Announcing the addition of ReadSpeaker, articles read out loud!

Gale has recently implemented ReadSpeaker, the market leading service for speech enabled web, to provide text-to-speech capability to Gale’s online databases. This text-to-speech feature appearing on each document page will allow users to listen to the text as it is read aloud. Gale’s implementation marks the service’s debut in the education arena.

Free to database subscribers and the end-user, ReadSpeaker functionality can be added to many Gale databases including Student Resource Center, Opposing Viewpoints Reference Center, Kids Infobits, Science Resource Center, Junior Reference Collection, and Discovering Collection. It will soon also be added to the new PowerSearch interface.

Important note: by default, the ReadSpeaker function is turned OFF for these products. Please contact technical support to activate the function in your subscription. (No additional fees required.)

ReadSpeaker is convenient for users and easy to implement. In operation, ReadSpeaker function converts text and streams the corresponding audio content without any software downloads or special plug-ins needed. Users can select any portion of text or an entire article to be streamed as audio. With a click of a button, any Gale database text can be read aloud via the user’s computer, making Gale content accessible in a new way. These audio segments can also be saved as MP3 files for use on MP3 players for listening at a later time.

ReadSpeaker aims to help make web content accessible for people with dyslexia, learning disabilities or low literacy levels, as well as people with English as a second language, elderly individuals with impaired vision and others that like to listen, as well as read.

For a free trial of the ReadSpeaker technology on any of the products mentioned above, please contact your sales representative. Here’s how you can find him/her: http://www.gale.cengage.com/rep/.