The world where we live never falls asleep. It is probably running at par with Maglev – the human creates the fastest train in the world. People barely get 5 hours of sound sleep a day. Then how does a person grapple with several tasks at a time, or how do they relax– they multitask. Suppose a person works in front of the intense computer lights 8 hours a day, daily. Will she expose herself to that straining lights again for another 1 or 2 hours to find the perfect cake recipe to surprise her son, or will she look for a cookbook and open it up on the dining table for accurate measurements? Probably none; text to voice she would have preferred option one if she had a choice to hear the measure instead of reading it. Plato rightly said – “Necessity is the mother of all invention”. Technology has brought in text-to-speech software to meet various challenging needs like this. Let’s learn more about what this technology exactly is and how else it is beneficial.
What is a Text to Voice Tool?
It is an online method using primarily Optical Character Recognition technology to convert text into sound. You must enter the content you want to listen to in a text-to-voice application. Then, it will be converted to sound or audio so, whether you need the cake measurement to bake a soft and smooth sponge cake or hear your favourite fiction while your way home from work, you can enjoy listening to it while doing your other tasks. Hence, it saves much of the precious time and energy too.
Why Use Text To Voice Tool?
Now that you have the world at your fingertips through the internet, you want to do all you find interesting. However, it consumes a lot of energy and time to read each content. So, hearing it does two jobs at one stone.
Eye-Strain
The people who spend most of their time on the internet suffer from eye strain when they read the lengthy content. A study suggests that more than 50% of academic and professional computer users suffer from Digital Eye Syndrome and other computer-related eye diseases and discomforts. Hence, the best and attractive solution for all such issues is using the online text reader. Moreover, the content, such as e-books, huge assignments, thesis, business profiles, testimonials, etc., and their paper help is easy to listen to using text to audio.
Dyslexia and other ailments
The primary benefit of text to speech is that it is read out loud so that everyone can listen to the content. Unfortunately, written texts become a roadblock to increasing knowledge for visually impaired people. Some people also desire to learn, but various physical ailments deter them from growth. Text to voice helps people with dyslexia, blindness and other such disabilities to stay updated about the current news and offer them a learning and communication platform.
Use for Business
The promotion of the business through advertisement is easy. It scratches out the need of hiring professionals for the voice over to the promotional content. Companies can save more while gaining the benefit of text to voice. You only need to build creative and exciting content for your brand and enter it into the online tool. It will read it out in either male or female voice as you desire. Adopt this worthy strategy for all the promotional content and take the rational move.
Technology for the techno-ready population
Approximately 244 million babies are the first generation born in a foreign land. These migrant citizens and their families may face severe practical problems with their language proficiency and schooling in foreign lands. For these people, text to voice tools can be a boon to mould them and become a part of society. In addition, by 2030, 59% of the senior citizens (counting between 90.1 million to 1.4 billion) will be internet ready. If internet contents are accessible in the text to voice forms, they can have a better user experience, and life can become more accessible.
Accessible to all
Are you aware that 15-20 per cent of the worldwide population has some form of language-based learning disability? Did you know that 14 per cent of adults in the US are illiterate, and many have only basic reading skills? Making your online content audible helps the online population to understand the text better. The text is read and highlighted simultaneously so that the reader may easily follow along.
Features of Text to Speech
What features should you look for if you invest in a text to speech tool?
Multiple Languages
Go for the text to voice online tools that read the content in the language you want. Ensure that it supports multiple languages, and you can benefit from it no matter wherever in the world you are. The most frequently used languages are English, UK, English US, Google, Google Espanol, etc.
Selection of Speed
This feature is an approach for saving even more time. After entering the text, you must have the option to choose how fast you want to listen to the content. You must have the authority to maximize the speed or even hear slower than usual. The range of speed that text to voice online tool offers is from 1 to 10.
Selection of Pitch
It is another feature that your choice of tool must-have. It would help if you had control over the pitch of the sound or audio. You can get better output and satisfaction from the technology if it supports a range of 0.5 Hz to 20 Hz.
Quality Outcomes
The giant dictionary and database help in the recognition of characters quickly. Hence, it easily determines the content and converts it into sound. As a result, these flawless performance and quality outcomes are highly likeable, ample to please the masses.
Types of text-to-speech tools
Depending on your strength, skill and needs, you can choose any of the following types of Text-to-voice tools:
Built-in text-to-speech:
Many devices have built-in text-to-voice tools; you can use them without purchasing unique apps or software. It includes desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and digital tablets and Chrome.
Web-based tools:
Some websites have these tools on-site. For instance, you can turn on our website’s “Reading Assist” or “Paraphrasing Tool” tool, located in the lower-left corner of your screen, to have this webpage read aloud. Text-to-speech apps:
You can also download text-to-speech apps on smartphones and digital tablets. These apps often have unique features like text highlighting in different colours and OCR. Some examples include Voice Dream Reader, Claro ScanPen and Office Lens.
Chrome tools:
Chrome is a relatively new platform with several text-to-speech tools—Read&Write for Google Chrome and Snap&Read Universal are a few new additions. You can use these tools on a Chromebook or any computer with the Chrome browser.
How to Use Text to Voice Tool?
Now enjoy listening to the written web, academic content or fictional without any hurdle. Many websitesoffer an excellent text to voice online tool that demands only a stable internet connection. It is free to use and involve the following simple steps:
- Open up the Text to speech online tool on your browser.
- Enter the text in it
- Now choose the language along with the version, such as the female or male versions.
- Choose the speed and Pitch
- Click at the Play button and enjoy listening to the content
This online text reader will read the entered content in the language and speed that you like until you pause. Use it multiple times and get to know about the content’s information.
3 Best Text-To-Speech Tools
1. Text To Speech
Despite being a free text-to-speech converter, this app offers many features.
- There’s no character limit on text
- Can speak more than 40 languages
- Generates up to four distinct voices per language
- Allows playback adjustment by volume, speed, and pitch
The only downside is that the associated text-to-mp3 converter is limited to 100 characters.
2. NaturalReader
This free, in-browser text-to-speech service is the most accessible tool. It allows you to:
- Toggle on a font that’s easier for readers with dyslexia to follow, and text is adjustable by size. Free voices are limited to one per each of the seven available languages.
- Premium subscription, you can add more natural voices to the content, along with an additional language, Swedish.
- Playback and downloadable mp3s.
The only disadvantage – you are limited to 20 minutes of premium voices per day, but free options are unlimited.
3. Free TTS
This app allows you to transform text blocks of up to 5,000 characters into speech mp3s. The free version limits you to just 6,000 characters per week; more are available on a paid subscription. Voice quality is more natural than average for a free service, and you can choose between 13 speakers in English. However, though you get 25+ language choices, you are limited to four voices for each.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, the above discussion gives you the confidence to go for a text to voice tool and assists you in choosing the right one if you are contemplating your choices.
Author Bio: Rose Haughes is a data scientist at a renowned research institute in London. A curious individual himself, she is always on the mission to solve the world’s miseries with technology. In her free time, she supervises all computer science assignment services of MyAssignmenthelp.com.
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