Do you want to improve your Korean language skills but don’t know where to begin? Try this free online reader.
Korean culture is the culmination of more than 3000 years of history. Despite being affected by its Asian neighbors (China and Japan), Korea has developed into a remarkable country.
According to the numbers, more than 75 million people speak Korean, with 48 million speaking it in South Korea and 24 million in North Korea. China has more than 2 million speakers, the United States has roughly 1 million, and Japan has about 500,000. Both South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) speak Korean as their official language. Minor differences exist in spelling, alphabetization, and vocabulary choice (including letter names), but both Koreas basically support the Korean Language Society’s unified standards set in 1933.
There is also no universal consensus on how Korean relates to other languages. The most plausible connections are to Japanese and languages from the Altaic group, such as Turkic and Mongolian. As a result, learning Korean may prove to be a difficult task.
So, if you want to learn more about the Korean language, you should use text-to-speech software. This is an application that uses assistive technology to transform any text or document into audio. If you have a script or novel that you’d like to hear or read in Korean natural voices, this technology can help.
On the other hand, finding a reliable TTS that may help you enhance your Korean language abilities may be tricky because not all of these apps work in the same manner. Others, among other things, have more voices than others and provide more editing choices. It all depends on your objectives and how you want to deliver your audio.
However, there is one of the most complete TTS tools available these days: Woord.
Why Woord?
Woord is a free online TTS with several useful features. It’s available in over 50 languages, including different dialects of English, German, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. You can also choose between a masculine, female, or gender-neutral voice.
All of these capabilities are available for free, allowing you to evaluate the service before purchasing the premium version. Premium voices, a Chrome plugin, an SSML editor, an MP3 download, and up to 20,000 characters each month are all included in the free edition. This software also allows you to adjust the voice’s speed and format.
Woord‘s voice features can also be used in a variety of circumstances. Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities in Woord can be used to construct apps that assist persons with reading difficulties, such as in E-learning and education.
How to use it?
If you want to get an audio file, you have to do the following:
1- Select “Online reader” from the menu at www.getwoord.com, or install the Chrome extension on your computer.
2- Write your content on the whiteboard, then select a Korean voice, gender, speed, and format.
3- When you’re finished, click ‘Speak It’ to make sure everything is operating properly.
4- If you’re satisfied with the result, save it to your computer.
Download Woord’s Chrome Extension.
Also published on Medium.