Text to Speech (ReadSpeaker)

ReadSpeaker webReader, a program that allows the text content on a web page to be read aloud, is now integrated to Studium.  As a user, you decide if the program should be active or not, and you do not have to download anything.

How does it work?

The ReadSpeaker icon is shown in the lower part of the Global Menu to the left in Studium. 

When you click on the icon, a small player will appear in the upper left of the window. 

To listen to the content of the page, just click the Listen button. A larger audio player appears and ReadSpeaker starts reading the text of the web page out loud. Sentences are marked one by one with one colour and another colour indicates which word is read out (the colours can be changed in settings).

In the player, you can:

• Pause or restart the reading.
• Stop the reading.
• Navigate the reading by jumping forwards or backwards among the sentences.
• Adjust the volume.
• Adjust the reading speed.
• Close the player. The ReadSpeaker icon will appear again below the Help button in the Global menu.
  
  

Reading of selected text

Selecting text on a page activates some special features. To use these functions, select a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph, and then select the desired function from the pop-up menu that appears next to the selected text. 

• Listen: the text is read aloud and ends where your selection ends.
• Dictionary: by clicking on a word in the text you can have it explained. A popup window will appear with the explanation.
• Translation: the selected text can be translated into another language automatically (using Google Translate). After selecting the language, the translated text is displayed in a pop-up window. 

The Toolbar

Click the menu icon (three stripes) in the lower left corner of the Listen button to open the toolbar. 

Here you will find from left to right:

• Settings: A pop-up window opens where you can adjust certain settings. Your personal settings are saved between sessions. Examples: text highlighting on/off, word color, automatic scrolling on/off, etc.
• Reading Language Tool: Swedish (female or male speaker), British English, etc.
• Read on Hover: means that ReadSpeaker will start reading a paragraph when the mouse cursor points to it. This allows you to easily listen to a paragraph by hovering over the text without having to select it first and click the Listen button.
• Enlarge Text: means that the sentence that is read out at the same time is displayed enlarged at the bottom of the web page. You can start, pause or stop the audio and increase or decrease the size of the text.
• Text Mode: opens a pop-up window with the current page in a text-oriented version. Images are also displayed and any alternative texts (alt texts) are read. Click the play button to listen to the content of the page in text mode.
• Page Mask: Dims the entire page except for an illuminated part that follows the mouse cursor. This tool makes it easier to focus on a small part of the text at a time. To turn off Page Mask, press the Esc key or click the cross in the right edge of the tool.
• Download mp3: means that you can download a reading voice as an audio file.
• Help: here you will find more information about the different functions in ReadSpeaker. 

Keyboard Navigation

There are also shortcuts (access keys) to manage the player, read more in Help in the toolbar .