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Dear English-speaking visitor: you might get lost in translation because the above video was produced for the German-speaking market.
Video Editing & Content: Splash News, Los Angeles
Voice-Over & Translation: Dana Heidner-Krueger

Q: What type of German do you speak?

Dana Heidner-Krueger: I speak German without any accent or dialect. It is my native language and the one I speak with the most  accuracy. When speaking English, I have a strong German accent.

Q: Should voice-over for the German market always be spoken in Standard German?

DHK: It depends on what you want to sell. Let’s take a commercial for Chevrolet. Here, you could easily book a voice with a swanky American accent. It can make your product more recognizable and place it above the competitors.
On the other hand, if you want to sell a German car in the U.S, you might want to take a voice with a German accent. One of the best (and funniest) commercials in this regard is the Volkswagen commercial “Un-pimp your ride”.

Q: Doesn’t German sound harsh and unfriendly?

DHK: This is a statement I hear once in a while. In fact, it is so ingrained in some people’s brains that most of them think I am French rather than German when they hear me speaking. German is like any other language in that it is able to sound melodic and convey gentleness. There is a reason why Germany is called “the land of poets and thinkers.” However, if you want me to sound harsh and unfriendly — I can do that;)

Q: How does one become a German voice-over professional and reporter in the U.S.?

DHK: The German language has always been my passion. At school, I was the kid who led discussions in German class and was really bad at math. Another favorite class was English. A third was social studies. I hated to study and loved to chat. So, after my career in German radio and my move to the U.S, I was able to combine all of my passions. By living in the U.S, I speak English regularly. By doing voice-over, I have continued to speak German on a daily basis. And the reporting covers both the bilingual and the social studies aspects of my personality.

Q: How do you know all these things?

DHK: I am quite nifty.