best text to speech

best text to speech

The Benefits of Text to Speech Technology

1. Introduction

Text to speech (TTS) has recently become an area of great interest for many businesses. Fueled by the growth in computer and mobile applications, the trend is likely to continue. In fact, some companies are already beginning to experiment with speech enabling web content as a means of reaching a broader audience. The appeal of TTS is that it provides a cost-effective alternative to having a human or recording professional narrate a document, product, or piece of web content. The time and cost savings are apparent when you consider that recording often takes twice as long as the actual reading of the content. In addition, changes in the content can be very costly if a professional is needed for re-recording. With TTS, the text can simply be edited and then reprocessed. These advantages are often the motivation for many businesses to utilize TTS technology; software or web content that may have never been available in audio form can now provide access to a disabled or multitasking user. The goal in the future is to make TTS sound more natural and to add more intonation to the user’s spoken language. This is already the case in some demonstration systems and will be improving as more TTS research is conducted.

2. Improved Accessibility

Text to speech technology can improve the lives of the elderly and those with aging issues. In today’s modern world, technology is constantly changing, leaving the elderly further and further behind and making it increasingly difficult to access information. Text to speech software can be a way to level the playing field and make information more accessible again to the elderly. In addition to making information more accessible, text to speech technology can be a way for the elderly to maintain their independence for a longer period of time, as text to speech software is a tool they can use to help them complete tasks on their own. Finally, text to speech software can be used as a safety and multi-tasking tool for the aging, allowing them to listen to information while doing other tasks, or to have a way to produce spoken information in case of an emergency situation.

Text to speech technology can enhance the lives of students with learning disabilities. By providing multiple ways to access the same material, text to speech technology increases the likelihood that students with learning disabilities will comprehend the material they are reading. In addition to increasing comprehension, text to speech technology can increase the ease and efficiency of gaining access to information. Students can simply sit back, close their eyes, and listen, decreasing the time and effort it takes to get through reading material. This can be a great benefit to students who tire from reading after a short period of time. Finally, by having computerized text read aloud (thus removing the focus from the mechanics of reading), text to speech software can free up students with learning disabilities to focus on the content of the material.

3. Enhanced User Experience

It has been well documented that technology is supposed to make life easier for society. With the integration of TTS technology, lives are made easier prosodically. In a university study on prosody in text to speech, first prosodic characteristics of speech are defined. Duration, prosody, and loudness are investigated. Taking into account these characteristics, a study was conducted to determine whether or not TTS speech with modified prosody could improve comprehension in readers with learning disabilities. The group of readers without learning disabilities’ comprehension levels were not affected by the modified prosody. The readers with learning disabilities had significantly improved comprehension levels from the modified prosody speech over normal speech in many of the tests. Thus, we see how TTS technology can be tailored to benefit specific user groups. Another example of TTS technology tailored to specific user groups is a study on the use of TTS technology in adult literacy. TTS technology combined with visual text can ease technology adoption and improve reading outcomes for adult literacy learners. In the study, learners had difficulty reading due to slow speed and poor literacy. A themed reading lab with volunteers was set up to assist learners with TTS technology. Learners rated TTS to be a great resource due to the ability to hear the correct pronunciation and tone. In particular, learners considered TTS technology to be non-judgmental and patient tutoring allows for repeated reading and revision for the correct comprehension. TTS technology can help learners who have had negative experiences with learning to read in the past and lack self-confidence in their reading ability. Learners reported for one themed reading session to have improved greatly in understanding, pronunciation, and comprehension of the text. TTS technology used for specific user groups has shown that tailored speech can improve reading comprehension and learning outcomes.

4. Increased Productivity

Increased productivity is a common claim regarding the use of text-to-speech. Microsoft claims that using speech recognition software and dictating text is up to three times faster than typing. This could be useful for the blind, who want to be more productive when using a computer. It is also said that Microsoft’s new speaking features can increase reading speed. According to Don Johnston, a person only reads as fast as they can write (typically around 20 words per minute). If a student needs to read a 25-page article, it would take them about two and a half hours. By using text-to-speech software, the student can listen to the article at double the speed, finishing in half the time. Text-to-speech has the potential for making some learning disabled individuals more productive. For example, a dyslexic person may be able to understand a sentence when hearing it but have difficulty when reading the same sentence. By having the computer read the sentence aloud, the dyslexic individual can save time by comprehending the sentence the first time he hears it, rather than reading it several times.

5. Conclusion

There are many benefits to be gained when considering the possible applications for TTS technology. The disabled have much to gain from this emerging technology. Those with visual impairments can be aided in their daily computing needs, as TTS can make it possible for a blind person to have a news article read to them. This same news article can be used in researching a topic for a school project. Instead of relying on a family member to read the article, they can be more self-sufficient and copy the text into a word processor for later reference. Text to speech synthesis can also be used as an aid for those with learning disabilities. The read-along function can highlight the spoken text as it progresses, teaching the user valuable reading and pronunciation skills. Second language learners can benefit from TTS technology in lessons that involve language learning. An English language teacher to speakers of other languages can use the technology to make audio files with an artificial foreign language accent. This exercise can help students better understand proper pronunciation and the flow of the English language. Audio files can also be a resource for the student, as listening to the audio and following along with the text will reinforce word recognition. Text to speech can convert electronic text into spoken translations for languages that are difficult to learn. By copying and pasting the translated text, this can be a cost-effective way to translate documents.