What is Text-To-speech technology?

Text-to-speech or TTS is a type of assistive technology that turns your digital written text into audio. TTS is considered among the best technologies in this era, as it is very helpful to certain people such as people with some kind of disabilities, sight problems, kids, students who can't find time for reading, or simply people who prefer listening over reading. All it takes is a few clicks and then you will be able to listen to your books rather than reading them, or maybe listen to the handout assigned by your professor on your way home.

How does TTS Work?

Text-to-speech is computer-generated since it uses computer-generated voices similar to human voices. There is a variety of voice types and qualities that you could choose from whether you like a female soft voice, a little boy childish voice, or it could be a sharp deep male voice, so it all depends on what matches your taste.

Why TTS and who could use this technology?

Text-to-speech technology is designed for everyone to use; however, there are certain people who could benefit from it the most. People with sight issues or some kind of disability could use TTS, as it will enable them to listen rather than read and perhaps they want to read a book so badly, or read that newspaper but they just can't; therefore, TTS is the go-to for them. People who hate reading books could use TTS as well since it will save them the trouble of reading, and let's be honest; sometimes, reading could be boring for certain individuals and that is where TTS thrives, it will help them listen to their books rather than reading them. Not only that, they get to choose their preferred voice, as I mentioned before. Your kids could use this technology too. How? In school, your kid will be assigned to read printed material and handouts; however, it is not very optimal since kids struggle with decoding and understanding written words on paper, not to mention that it's quite unfun and boring for him/her. With that being said, Text-to-speech is very useful in this situation as it creates a multisensory experience for your kids which enables them to develop certain skills. Some researchers have found that the combination of seeing and hearing text while reading is very beneficial:

develop a good memory while reading

improved word recognition

developing meticulous hearing and reading skills

increases the ability to pay attention

help kids recognize their mistakes and fix them in their own writing

Students in college, high school, or even university could make good use of TTS. Instead of settling down in your room to read material and handouts assigned by your professor, you could use TTS to listen to that material while jogging, or having a coffee outside on a rainy day. You will be accessing your reading material with ease and in a comfortable position of your choice. Not to mention that TTS is perceived favorably by the students who used it.

TTS to learn new languages? YES. Let's suppose you are an immigrant and you want to learn the language of the host country, it could be quite challenging since in most languages the way a word appears spelled out in letters often doesn’t match up with the way it sounds phonetically and TTS will offer the ability to listen along to the way words sound at the same time as reading; therefore, it will save you time, energy and possibly money if you are looking to hire a teacher.

Do you want to listen to your favorite books or the newspaper while doing your laundry, driving home from work, or washing dishes? TTS offers you the ability to do both if you are a decent multitasker.

Where can you find TTS technology?

Text-to-speech technology is everywhere, you could simply just google it and find a decent program, platform, or app depending on your needs. Some of them might have a bad voice quality or shortage of voice varieties and usually, those are the free platforms. Look for a paid platform or program to use as it will make your TTS experience better. I personally use www.naturaltextreader.com (smooth platform, good voice quality, and a lot of voice types to choose from) but you can find hundreds of platforms on the internet, choose what suits you most.

All in all, TTS is indeed among the most cutting-edge advances that artificial intelligence has made possible as it makes reading life so much easier, as well as aiding people in need.