International English overs: what you need to know

No doubt about it, English is a global language. Although Chinese may have the most mother-tongue speakers, English wins the race with 1,332 billion speakers  overall.

The Brits and American sometimes joke that they’re ‘separated by the same language’. Although they all speak English, word usage, spelling and pronunciation can be quite different. The same applies to the many other English variants.

International English avoids regionalisms. It targets accents, word and grammar choices that can be understood by the majority of English speakers worldwide.

Defining International English

How can you define the undefinable?

The whole point of International English is to have broad appeal, beyond the speaker’s country of origin. Other names for this accent include Mid-Atlantic English, Transatlantic English and Neutral English.

Well, here are a few things that it’s not:

1. It’s not Mid-Atlantic American, in the sense of the North-Eastern states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
2. It’s not the old movie star/newsreel accent popularized by the likes of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.
3. It’s not confined to the US and UK – International English speakers can come from anywhere.

Preparing an International English script

Like other English variants, the average speaking rate for International English is 150 words per minute. However, it’s always advisable to consider your target audience.

Are you producing content for mother-tongue speakers (albeit in different locations)? Or do you have a substantial number of listeners who speak English as a second language?

Information density and audience age are two other factors that affect speed.

It’s also important to consider your word choices.

After all, having a neutral accent won’t help if the script isn’t also neutral. If you need any help, please let us know.