Overview:
Text-to-speech (TTS) software has become essential in today’s fast-paced world, and it has shown a remarkable impact on people’s lives. TTS is an intelligent technology that converts written text into spoken words. With this software, individuals can listen to any written content, podcasts or audiobooks without necessarily reading them. In this article, we will discuss who uses the software, benefits of the software, features of the software, 5 examples of relevant software products, how to use the software and drawbacks and limitations of the software.
Who Uses Text-To-Speech Software?
Individuals with disabilities: individuals with visual impairment find TTS software useful as it reads out loud any written text on their behalf, which they could have found difficult if they were to read the text themselves. Also, people with dyslexia or other learning challenges could make use of TTS software to convert any written content into spoken words for easy understanding.
Business Professionals: Business professionals tasked with researching online material for work can find TTS software beneficial because it saves them time that they could have used to read lengthy documents. They can listen to the material while they multitask on other work-related tasks.
Benefits of TTS Software?
Saves Time: The software can convert a long written document into spoken language in a shorter time compared to reading the document yourself, which could take an individual several hours.
Improves Comprehension: It is much easier for individuals to comprehend the written material when they hear the words spoken aloud, compared to sometimes challenging and complicated written vocabulary.
Convenience: TTS software provides convenience because it offers individuals the chance to listen to their written texts while on the go, without necessarily holding the text.
Features of TTS Software?
Language and Voice Options: TTS software offers users the option of choosing any language they would like and the type of voice they prefer spoken aloud. It can provide more than ten language options, which makes it highly versatile.
Speed and Volume Control: The software has control settings for adjusting the speed of speech and the volume level that works best for the individual’s preference.
Offline Reading: Some TTS software allows the text to be copied offline so that the individual can listen to it in offline mode.
5 examples of TTS Software:
1. Natural Readers (naturalreaders.com): It offers voice options of both men and women’s voices, with different accents. It can be downloaded for offline use, and it comes with a browser extension that can read online websites.
2. Read Aloud (readaloud.com): It can be incorporated into different software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader. It supports various languages and voice options. It has control settings for adjusting speech speed, volume and format.
3. TextSpeech Pro (textspeechpro.com): It offers excellent voice quality and a wide range of language options. It has control options for adjusting speed and volume. Users can convert any text into an audio file.
4. Voice Dream Reader (voicedream.com): It has a built-in dictionary, which offers explanations for any difficult words. Users can create playlists for listening to the text. It can integrate with Dropbox and Google Drive.
5. Balabolka (balabolka.com): It can support different file formats such as PDF and HTML. It has control settings for the volume and speed of speech, and it offers various voice options and language options.
How to Use Text-To-Speech Software?
To use TTS software, one needs to select the appropriate software that meets their needs, install the software, and copy the written text they want to listen to. Once the text is copied, they can paste the text into the software, and then they can choose the control settings such as the type of voice preferred, the speed of speech and volume level. Once the control settings are set, the software will convert the written text into spoken words.
Drawbacks and Limitations of TTS Software:
Voice Quality: The quality of the voice may be misleading because the software may sometimes mispronounce words.
Limited Accuracy: It does not detect the tone, style and context of the written content. It can sometimes lead to poor comprehension if the software reads the text in a monotone voice.
Limited Language Options: While most software supports multiple language options, some may have a limited number of language options.
Conclusion:
In summary, TTS software provides people with disabilities with the ability to read written material, and it offers business professionals the chance to multitask on different projects. TTS software is beneficial because it saves time, offers convenience, and improves comprehension. Different software options, such as Natural Readers and Voice Dream Reader, offer various language and voice options, control settings for speed and volume of speech, and offline reading. However, the software poses limitations such as voice quality, accuracy and limited language options. When used appropriately, TTS software can be a vital tool for enhancing the human experience.