| Converting text to speech has been a hot topic | | | | companies seeking ways to improve their |
| for many years. Not only because this is | | | | customer service or developing mobile phone |
| significant technological advantage, but because of | | | | applications. |
| the importance of its uses. | | | | It is not hard to get a text to speech converter. |
| Converting text to speech or the so called | | | | Nowadays all computer operation systems |
| "speech synthesis" is the artificial production of | | | | support it. Apple was the first that integrated a |
| human speech. A text to speech system | | | | TTS system into their operation system. During |
| converts normal language text to speech. The | | | | the years they invested into developing the |
| two most important factors of the process are | | | | feature and now their operation systems come |
| the similarity of the artificial voice to a human one | | | | with a fully supported program to text conversion |
| and its ability to be understood. | | | | - Plain Talk. Windows users can also benefit from |
| Nowadays computers are used to convert text | | | | TTS integrated into the operating system. |
| to speech. The first computer that was able to | | | | Windows systems also feature a voice recognition |
| do this was developed in the late 1950s and the | | | | engine so that voice commands cn be given to |
| first complete text-to-speech system was | | | | the computer. All Windows versions after |
| completed in the early 70s. Since then the | | | | Windows 95 have a speech synthesis program |
| process of developing better text to speech | | | | called Narrator, directly available to users. |
| systems continues. The main challenges in front | | | | Moreover Windows Server 2003 features a |
| the people developing TTS systems are to | | | | complete package for voice synthesis and |
| improve the semantic representation of the text | | | | recognition, for commercial applications such as call |
| being converted, to improve the pronunciation | | | | centers. Linux users can also benefit from text to |
| according the punctuation within the text, to | | | | speech applications such as Festival Speech |
| improve the pronunciation of the words within the | | | | Synthesis System. |
| text. | | | | Internet also offers various text to speech |
| The most common use of the text to speech | | | | synthesis tools. Power Text to Speech Reader |
| systems is providing accessibility for people with | | | | and Text Aloud are just an example of software |
| serious disabilities. Visually impaired, people with | | | | that can read messages from a mail client or web |
| dyslexia or other reading difficulties can use | | | | browser. Since the latest trend in web |
| computers, read and work normally because of | | | | development is mainly to make web more |
| the text to speech systems. Converting text to | | | | accessible, many websites implement narrators to |
| speech is used by pre-literate children, by | | | | help disabled people read their websites. |