A husky and hoarse voice is bad news for interpreters or anyone who speaks for a living. Last week, I signed up for a networking event dedicated to all things voice. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend in person, but I caught up with the recording later. I have learned that steam, water (lots of water) and a gentle hum all work a treat for warming up the voice in the morning. Good to know that hot showers are more than just pure indulgence… The pitch of the voice is equally important. When we speak too low and drop below our natural pitch, we have to work harder to project our voice. Minding our voice also means avoiding shallow breathing and trying to articulate when speaking. Our listeners will thank us for that.
Although I would have preferred to follow the webinar live, I had a good excuse to miss it. I attended the ITI London Regional Group Christmas Party, which was an actual in-person event, so not one to miss in these pandemic-plagued times. I had a nice time over mulled wine, minced pies and stollen. The good sustenance made the conversation flow easily. I am probably not the only person who craved face-to-face contact and interaction.
I’m not working today, but I have an important item left to cross out on my to-do-list. I mean the p-word, as in pension or planning for retirement. This action item was prompted by a webinar organised by the Institute of Translation and Interpreting on the aforementioned topic. Although I have a private pension, I have never sat down to calculate how much money I really need to retire comfortably. And since it is my long-term dream to spend the cooler months of the year in warmer climes, I should stop dodging the ‘p” word and get down to planning.
