{"id":1111,"date":"2014-03-11T15:21:54","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T12:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ssrlab.by\/?p=1111"},"modified":"2018-11-21T14:20:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T11:20:53","slug":"talkinglibrary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/1111","title":{"rendered":"The Electronic Talking Library tts software complex"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>TalkingLibrary is an ebook-to-speech software for the blind that allows to manage a literature set without using visual perception.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1700\" src=\"http:\/\/ssrlab.by\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/TalkingLibrary_screen.jpg\" alt=\"TalkingLibrary_screen\" width=\"847\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/TalkingLibrary_screen.jpg 975w, https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/TalkingLibrary_screen-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>1. Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">The<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">&#8220;Electronic<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">talking<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">library&#8221;<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">software package provides a new technology <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">of\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"hps\">audio<\/span><span class=\"hps\">book made for blind people.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"hps\">The package includes<\/span> <span class=\"hps atn\">the\u00a0program &#8220;<\/span>Reader&#8221;, which <span class=\"hps\">provides navigation to<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">e-books<\/span>, <span class=\"hps\">and<\/span> <span class=\"hps atn\">the program &#8220;<\/span>Multiphone&#8221;, <span class=\"hps\">which provides<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">speech synthesis<\/span> of <span class=\"hps\">an arbitrary<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">text<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">in Russian or Belarusian<\/span><span class=\"hps\">.<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">The user interface is<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">based<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">on the keyboard<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">and<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">headphones<\/span> usage and <span class=\"hps\">allows visually impaired people to get easily the feel of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the control being based on the application of hot keys and spoken messages about the fulfilled actions, the software does not require control of the running actions on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>2. <span class=\"st\">Distinguishing Features<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>program control without using visual perception canal;<\/li>\n<li>text voicing with qualitative <span class=\"st\">natural-sounding<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> <span class=\"hps\">synthesized voice<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">receiving the information<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">on the status and<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">functionality of the program<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">in the form<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>spoken messages;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" class=\"short_text\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">selecting one of<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">the available<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">electronic<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">books<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">switching to<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">the selected part of<\/span> a <span class=\"hps\">text and its<\/span> voicing <span class=\"hps\">with the possibility of<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">interruption<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">at any time<\/span>;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">switching <\/span><span class=\"hps\">in the forward or <\/span><span class=\"hps\">reverse direction<\/span> between <span class=\"hps\">the phrases<\/span>, paragraphs or <span class=\"hps\">sections of a text<\/span>;<\/span><\/li>\n<li>cessation <span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">of<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">reading and<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">repeating<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">certain phrases<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">or<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">paragraphs of a text<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" class=\"short_text\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">creation of bookmarks<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">in a text and<\/span> navigation between <span class=\"hps\">them<\/span><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>The complex allows:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">to increase\u00a0significantly <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\"> the number<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of\u00a0blind computer users<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">to improve the quality of education for blind pupils and students by implementing electronic talking libraries with textbooks and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>teaching aids in educational institutions of Belarus;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\">to increase the number of <\/span>periodicals for distribution among the blind;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\">to make the <\/span>distribution of periodical press and other printed publications more\u00a0efficient for the blind;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\">to reduce the cost of<\/span> audiobook making;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\">to <\/span>extend the employment opportunities for blind people in occupations that are related to intellectual work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. Status of development<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\">A<span class=\"hps\"> beta version of<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">the system was developed.<\/span> For demonstration some electronic Belarusian and Russian <\/span><span class=\"st\">literature teaching resources were used<\/span><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>4.\u00a0<span id=\"result_box\" class=\"short_text\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">Terms of<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">usage and <\/span><\/span>replication <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For successful usage of the software complex &#8220;Electronic talking library&#8221;, one is supposed to arrange production of talking textbooks for secondary and higher education, and thus to provide creation of digital libraries for blind students<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For near-term outlook the developers offer such a new electronic libraries for the blind as &#8220;The law library for the blind&#8221; and &#8220;The catalogue of Belarusian newspapersfor the blind&#8221;. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The costs required for the implementation of these projects depend on the set of \u00a0literature volume.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>In a long-term perspective,<b> <\/b>the <span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">development<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of <\/span><\/span>specialized <span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">w<\/span><span class=\"hps\">eb<\/span><span class=\"hps\">sites<\/span>&#8216; <span class=\"hps\">versions<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">for<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">blind persons <\/span><\/span>is planned.<\/p>\n<p>The following factors may influence the\u00a0dissemination of this project:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">the availability of personal computers<\/span> for <span class=\"hps\">the blind<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">the level of funding<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of the <\/span><span class=\"hps\">electronic books production<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">for the blind<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li>the granting of state preferences to the enterprises that produce talking books for the blind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">I<\/span><span class=\"hps\">n<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">the future, t<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">he wide use of talking books for the blind may provide the usage of personal computers<\/span> as <span class=\"hps\">special<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">rehabilitation facilities<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">provided for the blind by the State<\/span><\/span> for free or on favourable terms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">Thus, the<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">practical implementation<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of this project<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">will improve<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">the ways of solving <\/span><span class=\"hps\">three<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">major problems<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of visually impaired people<\/span>: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">the problem<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">of self-service <\/span><span class=\"hps\">access<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">to printed<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">information sources<\/span><\/span>;<\/li>\n<li>the problem of special education for the blind;<\/li>\n<li><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">the <\/span><\/span>enhancement of <span lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">employment opportunities<\/span><\/span> for blind people in occupations that are related to intellectual work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span id=\"result_box\" lang=\"en\"><span class=\"hps\">After the<\/span> finalization <span class=\"hps\">of the project<\/span>, <span class=\"hps\">its results<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">will be distributed<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">not only<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">in Belarus<\/span>, <span class=\"hps\">but also in other<\/span> <span class=\"hps\">Russian-speaking countries.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TalkingLibrary is an ebook-to-speech software for the blind that allows to manage a literature set without using visual perception.<\/p>\n<a class = \"excerpt\" href=\"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/1111\">Read more...<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,290,291,304,311,313],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1111"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3899,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions\/3899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrlab.by\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}