In today’s day and age, text-to-speech (TTS) technology is playing a very significant role in the way we engage with content online. Thanks to numerous recent breakthroughs in AI and natural language processing (NLP), TTS technology has evolved into a powerful standalone tool. And, while businesses are using it in innovative ways, it’s also altering how students, job seekers, and young professionals consume and interact with information on various platforms.
The text-to-voice market has boomed in recent times. The global AI voice market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.32% from 2022 to 2027, as reported by Market Data Forecast. Its rapid growth is evidence of the many benefits that it brings to users and businesses, particularly when it comes to making information more accessible, improving customer satisfaction, and boosting content engagement. Leveraged effectively, businesses should be thinking about TTS technology adoption in conjunction with their digital transformation initiatives more than ever before. From its accessibility benefits to how TTS technology can help improve cognitive skills, we share some of the many benefits of text-to-speech in this blog. And by the end, you’ll understand how TTS can be a game changer for both your business and its audience.
Why Grads and Students Need Text-to-Audio Tools
TTS is more than just reading aloud content—it makes content accessible for people with disabilities, connects businesses to a broader user base, and changes the way we consume information. What are some of the best features of including TTS in your business strategy?
Democratizing Content for Everyone
One of the most important benefits of text-to-audio technology is its capacity to enable content consumption for people with disabilities. More than 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. By using the TTS tool to ensure the information is presented in a way all individuals will be able to digest, businesses can help ensure clarity. TTS allows visually impaired users to receive online content such as blogs, articles, and e-books. It turns text into audio, which enables people with visual impairments to access and interact with online content like everyone else. The businesses can help bring in a large section, who will otherwise be isolated, by having a translation or read-aloud feature.
Also, TTS might be useful for those who have difficulties with reading comprehension. One group of people with dyslexia or other cognitive challenges may have difficulty processing written text, so when they hear it read aloud, they more easily grasp the content. This is just another example of how TTS helps level the playing field for everyone by making content as accessible as we can.
Literacy and Advancement of Reading Skills
Text-to-voice technology can also be a great educational tool. TTS can aid reading fluency for readers of all ages, including young readers. AI-generated voices could help tie spoken and written words together. Moreover, TTS technology can have a positive effect on the development of language by allowing people to hear the proper pronunciation of words. That will be invaluable for people learning a new language, who can then hear words being pronounced in a correct manner in real time. Listening to TTS provides additional access to whatever is being read as well as promotes a deeper understanding of the material being read through auditory processing, which helps to improve reading, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Studies have proven that TTS can increase reading and comprehension, but it’s important to find the right one. It allows the kids to ‘listen’ more actively, for something more appealing, to support how they read otherwise.
Supporting Language and Cognitive Skill Development
Yet another great advantage of TTS technology is its capacity to help kids with reading and language learning or cognitive (understanding) problems. Non-speakers or learners can also use TTS as a tool to learn different manners of pronunciation. The AI voices present in TTS systems can be quite genuine because of their intonations, accents, and other pronunciations, so that the users can also learn the nuances while learning a new language.
Additionally, TTS can be used to read content in one language while listening to it in the intended dialect or the user’s native language. This is of special benefit for those who are looking to become more fluent in both languages and better understand the culture behind the language terms.
Memory, attention, and reasoning (i.e., cognitive abilities) are also improved with TTS technology. Juxtaposed with interactive features like quizzes, tests, and discussions, it can enhance learning, bring interactivity, help reinforce learning, and spark intellectual curiosity that is relevant at any age.
Empower Multi-jobbing for Enhanced Productivity
In our fast-paced world, the ability to multitask is vital. A lot of people are busy and don’t have time to read a full article, blog post, or e-book. Text-to-audio feature can help to enable content consumption while multitasking (driving, exercising, and chores).
Users can keep up with the news without bothering anyone around through the ability to listen to a feed. When it is more adaptive and amenable, it can reach out to more for your business. For the users, it implies that they can easily learn and be entertained while on the move, ensuring optimal utilization of time.
For example, a parent might listen to an audiobook while making dinner or a person might listen to the annual report of a company on their way to an in-person meeting. “Most people read when they have time to read,” McDowell said, “so that’s what you need to capitalize on.” If they can access information during these times, people “will be more likely to engage with your content and return to your content.”
For the Eye and Well-Being Strain Relief
Digital devices provide unmatched convenience, but they’re not without issues–one of them being eye strain. Spending hours looking at a screen can lead to discomfort, headaches, and muscle soreness. This is especially an issue for those of us who read for hours (students, professionals, and avid readers).
Text-to-speech system provides a solution to such a problem. By listening to the content instead of reading it, users can spare their eyes. It’s extremely useful for anyone who gets digital eye strain or is trying to reduce how much time they’re staring at a screen while staying connected to valuable content. Also, TTS allows for a more relaxed stance as the user does not have to bend the neck or shoulders to read text on a screen. You can take advantage of listening when lying, resting, doing sports, at the gym, being active, driving, or studying. Listening on your phone or any other device will allow you to benefit each time.
Opening up Knowledge to Bibliophobes
The fear of reading, or bibliophobia, is a real problem for many. People who have had bad experiences with books, operate way out of cognitive norms, or just don’t like to read, find it difficult to read books. For such learners, TTS serves as a welcome alternative.
Bibliophobics can access knowledge and experience books in a more relaxed and pleasurable way; listen, don’t read. This can help them more effectively learn, interact with educational material, and explore new stories and ideas without the cognitive strain of reading.
Conclusion
What gets the next word? “Accessibility and cognitive learning–it’s nothing less than amazing what we are doing with instant reading, making text more accessible, enabling all kinds of reading,” he says. While AI and TTS tech are advancing, companies adopting this will be better placed to increase audience reach, improve the user experience, and create a more inclusive offering.
While the value of text-to-audio is exploding, interest only continues to grow with its widespread and increasing relevance; businesses are now challenged to consider adding this use case to their digital layers. Whether you are looking to improve your customer experience, make digital tools more accessible, or aid educational development, TTS technology can be a valuable tool to help you meet and exceed these challenges.
When you use TTS technology, you’re not only making the digital world a more accessible place for everyone, you’re empowering your audience with the tools they need to experience content in the way that’s optimal for them.
