There are a few TTS (text to speech) apps available in the Microsoft store, but I didn't like certain features, or lack thereof, and what the reviewers had to say. Plus, all the ones I looked at worked by a "copy & paste function" into the app itself. For my own purposes, I want to proof read my novel, so this function was not appealing. Likewise, it would not be an efficient or convenient method for lengthy student papers or anyone writing long articles.
After doing more research, I discovered that TTS is already a built in function of Microsoft Windows. It just needs to be turned on!
HOW TO ADD THE SPEAK COMMAND IN MS WORD:
For Windows 10, simply add the built in TTS function in MS Word to the quick access toolbar to activate the speak command.1) Open MS Word.
2) Click the arrow on the "Quick Access Toolbar" at the very top of the screen for options to customize the toolbar.
3) Choose "More Commands" from the drop down menu
4) Switch view from "Popular Commands" to "All Commands"
5) Click "Speak" command and hit the "Add" button to add it to the list of tools.
HOW TO USE THE SPEAK COMMAND:
1) Highlight any or all text in the document. Right click the mouse and drag over a desired section you want the computer to read back to you, or use CTRL+A to select the entire document.2) Click the newly added "speak icon" on the quick toolbar. It will be a callout bubble (like in a comic book) with a small arrow beside it, that is labeled "speak selected text" when hovered.
3) Sit back and listen while the computer reads the text to you.
HOW TO ADJUST VOICE:
Change the talking speed, adjust the tone of the computers voice or switch from male to female speaker. Go to start / settings / type "narrator" in the search boxADVANTAGES OF 3RD PARTY TTS APPS:
Pros: Some apps may have the option to save the copied text into MP3 format for whatever purposes you desire. Some apps can be installed on your Android as well as the PC. All apps can read any text from any source that can be copied, so includes websites, PDF's and just about any documents.Cons: First and foremost, the most annoying thing is that you have to manually copy and paste text into the app itself. Others include voices that sound like a robot, some read too slowly or doesn't recognize punctuation correctly, some doesn't read the text entirely and some may cause crashing to occur.
ADVANTAGES OF MS WORD SPEAK COMMAND:
Pros: Easy. Just highlight text and click the icon for read back. Pleasant sounding voice, which can be altered to suit your preferences. Can read multiple languages. No extra 3rd party applications need to be installed which I value because I believe that "less is best". I keep extra programs installed to a minimum in an effort to keep my system background running clean and smooth.Cons: Only for use in MS Word Documents. Alternatively, you could copy and paste text from any other source into Word to utilize the Speak Command. It would be the same as using a 3rd party app.
HOW TO READ BACK PDF DOCUMENTS:
Adobe Reader, which most of us already have installed on our system, also has a Speech to Text option and likewise, must be activated to use its built in function.1) Open the PDF file in Adobe Reader
2) Menu / View / Read Out Loud / Activate Read Out Loud
3) Click a paragraph to have the computer read it back
4) Or select other control options in the Read Out Loud Menu like read to the end of document and pause or stop
Note: Adobe browser extensions may need to be disabled. More research is needed at this time.
