FEATURE
*Writer: Silusapho Nyanda
Voice tech for all SA languages T
he Council for
CSIR and creates human-
TTS tools focus only on
their app, to obtain the
Scientific and
like voices from written
English and Afrikaans.
necessary licensing per-
Industrial Research
text.
Calteaux says that the
mission from the CSIR.
The CSIR’s research
Afrikaans TTS tools are
Once licensed, develop-
information more acces-
group leader for voice
largely based on Dutch,
ers of websites and other
sible to all South Africans
computing, Dr Karen Cal-
so do not necessarily get
online platforms can
through its Qfrency Text-
teaux, says the software
it right.
incorporate the technol-
to-Speech (TTS) product.
can be used on phones,
She adds that develop-
ogy to enable visitors to
computers and tablets.
ers used speech applica-
listen to the information
In a practical sense, a
tion programming inter-
available on the site in
South African languages
person who understands
face software to create
the language in which it
access to information
Tshivenda, for instance,
the end-user voices. A
is written.
in their mother tongue,
but is unable to read, will
voice is available for each
even if they are unable to
benefit from the system,
of the 11 languages.
read or if they have vision
which will ‘read’ the text
challenges.
to them in Tshivenda.
(CSIR) is helping make
The technology tool gives speakers of all 11
The Qfrency Text-to-
The technology is a first
Calteaux says software
make information more accessible to users who
development kit (SDK)
have reading impedi-
technology enables an
ments, such as poor vision,” says Calteaux.
Speech (TTS) product
for the country, in that
app developer who wants
was developed by the
existing South African
to integrate Qfrency into
32
“The TTS system can
The tool has proven
Public Sector Manager • December 2021 / January 2022