Forum Discussion
Text to speech settings
Hello!
I stumbled across the Read Aloud option on Word and started messing around with it. I discovered that when the text language is set to English, you get a lot of different voice options that make no sense (like Boing, Bells, Good News, Cellos, Zarvox, etc.).
Also the reading speed can be set to an unnecessary fast speed, and when putting the Read Aloud to the fastest setting using a strange voice, everything becomes incomprehensible.
I am wondering if anyone would have an explanation to why all those English TTS voices exist and to why the settings, although made by and for humans, let us voluntarily choose to make it too fast for humans.
I would appreciate any input and hope this is interesting to other people as well!
Hi bolta22,
this is an interesting question.- There are several reasons behind the availability of numerous English Text-to-Speech (TTS) voices in Microsoft Word.
Firstly, people have varying preferences when it comes to voice characteristics. Some prefer clear and easily understandable voices, while others may favor more expressive or even whimsical voices.
Secondly, different voices can convey various moods or tones, allowing for customization of the reading experience. For instance, a soothing voice might be suitable for bedtime stories, while a more authoritative voice can be apt for reading news articles.
Thirdly, diverse voices cater to different audiences; a playful voice can be perfect for children's books, whereas a mature and professional voice might be ideal for business presentations.- Regarding the reading speed setting, there are valid reasons why it can be adjusted to faster speeds.
First, individuals read at different paces naturally, and TTS customization accommodates those variances.
Second, users may wish to rapidly scan through a document to grasp its main points quickly. Third, some people use TTS to improve their reading fluency. By setting a faster pace, they can challenge themselves to become more proficient readers.
But, I agree that excessively fast reading speeds can hinder comprehension and listening to text at a very high speed can be even stressful.Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.
Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic
(LinkedIn)
1 Reply
Hi bolta22,
this is an interesting question.- There are several reasons behind the availability of numerous English Text-to-Speech (TTS) voices in Microsoft Word.
Firstly, people have varying preferences when it comes to voice characteristics. Some prefer clear and easily understandable voices, while others may favor more expressive or even whimsical voices.
Secondly, different voices can convey various moods or tones, allowing for customization of the reading experience. For instance, a soothing voice might be suitable for bedtime stories, while a more authoritative voice can be apt for reading news articles.
Thirdly, diverse voices cater to different audiences; a playful voice can be perfect for children's books, whereas a mature and professional voice might be ideal for business presentations.- Regarding the reading speed setting, there are valid reasons why it can be adjusted to faster speeds.
First, individuals read at different paces naturally, and TTS customization accommodates those variances.
Second, users may wish to rapidly scan through a document to grasp its main points quickly. Third, some people use TTS to improve their reading fluency. By setting a faster pace, they can challenge themselves to become more proficient readers.
But, I agree that excessively fast reading speeds can hinder comprehension and listening to text at a very high speed can be even stressful.Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.
Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic
(LinkedIn)