I need a tool that can take a slab of text (e.g. website, pdf) and read it aloud

Potential Paths: Path 1: Utilize Otter.ai for its transcription capabilities, which could be used to convert digital text into audio. The con here is that Otter.ai primary function is to transcribe audio into written text, meaning it doesn't have a built-in feature for text-to-speech but workaround can be made by playing back the transcription which is not ideal.

Path 2: Employ ElevenLabs for its synthetic voice generation capabilities. Use this feature to create a voice that can read out loud the digital text in multiple languages.

Final Narrative:

Based on your request, I recommend utilizing ElevenLabs as the appropriate tool to address your text-to-speech needs. Although it doesn't have a specific feature for reading out website pages or PDF documents, it has robust speech synthesis capabilities that can be used to this effect.

With ElevenLabs, you can turn written text into spoken words, enhancing accessibility and catering to diverse learning styles. It provides the user with multilingual support, allowing the created voices to speak in up to 30 different languages. This feature could be ideal for a multi-cultural classroom setting or for language learning purposes.

Here are the steps you could take to enable this:

  1. Sign into ElevenLabs and create an account.
  2. Upon signing in, navigate to the 'Voice Creation' section. Select the gender, age, and accent features to create a synthetic voice tailored to your need.
  3. Navigate to the 'Speech Synthesis' section and insert the text you want to be read aloud.
  4. Generate the audio output, which can be integrated into your digital content.

It's important to note that ElevenLabs pricing is based on character count, so plan out your usage accordingly to stay within budget. The free plan offers 10,000 characters per month which can be a good starting point. For more usage, there are starter and creator plans available at a moderate cost.

In conclusion, while ElevenLabs might not have a direct feature to read out website pages or PDF documents, it does offer a versatile platform for converting written words into spoken words, thereby achieving your said objective. Happy teaching!

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