considered "most pleasant" IT is dominated by men, so a girl is a practical choice if you want to be successful. That's actually not true. When you switch on the tube you will notice that most commercials (except those that are supposed to have women identify themselves with) are dominated by male voices. Being forced to use a female voice in an ad is usually considered a weakness because male voices are more effective in binding your attention and suggesting "trust". Regardless I don't think all of this plays much of a role in a tech screencast. I agree that I want to understand the damn thing, so get a pleasant speaker (of any gender) and don't make me suffer. From there my decision for or against a product will be influenced by so many details, I doubt "pleasant voice" affects it much.

by crux_ 17y ago

viraptor 17y ago

Well... I see where you're coming from, but I assure you there was no racism. Sexism... well - depends what's your take on it - a toned down, smooth voice of a person of the opposite sex is generally considered "most pleasant". That's how it's treated in marketing and that's how big companies make their presentations to people who aren't already into the product. IT is dominated by men, so a girl is a practical choice if you want to be successful. Why no racism? I'm not a native speaker. I simply can't understand the demo in some places. It's not a problem of the language per se. I'd tell the same thing to people who can't speak in their own language clearly enough -- find the "best voice" for your target audience and use it instead. But those would be really rare cases - the most common problem is a native / not native accent. Every time I know I don't need a proper dialog with a customer, I pass the information back through the support people (native speakers). Customers have a better experience this way. As for the Indian call centres - it was just an example of a case where we don't usually have a choice (banks, services, support, etc.) not a comment on this exact accent. Still - reality, not racism. PS. My choice of words might be caused by not being a native English speaker myself <- these problems are also what you want to avoid making a public demo :)

crux_ 17y ago
I can only report my own reaction; I can't read your mind nor determine your intent. As to "why racist," a big part of my impression came from the way you chose to present your experience as excruciatingly unpleasant, rather than an obstacle. Toss in a stereotype, mix well. An example of sexism, beyond your desire for a sexually attractive presenter: it seems to me that in your world men are 'men' and women are 'girls.' Edit to add: Your written English, at least, is just fine. :)
moe 17y ago
a toned down, smooth voice of a person of the opposite sex is generally considered "most pleasant" IT is dominated by men, so a girl is a practical choice if you want to be successful. That's actually not true. When you switch on the tube you will notice that most commercials (except those that are supposed to have women identify themselves with) are dominated by male voices. Being forced to use a female voice in an ad is usually considered a weakness because male voices are more effective in binding your attention and suggesting "trust". Regardless I don't think all of this plays much of a role in a tech screencast. I agree that I want to understand the damn thing, so get a pleasant speaker (of any gender) and don't make me suffer. From there my decision for or against a product will be influenced by so many details, I doubt "pleasant voice" affects it much.