“The next station is Deák Ferenc tér… change here for metro lines M2 and M3…” We all recognise that soothing female voice guiding us around Budapest’s transport system in English. Now those familiar tones are coming to the city's historic metro 1 line, in a new initiative by city transit company, BKK. Ever wondered who is the woman behind the announcements? We chat to Rachel Appleby about how she came to be the English voice of Budapest’s public transport network.
Coming to Budapest
Rachel first came to Budapest in 1990 with her boyfriend at the time. The two of them were working in Madrid at the time, and her boyfriend wanted to move to Moscow. “That wasn’t on my list,’” Rachel explains, “so we compromised by coming halfway”. And that brought the couple right to Budapest. “It was that random,” says Rachel, “but I loved it”.
After several years of teaching English at International House in Budapest, Rachel accepted a teaching position at ELTE. It was through a colleague that she was recommended for the position of reading the English announcements. “One of my colleague’s students was working for BKK,” she explains, “and they were looking for a female British speaker who lived in Budapest, could speak some Hungarian and pronounce the station names, and who would be able to do regular random recording”.
The woman behind the metro
Due to the ever-changing nature of the Budapest public transportation – think the ongoing metro 3 reconstruction and replacement buses – Rachel usually does recordings every three or four weeks, in a studio. These then go live three or four days later. Due to the current situation, however, some adaptation was in order...
What is the process of recording the announcements?
"I’m given the texts, but always read through them first. Usually they’re fine, but occasionally I change the odd word. The BKK people are great, though – very international, with quite a lot of wording checked against what’s said on TfL – Transport for London. Some phrases, however, are more ‘international’ than the ones in the UK, because we’re catering here largely for a tourist population. I do have a say, however. I really appreciate that."
Do you ever get recognised for your voice in public?
“Most people I know here in Budapest – friends and colleagues – already know it’s my voice. I did, however, meet someone for the first time a while back and she said, “I’m sure I know you from somewhere…” We hadn’t met, but she knew my voice. When they first started using my voice on the metro in 2012, I used to get messages from friends visiting Budapest who were surprised to hear my voice! I know that many of my friends – and my mother-in-law – say “Hello” or “Goodbye” to “me” when they board the trams. That warms my heart!”
Were your students at ELTE ever surprised to have the voice of the metro as their instructor?
“There was often a bit of giggling in a new class at the start of the semester, and one student would be elected to ‘go and ask her’, which of course I found amusing. More usefully, however, I’ve had students tell me that they never forget to do their homework because they heard me on the way in to the university, or on the way home. I like that little unintentional ‘nudge’!”
Travelling around the city
Rachel herself prefers to travel around the city by bicycle, she explains, as she dislikes hearing herself on the loudspeakers. “When it’s raining, though, I take the bus,” she says. “I always keep my head down, because I’m sure the other passengers must know it’s me. Of course they don’t!”
Keep an ear out for the new English metro 1 announcements and we wish you a pleasant journey… goodbye!
