Hi,
This discussion that started as a request for eloquence voices for
oriental language learning on the Mac is confusing several different
topics -- system language localization, system voices, text-to-speech,
spoken language learning, and implicitly, accessibility through screen
readers like VoiceOver. As I posted earlier (and also two months
previously on this list) to Will, there are Mac-based programs that
have spoken Chinese and Japanese, and which include voices, and which
can do text-to-speech within those programs and be used for language
learning. Those of you who use VisioVoice from Assistiveware should
remember that when VoiceOver was first released in Tiger there was no
equivalent built-in screen reader support for languages such as French
to allow visually impaired French-speaking Mac users to experience the
same "works right out of the box" experience that English-speaking Mac
users enjoy with VoiceOver without third party software. Well, the
situation is analogous with Japanese.
VisioVoice version 1.1, introduced a year ago just before the release
of Leopard, offered support for English, French, Dutch, and Japanese.
The announcement stated:
"Japanese localization was added as well as a Japanese translation for
the Mac OS X 10.4 version of Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader for blind
users. Use with DTalker 3.0 Japanese voices (http://www.createsystem.co.jp/dtalkerMacOSX.html
)."
So I pointed Will to the DTalker web site which, incidentally, is in
Japanese, but which can be run through Google's translation tools, and
gave him a link through Google's translation service. Since that
time, the link appears to have added information about enabling speech
on the iPod Nano 4G with iTunes 8 and the DTalker voices. It also
seems that the system integration with Leopard is not yet perfected
and that they had to work with Apple to correct problems introduced in
one of the OS X 10.5 minor system version updates. From their web
site, through Google tranlslate, it appears there is already some
functionality through VoiceOver for using Safari, etc. but:
"With regard to the Japanese VoiceOver is not yet complete, Apple's
update on, please."
I believe the situation for Chinese voices on the Mac may be similar.
Switching input to languages with non-Roman characters (Japanese,
Chinese, Greek, Russian, etc.) is a potential accessibility issue
because you can lose the ability to type VoiceOver commands if you're
left in the wrong input keyboard with no way to change to an input
keyboard for a language with Roman characters. It's a little better if
you set up shortcut keys that allow you to cycle through your input
languages without having to type Roman characters, so at least you can
get back to English or French, etc. and continue to use VoiceOver.
Language localization is also a different issue, since it can be
changed by application as well as system wide. This is what gives you
a spell-checker in the correct language if you're using TextEdit or
Mail, for example. So if you're just learning a new language and
haven't started out by with the aim of acquiring vocabulary terms for
computer file structure you might not want to start up your computer
in that language and have to learn how to navigate and use the
computer and applications in a foreign language. Switching to a
foreign language voice will get text that is read in that language on
web pages and in Preview correctly pronounced, but won't do anything
for you if you want to compose a letter or email message and
spellcheck in that language -- you'd have to start up TextEdit with
that language localization, for instance, to do correct spell-checking.
I just wanted to clarify some of this discussion. Some of these
points have been addressed before on this list. Just my thoughts.
YMMV (Your mileage may vary.)
Cheers,
Esther
On Nov 11, 2008, at 5:07 AM, Will Lomas wrote:
well that's like having english support in voice over with no voice
On 11 Nov 2008, at 13:58, David Poehlman wrote:
I know they have chinese, I don't know if there is a voice for it.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Will Lomas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac
OS X by
theblind" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 2:50 AM
Subject: Re: eloquence
how can they have chinese if no voice is available
On 11 Nov 2008, at 01:22, Alex Jurgensen wrote:
Hi,
anyway, Voiceover is natively in eight languages all preinstalled
with their respective OSs, and I think they have traditional
Chinese.
Thanks for listening,
Alex,
IVox has some, don't they?
On 10-Nov-08, at 10:54 AM, Will Lomas wrote:
nothing is available though for oriental languages like japanese
chinese and asian such as urdu etc. that i am taking a liking too
so i need eloquence really
