TTS (text-to-speech) is an assistive device that reads digital text out loud. It’s also known as “spoken aloud” technology.
TTS can translate words on a screen or other digital device into audio with the click of a button or the touch of a finger. TTS is very beneficial to children who have difficulty reading. It will, however, assist children with writing, editing, and even concentrating.
How Text-To-Speech Works
TTS is compatible with almost all personal digital devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. All types of text files, like WordPress texts, can be read aloud. And web sites on the internet can be read aloud.
TTS uses a computer-generated sound, and the reading speed can normally be adjusted. The tone of the voices varies, but some of them sound human. There are also computer-generated sounds that imitate the voices of infants.
When words are read aloud, several TTS tools illuminate them. This helps children to both see and hear text.
Optical character recognition is a technology used by some TTS software (OCR). TTS software can read text aloud from images thanks to optical character recognition (OCR). Your child could, for instance, take a picture of a street sign and have the words on the sign converted into audio.
What Is Text-To-Speech And How Does It Benefit Your Child?
For students with reading difficulties, print materials class, such as textbooks and handouts, may be a barrier. This is because some children have difficulty interpreting and comprehending handwritten words on the paper. Such challenges can be overcome by combining digital text with TTS. Free interactive text-to-speech books may be available for your kids.
TTS also provides a multisensory reading environment by allowing kids to see and hear text while reading. When reading, researchers discovered that the mixture of seeing and hearing text:
- Word comprehension is improved.
- When reading, it improves your ability to pay attention and recall details.
- Allows children to concentrate on listening rather than trying out sentences.
- Increases the ability of children to remain focused on reading tasks.
- Help students in identifying and correcting mistakes in their own writing.
TTS, like audiobooks, would not slow down your child’s reading progress.
Types Of Text-To-Speech Tools
There are a variety of TTS resources available depending on the system your child uses:
- Text-to-speech (TTS) software built-in: Many applications have TTS tools built-in. Chrome is compatible with desktop and notebook computers, as well as smartphones and digital tablets. This TTS will be used by your child without the need for any other applications or software.
- Internet applications: On-site TTS resources are available on several websites. Dyslexic children will also be eligible for a free Bookshare account, which has downloadable books that can be read with TTS. TTS applications are also distributed for free on the internet.
- Chrome has a number of text-to-speech (TTS) methods, including Woord. These tools can be used on a Chromebook or other device that runs the Chrome browser.
- Text-to-speech software applications have the following: For desktop and notebook computers, there are also many literacy software systems.
There are several online resources for text to speech translations, but the procedure is tedious and some of these services require payment. Text to speech translations, on the other hand, are much easier to do with any free software.
Many people find Woord’s text-to-speech software to be very helpful in allowing people of all ages to follow the text’s speech on the screen. Listening to a text read aloud in a natural voice is a relatively modern technology that is still evolving. For many people, hearing the errors through Woord is much easier and less difficult than recognizing them by reading.
This software helps you to convert your text into professional speech for free, using premium female or male voices to make it sound more authentic. It’s great for adults with dyslexia, children learning to read, e-learning, tutorials, and YouTube, among other things.
Woord’s Online Reader is a unique tool that aims to create a wide range of Artificial Intelligence enabled services and products such as text to speech.
This text to speech service speaks in high quality, with realistic sounding male or female premium voices. How do you use Woord’s Free Online Reader?
- Just type a word or a phrase, or import any document.
- Choose the speech rate that works for you.
- Start from any position in the text.
- Replay the text as many times as you wish.
Sign up here: www.getwoord.com
If you want to listen to some audios before signing up, you can explore his Public Audio Library.
This service can also be used to improve your child’s listening and speech abilities, as well as their grammar. In addition, when doing anything else, you should listen to some published materials in authentic voices.
Create an audio version of the written material to assist visually disabled individuals, amuse, or teach your children. Start speaking from where you last stood, remembering the paused spot.
In case you need a free text to speech service for different accents such as: Australian English, French, American English, French Canadian or Brazilian Portuguese, Woord is also an option. Accents are available both in female and male voices.
In addition to English, the Woord’s Online Reader also supports Italian, French, Chinese, Dutch, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish voices.
If you want to have a look at Woord’s Chrome Extension, click here.
Also published on Medium.