Text-to-speech is the generation of synthesized speech from text. The technology is used to communicate with users when reading a screen is either not possible or inconvenient. This not only opens up applications and information to be used in new ways, but also has the ability to make the world a more accessible place to individuals who are unable to read text on a screen.
The technology behind text-to-speech has evolved over the last few decades. Using deep learning, it is now possible to produce very natural-sounding speech that includes changes to pitch, rate, pronunciation, and inflection. Today, computer-generated speech is used in a variety of use cases and is turning into a ubiquitous element of user interfaces. Newsreaders, gaming, public announcement systems, e-learning, telephony, IoT apps & devices and personal assistants are just a few starting points.
Speech synthesis makes applications more accessible, allowing people to consume and comprehend information without having to focus on a screen. Here is a quick overview of some key advantages to using text-to-speech:
Text-to-speech provides access to people who are unable to read due to impairment or literacy challenges by offering an alternative way to get information.
By enabling both visual and audio presentation, text-to-speech can help improve comprehension, recall, vocabulary skills, motivation, and confidence. It is applied to online materials to facilitate e-learning.
Text-to-speech can turn any digital content into a multimedia experience, so people can listen to news, blog articles, or even a PDF document, on-the-go or while multitasking.
Cloud computing has made it fast and easy to get started with implementing text-to-speech, and the economics of the cloud also means that it inexpensive to do so.
Applications that use voice to communicate are becoming more common every day. With text-to-speech solutions, websites, mobile apps, digital books, e-learning tools and online documents can literally have their own voice.
Publishers and content owners can quickly and inexpensively convert books, articles, and any written material into audio with text-to-speech.
Text-to-speech provides an easy way to convert learning content into a format that is both more effective and less costly to roll out across multiple languages.
With the use of natural sounding voices, text-to-speech can enhance the quality of interactive call center and support communication applications.