This is a short first-person reflection by Hadar Shemesh about pronunciation, identity, and finding freedom in one’s authentic voice. She recounts trying to imitate a friend’s speech, how it diminished her own voice for years, and encourages letting go of the need to sound like others to feel and sound like oneself.
I had this friend, and I remember always wanting to be a little bit like her, especially how she sounded. She would help me with my pronunciation, and she would record lines from a certain scene, and I would repeat them. And I really wanted to sound like her, and I didn't. And I think the attempt at trying to sound like someone who is not me diminished my own voice. And I think that the need to sound like her or like other people or like other actors that I've known really limited me for years. I just think that when you give yourself the freedom to be yourself and sound like yourself, and not that obsession about sounding like a native or sounding like other people, then you will discover a lot more freedom with your voice and what you're actually capable of. And most importantly, you'll feel like yourself, not like a fake version of yourself.
Read Out Loud with me! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown | Pronunciation & Vocabulary practice
