For work or university, we sometimes have to read long, monotonous reports or studies, yet we can’t read for another minute or our brains would turn to mush. Perhaps you understand the advantages of listening to your text while reading it, but find it quite difficult to speak out loud while reading.
While studying is beneficial, the stress of overstudying can cause physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach problems, as well as long-term health problems. This is why it’s essential to take a break and perhaps go for a walk, but what can you do if you still have to study? Pay attention to the book!
There are several advantages to listening to a book rather than reading it:
- develops critical listening abilities
- Focus and attention span are improved.
- enhances memory
- Enhances critical thinking and understanding abilities.
- Focus and attention span are improved.
- enhances memory
- Enhances critical thinking and understanding abilities.
- aids those with vision problems and reading difficulties (dyslexia, etc)
Using a voice reader might be your salvation for these and many more reasons. We’re talking about an application that lets you listen to the text you’ve written. This is accomplished with a text-to-speech (TTS) tool, which is software that converts any text into audio using assistive technology.
You should examine whether TTS offers the most authentic voices before utilizing them; else, you’ll end up sounding more like a robot than a person. Furthermore, not every text-to-speech software will accept a PDF, which is why we prefer Woord.
Why Woord?
Woord is a free online TTS with a variety of interesting features. It’s available in over 50 languages, including many English dialects, Portuguese, and Spanish. It also lets you choose whether you want a masculine, female, or gender-neutral voice. All of these features, as well as all of the languages, are accessible on the free plan, allowing you to get a feel for the service before investing in the premium version. The free edition includes up to 20.000 characters each month, premium voices, a chrome plugin, an SSML editor, and MP3 download. The voices in this software are real, and you may modify their speed and format.
What is the best way to utilize it?
- Go to www.getwoord.com and choose “Online reader,” or download the Chrome extension.
- Paste the book you wish to read on the whiteboard, or browse for a document to read, then select the gender, language, pace, and format.
- When you’re completed, click ‘Speak It’ to make sure everything is in order.
- Once you’re satisfied with the outcome, save it to your computer.
Also published on Medium.