GoLocalise
Professional American voice actor recording in a broadcast-quality studio

Voice Over · American English

American English voice over services

American voice actors for corporate video, eLearning, advertising, animation and more. General American and regional US accents, all recorded in broadcast-quality studios.

360M

US English speakers

General American

& regional accents

48h

Delivery

Native speakers only
Broadcast-quality studios
24–48h turnaround
Dedicated project manager
Trusted by global brands
Native speakers only
Broadcast-quality studios
24–48h turnaround
Dedicated project manager
Trusted by global brands

Are you an American English voice actor?

We're always adding new voices to our roster. Send us your demos and we'll consider you for upcoming American English projects.

Join our roster

About American English voice over

Find the right American voice for your project

The United States is the world's most competitive media market, and American audiences hear world-class production constantly. An American English voice over has to be as sharp as everything around it — and unmistakably American, not British.

We record American English for tech and DTC brands, entertainment, healthcare and eLearning, matching the accent and energy to the category, from upbeat consumer to measured and authoritative.

The biggest difference between a UK and a US recording is not the accent — it is the paperwork. American voice work runs on a union structure that has no real British equivalent: national broadcast campaigns are frequently cast from union talent, and fees are built as a session payment plus a separate usage payment tied to where the work runs and for how long, renewed in cycles rather than bought once. A British producer used to a single buyout figure can budget an American campaign correctly and still be surprised at renewal. Tell us where the work will run, on what media and for how long, and we will quote the usage properly rather than leaving it to be discovered later.

And the script needs converting, not just reading. A British script handed to an American voice actor produces an American voice reading British copy, and the audience hears it: dates arrive in the wrong order, a billion may not mean what the writer intended, floors are numbered differently, measurements are imperial in a different way, and words like «whilst», «amongst» and «maths» simply do not appear in American writing. None of it is a pronunciation problem, so none of it can be fixed in the booth. We localise the copy alongside the casting and flag anything ambiguous before the session.

«General American» is not a place on a map. It is the accent that reads as being from nowhere in particular — the default of national broadcast, news and corporate narration — and it is what most briefs mean when they ask for American. The regional accents are a separate decision with strong associations attached: Southern reads as warm and unhurried, New York as direct, Upper Midwest as plain-spoken and trustworthy. Those associations are useful when you want them and distracting when you do not. Tell us the category and the audience and we will recommend which way to go before you shortlist.

Not sure whether you need union talent, or what the usage will cost over two years? That is the conversation to have before you cast, not after. Send us the script, the media and the term and we will send you an itemised quote and a free casting — two or three American voices auditioned against your own material, so you are choosing from your material rather than a demo reel. Get a quote or just tell us what you are planning and we will tell you what it involves.

Two other things separate American work from British in practice. The first is pace: American corporate and commercial reads generally sit a little faster and a little more energetic than the British equivalent, and a UK-paced delivery lands as tentative to an American ear. The second is that self-tape and remote direction are entirely standard in the US market, so there is no reason to accept a voice actor you have only heard on a demo reel. We record auditions on your script by default, without charging for it, and you can direct the session live over Source-Connect, Zoom or Teams from wherever you are.

And if the same content also has to run in Spanish, plan it now rather than later. Around forty million people speak Spanish at home in the United States, and bilingual campaigns are ordinary rather than exceptional. The Spanish used for a US audience is not the same as the Spanish used for Mexico — it carries more English, and the conventions come from the major US Spanish-language broadcasters. Ask us for both at the same time and the terminology stays consistent across the pair, which it does not when the two are commissioned months apart.

Get my voice over quote
American voice actor recording a script in a professional studio
360M
Speakers
General · Regional
48h
Delivery

Voice over rates

Professional American English voice-over recordings

From £400

/ €500 / $550

per hour in the recording studio

That hourly rate is the Basic Studio Fee: the recording session itself, with the voice actor, the casting, the direction, the studio and the engineer included. Any buyout — the usage fee — is added on top and quoted separately: it depends on the markets the recording runs in, the media it runs on and how long you licence it for. Every line is itemised, and all of it carries our Price Match Promise.

Standard

For short corporate content, phone prompts and internal communications.

  • Up to 150 words
  • 1 revision included
  • Output in .wav or .mp3
  • 48h turnaround
Get a quote
Full production

The complete service for longer content: eLearning, advertising and anything running past a few minutes.

  • Any word count
  • Casting + script review
  • Post-production included
  • Dedicated project manager
Get a quote

Case study

American English voice over case study

Advertising · General American

American sports-commentator voiceover for the Vileda Challenge

Vileda, a household name in homecare products since 1948, needed a viral campaign voiceover that could capture the American market with the excitement of a sports broadcast. The brief called for a voice that could bring genuine Super Bowl-commentary energy to a video originally scripted in Italian.

We translated the original Italian script into English, then presented the client with a shortlist of American voiceover talent suited to the sports-commentator style. The chosen artist recorded multiple takes at varying intensities, directed by our sound engineer to find the read that best matched the brief.

American voice actor recording a sports-commentary style advert in a professional studio

“The client expressed great satisfaction with the final voiceover, which not only met but exceeded the campaign's requirements.”

— GoLocalise

Trusted by global brands

We have used GoLocalise on a regular basis for projects in a number of languages. The service we receive is great. The team is always friendly and professional. The voiceovers we receive are of a very high quality and the turnaround is extremely quick. We are very happy to recommend GoLocalise to other businesses.
Jo SamuelAnimator at Pixel Circus
Pixel Circus logo
We’ve worked with the GoLocalise team on countless video projects and have always had the same consistent, great experience. Not only are they responsive and quick on turnaround, I can always trust the VO will be done right – they are always 100% clear with communication and ensure their talent is prepared to record by asking necessary questions upfront before recording. Highly recommended and will definitely work with them on future projects.
Jonathan LappsAccount Manager at Epipheo
Epipheo logo
It was a pleasure to work with David and the team at GoLocalise. David gave me lots of help and advice, guiding me through my first subtitling project. He really knows his stuff! The experience was completely pain-free. I would not hesitate to recommend GoLocalise – outstanding work at a good price.
Kerry GilliesDirector at Synergy Language Services
Synergy Language Services logo
They’re reliable, adaptive and obsessed with quality. And while you can never be 100% guaranteed of perfection, you can be sure GoLocalise will go the extra mile to get it right every time. Whether that’s hiring extra resources, hopping on multiple calls or even changing their internal processes, they’ll do what it takes. We’ve worked with them now for over 5 years and we are truly thankful to have such a strong localisation partner for our business.
Lucas ColeSales and Marketing Director at Epipheo
Epipheo logo

How can we help you?

Managed end to end by one person

1

Brief review

We go through what you send, weigh the style notes against who is listening, and point out anything written for the eye rather than the ear.

2

Casting

We shortlist for the American register you need — General American for national reach, or a regional voice where the audience is local.

3

Recording & production

Once the casting is settled we handle the rest: studio booking, session direction, editing and post-production.

4

Delivery

Files delivered to spec and on time, ready to drop into the edit.

Usually back with you within 24 to 48 hours

The same project manager throughout

Professional native American voice actors

Every take recorded to broadcast standard

Most common questions

Do I need union talent for a US campaign?

It depends on where the recording runs. National broadcast and large paid campaigns are frequently cast from union talent; corporate, internal, eLearning and much digital work is not. The difference matters for budget because union work carries a session fee plus usage renewed in cycles rather than a single buyout. Tell us the media, the territory and the term at brief stage and we will quote it correctly rather than revising after the fact.

Can an American voice actor just read our British script?

They can read it, and it will sound like an American reading British copy. Dates, numbers, floor levels, measurements and words like «whilst» or «maths» all give it away, and none of them are pronunciation issues a voice actor can fix while recording. We convert the copy as part of the job and flag anything ambiguous before the session so you are not paying for a re-record.

Do we need American or British English?

For a US audience, American English signals you belong; for the UK, British — and we can produce both from the same script. Send it over and we'll quote your target market(s).

Which type of American accent do I need?

A neutral American tone is the safest choice for broad national or international content. Regional accents, like Southern, Midwestern, New England and New York, can add authenticity and warmth where the content or audience calls for it specifically.

Is American English understood the same way internationally as British English?

American English is often associated with entertainment, tech and consumer brands, while British English tends to read as more formal or authoritative. The right choice depends on the tone your brand is going for, not just the target geography.

How quickly can an American English voice-over project be delivered?

Short scripts are usually back within 24–48 hours; longer or multi-voice work takes a little more, and your American English project manager confirms a firm date up front.

How much does an American English voice over cost?

American usage licensing is its own discipline, and the reason a US rate quoted elsewhere may look nothing like ours: national broadcast, cable, regional spot and digital are separate rights with separate terms, and a read licensed for one does not cover the others. We set the licence against your actual media plan rather than selling you a blanket buyout you may not need. Session fee and licence itemised, Price Match Promise included.

Do you offer American English dubbing, subtitling and translation as well?

Yes — and if the same asset is also running in the UK, book the pair together. Spelling, dates, units and half the vocabulary change between the two, and the captions have to change with the read.

Why choose GoLocalise for American English voice over services?

We are a London studio recording American English, which sounds like a disadvantage and is usually the opposite: our US roster is cast for the accent rather than for proximity, and the whole session runs in your morning rather than the middle of your night. American listeners are unforgiving about a British actor approximating the accent, so we do not do that — the voices are American.

What file formats do you deliver American English voice overs in?

We hand over American English voice over files in any standard format — WAV, MP3, AIFF and beyond — to broadcast specification, as separate tracks or a single combined file.

What do you need from us to quote American English voice over?

Less than people expect: the script, or the draft of it, its total running time or word count, where the recording will be used, and the date you need it by. If the script is not signed off yet, send the draft anyway — we would rather quote on what exists than wait for a version that eats your deadline. A named project manager comes back with an itemised quote, normally within four working hours.

How quickly will we hear back, and who will we be dealing with?

More than half of enquiries get a reply within thirty minutes during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm UK time), and the itemised quote normally follows within four working hours. After that you have one dedicated project manager who owns the job from brief to final file — not a ticket queue, and not a different name on every email. If it is easier, call +44 207 095 5730 and ask for them by name.

We are still pitching and the budget is not signed off. Can we still get an American English quote?

Yes, and it is one of the commonest reasons people get in touch. Tell us it is for a pitch and you get a figure you can put in front of your own client, itemised so it stands up to being picked apart, with no obligation and no follow-up sales calls if the pitch goes elsewhere. If it lands, the quote still holds and we already know the project.

Ready to start your American English voice over project?

Let us see the American English script and we will come back with voices worth hearing.

The complete solution to localise your content

Voice over

  • State-of-the-art studios
  • Neumann microphones
  • On-hand sound engineers
  • 1,000+ voice actors
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Translation

  • 100+ languages covered
  • Tailored to your needs
  • Stringent quality control
  • Dedicated project managers
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Subtitling

  • Experienced subtitlers
  • Industry-standard software
  • Burn-in and graphic editing
  • Open and closed captions
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Transcription

  • Improve accessibility
  • Reach a wider audience
  • Boost SEO and video views
  • Maximise video engagement
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★★★★★5.0 · from 149 reviews · 24–48h