Converting text to speech in LibreOffice and OpenOffice
Conversationalist
© Lead Image © warangkana bunyarittongchai, 122RF.com
Visually impaired users often find working with text and tables in office suites difficult. Pico TTS, a text-to-speech synthesizer, and the Read Text extension for LibreOffice and OpenOffice provide a solution.
Without special aids, people with vision impairments can find using a computer difficult. While icons can be sufficiently enlarged to make them readable, word processors and spreadsheets are a major hurdle. The fonts in the documents are almost always too small to be read and deciphering text is also difficult due to the smooth transitions in serif or cursive fonts.
In this case, programs that read the text out loud can help. These programs convert letters into linguistically adapted phonemes and then play them back via the computer's sound system with an installed voice.
On Linux, there are various screen readers for this purpose that are based on text-to-speech programs such as eSpeak or Festival. Solutions based on the popular eSpeak have the disadvantage of a synthetic computer voice: It is quite difficult to understand due to pronunciation that is typically very nasal and partly uses the wrong intonation.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.
-
KDE Linux Drops AUR
KDE Linux developers have dropped the Arch User Repository from the build pipeline due to security concerns; other distributions should consider doing the same.
-
California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law
After backlash from the Linux community, California may be backing off on its promise to force all operating systems to verify age, but one platform may still have to comply.
-
Another Logic Bug Found in Linux Kernel
Qualys has discovered a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that can be used to elevate standard user privileges.
-
Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features
Ubuntu Core 26 could be a game-changer for organizations looking for increased security and reliability.
-
AI Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List
AI is giving Linus Torvalds a headache, but not in the way you might think.
-
Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job
Professional fulfillment tops the list, according to LPI report.
-
Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders
Fedora Hummingbird brings the same approach to the host OS as it does to containers to level up security.
-
Linux kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch
With the rise of Linux vulnerabilities, the kernel developers are now considering adding a component that could help temporarily mitigate against them… in the form of a kill switch.