Voice Talent of the Month - Adnane Ettayebi

This month we interview Adnane Ettayebi, one of our Arabic voice talents at the Great Voice Company. Adnane speaks 5 languages fluently. You may have heard him on national TV! Let’s learn more about his fascinating life.

Where were you born?

I was born in Morocco.

Where have you lived?

Morocco, US, France

Where do you live presently?

New Jersey

What languages do you speak fluently?

Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Italian. In Morocco, both Arabic and French are the main spoken languages, so I learned both classical Arabic and French since the first grade.

How did you learn so many different languages? School? Travel? At what age were you fluent in more than two languages?

I was born in Larache, in the northern part of the country very near Spain, so Spanish was also widely spoken there. I learned it in pre-K since the teacher spoke only Spanish. When I was about 5 years old, my family moved to Salé (outside the Moroccan capital Rabat), and when I was about 13 years old, we bought a special satellite dish so we could see foreign channels, including the Italian channel RAIUNO. I learned the language by watching Italian TV. I also studied it more formally at the university, where I went on a 6-week study program to Urbino, Italy in the summer of 1994. There I was really able to practice my Italian on a daily basis. In the summer of 1995, I went on a similar program to Spain to practice my Spanish. I started to learn English in the 10th grade (age 15). Now I am able to read, write and converse fluently in all of these languages.

When learning a new language does it come naturally or does it involve a lot of work on your part?

It does come very naturally for me. When you learn a new language, you have to be ready to incorporate the culture(s) of the people who speak it. If not, you will have a hard time and will not get very far. But you have to constantly work on your language skills by learning the correct grammar and associating yourself with very well educated natives of that language who speak it correctly and flawlessly.

What brought you to the United States?

By the time I was 19, I spoke English fluently enough that I was accepted at a US university. I came to the US in 1988 to get a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. But, by a very interesting turn of fate, I ended up getting a Masters in Translation and Interpretation, through which I discovered my passion for languages.

How did you know you were cut out for the voice-over industry?

It was right before the first Gulf War, after Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait. Peter Arnett interviewed Saddam Hussein on CNN, and while watching, I decided to try to interpret his answers and comments simultaneously from Arabic into English. I discovered that I was not doing a bad job at all, and that my rendition was often better than that of Saddam’s official interpreter, at least that is what some people who were with me thought. That was the first step toward a complete career change, which was absolutely the right move for me.

Did you have formal training in voice acting? If so, what?

None, just practice and listening.

What do you like best about doing voice-overs?

It's a lot of fun and I like to hear my voice on important programs such as 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, American Morning, etc.

What types of jobs have you done for 60 Minutes, 48 Hours and American Morning?

• I was the voice of Osama Bin Laden on CBS and Fox News just after 9/11 (I did both simultaneous interpretation and voice-over).
• I translated and did the voice-over of the Al Qaeda videotape the FBI found in Afghanistan in which Osama Bin Laden praises the 9/11 attacks and the hijackers.
• I translated a portion of "L'effroyable Imposture" (The Frightening Fraud) by Thierry Meyssan in which he claims that the WTC attacks were a great US government conspiracy, for CNN's American Morning with Paula Zahn.
• I translated Dan Rather's last interview with Saddam Hussein for CBS, in addition to a few other things.
• I was the voice of Saddam Hussein on CBS, Fox and NBC during the War on Iraq.
• I just did a piece with 48 hours on the circumstances surrounding the “accident” that led to the death of Princess Diana and Imad (Dodi) Al Fayed. (interview with the head investigating officer from the French Homicide Squad).

What else do you do in the way of acting? Where? What do you enjoy the most?

I was approached to become a catalog model when I was 21, but I never followed through (and somehow glad I did not). It could have been fun though.

Why didn’t you follow through with the modeling?

At that time, I just was not interested. I am glad I did not because if I had, I may have gotten too busy to continue my studies, which would have been a terrible mistake. Moreover, I'd much rather be appreciated for and build my career on my knowledge and intellectual capabilities, which, hopefully, will outlast any look.

Where are you in the photo above?

This is me in front of the Indonesian Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I was a Simultaneous Interpreter during the International Conference of Islamic Scholars held there last February.

What else should we know about you?

I am married to Isabelle, a lovely French woman I met while I was going to school in Paris. Isabelle speaks French, English and German, and is learning Arabic at this point. We have been married for over 5 years now and have two beautiful daughters: Maryam (3 and _) and Leila (19 months). At age 3, Maryam speaks English, Arabic and French, and is starting to learn Spanish just from being around Spanish speaking children and teachers at school. In October 1998, just 3 months before our marriage, my wife (then fiancée) and I co-founded Globe Translators and Interpreters (www.globeti.com), which is based in Belleville, NJ, just across the river from the Big Apple. We specialize in translation, interpreting and language services in over 90 languages.