Over in my
audiofic thread , Schnuffichen mentioned that she brought my recording in to a language learning program in order to discuss pronounciation.
It got me thinking. As you may
recall , I've been looking for something productive to do with my time. I've got a lot of limitations these days.
It occurs to me, though, that recording my voice is someting I can do. Not professionally. All the usual problems would apply there (unpredictable schedule, unreliability, etc). But there are probably a fair number of people out there who don't want, need, or expect to afford professional recordings but who would still appreciate having audio clips to work with.
I've got the basic tools (again, not professional quality, but "good enough" for those who don't really need that level). Given a flexible schedule, I've got the time.
What I don't have (yet) is knowledge and contacts. I don't know who would need something like that. I get the feeling they're out there. People trying to learn English. People with impaired vision. People who learn better from hearing than from reading. People who want to listen to stuff without having to print it out or take their eyes off something else (like the road). Other people with needs I'm not even thinking of yet.
But I don't know who they are, exactly. I don't know how to find them. I don't know how to help them find me. I also have no idea how much (if anything) I could really charge for my services. Or if there's a company or foundation or something I could work through within the scope of my limits.
At this point, it's all just a wild idea with no actual backing. But at least it seems possible, and that's better than I've found in years.
Any of you nice FoLCs out there have anything to share? Suggestions, advice, thoughts, information, etc. Whatever you've got is probably more than I have right now.
Paul