South African English

South African English voice-over

Native voice actors from South Africa, cast for your audience and directed by our team. You hear a shortlist and approve a written quote first.

Tell us about your project

Samples

We send South African English samples chosen for your script.

Request South African English samples

Human
Real human voices
Every voice is a professional actor in a booth. No synthetic voices.
Native
Their first language
Cast from speakers who grew up with the language your audience speaks.
Directed
A director on every line
We listen for meaning, pace and pronunciation in the session, not after it.

South African English voices

No public South African English demos yet. We record samples on your own lines instead.

Samples on your own lines

Send a few lines of your script and we come back with South African English voices reading them.

Tell us about your project

What South African English voice-over is hired for

South Africa
English is a business and media language in a country with eleven official languages.
Southern Africa
South African voices are also used regionally.
Global audiences
Brands use South African English as a clear, neutral-leaning accent.

Typical projects

Banks, insurers and telecoms
Mining and energy companies
Retail and consumer brands
Public bodies

South African English in a voice-over brief

South African English has distinct vowel sounds, such as a higher pronunciation of the vowel in “kit”, and everyday words from Afrikaans and African languages, such as braai and robot. Accents range from the broad to the neutral and vary with the speaker’s first language. A brief names the audience, the accent strength and whether an African-language version will follow.

Accent and direction notes

What our director listens for in a South African English session.

Distinct vowels
South African English has a recognisable vowel system that local listeners notice at once.
Many first languages
Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and other speakers shape the accent differently.
Local vocabulary
Words such as braai and robot (traffic light) are local. Scripts get a check.

What casting decides in South African English

Broad or neutral accent
Local ads can use broad accents; corporate work leans neutral.
English with another local language
Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa have their own pages.

How we work

Casting
We shortlist voices for your language, audience and tone, and explain the difference between them. You choose, and approve a written quote.
Direction
A director runs the session against your brief: meaning, pace and every agreed pronunciation. You can listen in remotely.
Delivery
Every file is checked against the script word by word and technically, then delivered in your format and naming.

What decides the price

No price list: every quote is written for your project and states usage and the delivery date.

Length: Word count or running time of the finished audio.
Use and territory: Internal, online or broadcast; where it runs and for how long.
Voice: Some languages and voice profiles are scarcer than others.
Picture and files: Recording to timecode, splitting and naming add work.