What's it all about?
Jisc TechDis commissioned CereProc to create two new high-quality youthful and modern voices (TechDis Jack and TechDis Jess) that can be used with text-to-speech tools. Text-to-speech (TTS) technology allows text in electronic formats to be read out loud by synthetic voices or saved as MP3 files for later listening.
Who benefits?
Just about everyone can benefit in some way from text-to-speech. For instance you may be able to multitask and listen to texts whilst travelling or exercising. It is especially useful for people with print impairments such as dyslexia as it can help them understand the meaning of text more quickly and accurately. Text-to-speech can also be very helpful to learners working in a second language who may be more confident with spoken rather than written English.
This project gives every learner over 16 in every publicly-funded learning provider in England the chance to support their learning and development. The voices can be installed on computers for staff and learners for use at home or at work. They are available for both Windows and Mac.
What now?
**TechDis Voices is no longer available through the HEA.**
Funded by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) the project involved hundreds of staff and learners in choosing and refining both TechDis Jack and TechDis Jess.
We are hoping that Jess and Jack will bring text-to-speech into mainstream education provision. There are so many benefits for so many different types of people.