Human beings learn to speak much earlier than to write. However, in our relationship with machines, sound has come much later. We have always communicated with computers through keyboards and mice, and now we are beginning to use spoken language. Voice technologies are already taking off. Fueled in large part by the rise of smart speakers, brands and businesses are now faced with the possibility, and the challenge, of optimizing their possibilities. Keep reading ‘How Does Voice Technology Affect Businesses?’ and learn more about Text-To-Speech.
Text-To-Speech Today
Although today it is on everyone’s lips, it is not a totally new technology. It began to be used at the end of the last century when the Internet was already taking off. Throughout these years, voice technology did not meet all expectations, in part because it was necessary to collect data and build learning models. But now it no longer has many of the rigidities that hampered its use. Experienced voice technology developers speak of a “sweet moment;” thanks in large part to the push for smart speakers and virtual assistants from giants; like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Apple, pioneered by the launch of Siri, in 2011. The novelty is that now it is consumers who ask brands for new multi-channel relationship models because they feel more comfortable.
Advances in recent years in fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and voice recognition and synthesis; have allowed the most advanced assistants to begin to be able to develop basic dialogues with users. The next step will be to have real conversations; to achieve this, voice assistants will have to understand the context of what is being said to them. It seems far away, but if we already assume that AI can surpass human intelligence, that will also reach the voice. The impact on the business world could be huge.
In parallel with the development of smart homes and the internet of things. At the moment, there are already many brands that are taking positions to be, thanks to the voice, present, in a natural way, in the everyday areas of consumers; such as the kitchen, their living room, and even their car, an area of extraordinary potential for the use of the voice, because behind the wheel nobody wants distractions.
The future of voice technology in business
As for possible new areas of action, the specialists emphasize the possibilities of using the voice in the work environment. Alexa, Amazon’s virtual voice assistant, already has a Business version (available only in the United States). Execute voice commands such as printing or connecting to a video conference. Now we interact with screens and mice, but voice technology is going to be very present: a Gartner study predicts that 25% of workers will use voice in the work environment. This will affect the knowledge that internal technology teams must have and also has a security aspect.
On the other hand, we must point out the enormous potential of voice in solving internal operational problems in companies, and in the field of health. In a matter of months, we will even get used to seeing doctors collecting information from patients not with a pen and a notebook, or with a laptop, but with a microphone. We already have systems that capture all that voice information and integrate it with hospital computer systems.
All these uses will be more frequent and sophisticated thanks to the development of Artificial Intelligence. We are moving towards a paradoxical objective: that we progressively talk less with voice systems, because they are capable of anticipating our needs; For example, if we ask about the arrival time of a flight, they not only answer us but also offer to book a taxi, since heavy traffic is expected.
Check Woord, A Free Text-To-Speech Tool For Personal Use
Woord is a free online text reader software with a variety of useful features. It contains more than 50 languages, including a variety of dialects; it also allows to choose between masculine, feminine, or non-binary voices. All of these features are available for free, allowing you to test the service before purchasing the premium version. Premium voices, a Chrome plugin, an SSML editor, an MP3 download, and up to 20,000 characters each month are all included in the free edition. With this program, you may also adjust the voice’s speed and format.
However, we recommend that for commercial use you buy a paid subscription, as they are low cost and ready for commercial use. Also, with the premium versions of Woord, you 100% own intellectual property for all files
How To Use Woord
Woord‘s interface is designed in a simple way to be intuitive for the user. Regardless of whether or not you have experience creating voiceover with this kind of software, with these simple steps you will be able to generate quality audio for your tutorials:
- First, go to https://www.getwoord.com/guest/upload
- Once you are on Woord, choose the format of the file in which the dialogue you want to generate is. Woord supports pdf, txt, doc(x), pages, odt, ppt(x), ods, non-DRM epub, jpeg, png. You can also type directly on the SSML editor.
- Next, select or drag your files, if you have them.
- Then, press the “Import Scan or Photo” button.
- Below the file, the transcript will appear in an editor that you can modify to your liking.
- Almost to finish, select the genre of the voice and the device on which you will play the audio.
- Finally, it only remains to hit the “Speak it!” button and download.
For more info, check the following links:
How To Use Woord’s SSML Editor
3 TTS Converters For Audiovisual Content Creators
Also published on Medium.