Getting documents read aloud by a human being
September 26, 2012 4:59 PM   Subscribe

Is there a service where I can submit articles or documents and have them read by a human being and get the result recorded as an mp3? I feel like such a service ought to exist somewhere, but I haven't had any luck finding one. Also, I'm not really interested in software that converts text to speech - it has to be read by a person.
posted by Proginoskes to Education (10 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Do you have a volunteer radio reading service near you? They can probably connect you with experienced local readers who would read your documents at reasonable cost.
posted by headnsouth at 5:07 PM on September 26, 2012


You're looking for Voice Over services.
posted by reeddavid at 5:08 PM on September 26, 2012


VoiceBunny even has a slick api. =)
posted by mmdei at 5:12 PM on September 26, 2012


If you're looking for large-scale implementations, LearningAlly.org does that.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:27 PM on September 26, 2012


Response by poster: Just to add a little bit more context - this is for an exam I'm studying for. I'm hoping to find a service where I can pay to get my study notes recorded as mp3s so that I can study during my commute.
posted by Proginoskes at 5:29 PM on September 26, 2012


A probably cheap, not-of-verifiable-quality option would be to post this job on Mechanical Turk. I bet someone would do it!
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:47 PM on September 26, 2012


Or, alternatively, post it as a job on MeFi Jobs. One of your fellow MeFites might like the opportunity.
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 6:08 PM on September 26, 2012 [3 favorites]


I have used this exact service from someone on fiverr.com. Several people offer this at Fiverr and they're willing to work with you on multiple orders. It's a bargain, too. Here's an example (though I have never used this person). He's advertising 5 minutes for $5, but I have found many will record longer articles for not much more.
posted by Gerard Sorme at 6:36 PM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]


Also, if you have a Mac, I believe you can easily record your own voice as mp3s (and presumably PCs have something similar?). I actually did this as an undergrad, when I was in a similar situation to yours (trying to create it for me to listen to, in order to study for exams). I did it through Garageband, and it was extremely simple: you just push the "record" button, say the piece, and then press stop. I believe it automatically went into my iTunes when I was finished, or I put it there with minimal effort. I'm not computer savvy, so if I could do it, I'm sure most others could. The only problem is that any background noise that happens during your recording is there when you listen to it (traffic sounds, etc.). You could use a private study room at the library to minimize this. However if the issue is that you'd prefer a more professional quality and/or someone professionally trained, probably best to hire out the task.
posted by UniversityNomad at 10:17 AM on September 27, 2012


Did you try craigslist? Since this is just your class notes I would assume you are looking for a cheap option. Maybe find a high school student in your area?
posted by WizKid at 10:26 AM on September 28, 2012


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