Engaging a Dutch voice over actors actually might cover a much larger ground than you think. It is a language with some specific distinctions, but at the same time, with links to a number of other languages.
Dutch language is at the same time very specific with some of it pronunciation elements, but also by the fact that it borrows a number of words from German and English, but also to a lesser extent from French and Spanish. Of course, their pronuciation is quite specific to Dutch, but it enables Dutch voice over actors to easily swith between languages.
Dutch belongs to the family of West Germanic languages and is actually the thirds most spoken language in that category. As a close relative of German and English, it is considered to be 'somewhere in between'. The Dutch grammar follows the similar structure as German. Owing to commercial and colonial rivalry in the 16th and 17th centuries between England and the Low Countries, a cognate of theodisk (most likely Middle Dutch Duutsc) was borrowed into English and developed into the exonym Dutch, which came to refer exclusively to the people of the Netherlands.
Along with The Netherlands, Dutch is the official language in Beligum, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Suriname. At the same time, it is also spoken and understood in countries like Indonesia and South Africa, the Afrikaans language being on of its differing descendants. By some estimates it is spoken by 24 million people, but these estimates go as far as 28 million.
Dutch dialects are all directly tied to the Dutch language itself. The area they cover is practically the same as does the standard Dutch. Still, these dialects can be quite diverse and are historically tied to former dutchies and counties. One such example is Gronings dialect, spoken in the Dutch Northern province of Groningen.
Dutch voice characteristics are closely tied to the pronunciation specifics. While some words correspond to other languges, particularly German and English, they are prononuced differently and are quite characteristic to the Dutch language. Dutch voice characteristics are also tied to the differences in the Dutch population itself, with quite a number of the country's inhabitants com from Surinam, Indonesia, Middle East and Turkey. Of course, the voice characteristics differ between the Dutch spoken in the Suriname and Caribbean and with its Flemish variants spoken in Belgium.
The pronunciation of some words and letters is so specific to the Dutch language, that it is often quite possible to distinguish a native speaker from the one that is not. The is particularly tied to the pronuciation of some joined vowels like in the word ui (onion), the pronunciation of letter v (in most cases pronounced as f) or a distinction in pronouncig letters g and h, which to foreigners can seem quite undistingiushable.
Dutch voice actors are often quite versitile, and can be used for services that go beyond their native language.
You’ve got to admire the Netherlands: their influence on global politics and law-making is phenomenal, especially when you take the small size of their country into account. They’ve also maintained their national identity and with it, their love for their own language. Most Dutch people understand English, but you need a Dutch voice over in order to engage them on equal terms.
Like most languages, there are also several local dialects and these have specific associations to the Dutch. If you’re trying to present yourself as a cosmopolitan business, using a country accent won’t do the trick, but our database of voice actors covers the full spectrum of Dutch accents. You’ll find the voice over you need with BunnyStudio. From rural dialects to slick urban voices, we will convey the image you want to present to your audience.
That’s why you need BunnyStudio to help you find, not only a Dutch voice over, but also the right Dutch voice over for your needs. You specify the content, the style and type of voice you’re looking for and we find it. Once you’ve made your choice, it’s all systems go for a Dutch voice over that will hit the sweet spot.