ReadTheWords.com is a free, web-based service that uses TTS Technology, or Text-To-Speech
Technology, to generate a clear sounding audio
file from almost any written material. A voice reads
the words you request out loud. There are 15 voices available and a dropdown list with samples of each reader’s voice so you can hear a
sample before you create your reading. You can write text, or copy text from another file, and paste it
into the text box. There is also have a file upload section, where you can
upload any Microsoft Office document, Adobe PDF, txt, and HTML
document. You can also provide a website address, or RSS feed url, and it can read that as well. You can even change the speed of the reading and use 'phonetic' spelling for tricky words. You have many options for what you can do with your reading. You can
download it to your computer, ipod, or other mp3 player. You can listen
from any computer and, you can even embed it in your website, blog,
myspace, or facebook page. The result is not perfect but quite comprehensible as you can hear from the recording I made of this post.
I'm not sure how useful TTS is for English learners as there's so much authentic listening material available on the Internet and as a model TTS is not very reliable. With advanced learners it could be fun to try and catch the 'virtual reader' out and spot the mispronunciations or to identify the accents. As the technology improves, I'm confident that TTS will have a great future in the area of language learning, allowing learners to listen to any written text in a variety of accents.
