Text-to-speech can speed up your law school assignments.
This is a tool that I wished I had thought to use when I was in law school and my #1 tip for law school students. Today, I use read-aloud functions constantly in my work as a law school tutor and they offer the same functionality to current law school students.
A read-aloud program/function (also called text-to-speech) allows you to hear the text written on your computer screen read aloud. The voices are often robotic sounding, but they have improved over the years, and you get used to the voice pretty quickly. You can find free read-aloud functions and many are already built into the programs you use every day.
This article explores the benefits of read-aloud programs and gives tips on how to use them. You could read this article even faster if you used one right now!
The two main benefits read-aloud functions offer are:
Reading through a lot of dry information quickly and adding a level of comprehension. Many students benefit from hearing what they are reading at the same time. Try using a read-aloud program to supplement your reading rather than replacing it; in other words, read the material yourself with the reader on rather than just listening to the reader.
Proofreading. I run pretty much everything I write (including emails) through a read-aloud program. In law school, my professors frequently suggested printing out papers and reading them aloud to yourself. This is a good way to check for grammar mistakes, spelling errors, etc. However, I find the read-aloud function to be even more effective. When you read your own writing, you already know what you are trying to say so you will often read the text as you intended it, not as it’s actually written on the page. Readers will read exactly what is written on the page, which will help you identify more mistakes.
Tip: Crank up the speed! As you get used to using read-aloud functions, you may find yourself in need of speed. Each program will have its own settings for voices and speed. Eventually, you will max out the speed and you will be surprised that you are still able to understand what is being said.
How to use Read-Aloud Functions:
Word Processors:
Having a read-aloud function is great for creating your own writing, but you can also use these word processors by copying and pasting text you find elsewhere. Once you have pasted, you can use the read-aloud function to read just about anything.
Microsoft Word
The most widely used computer word processor in the world is Microsoft Word and the vast majority of law school students use it to complete their assignments. Good news: it has a built-in read-aloud function. Follow this link for instructions on how to use it. You will end up with an icon at the top of your Word application (likely next to the “undo” button). All you need to do is highlight the text you want to read, click the button, and off you go. To learn how to change the speed and voice, check out this video.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a web-based word processor that has gained popularity with students. It is great for real-time collaboration and some students have begun using it as their primary word processor. This link gives you instructions on how to use the read-aloud function on Google Docs.
Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader is a very common application that allows you to read pdf (portable document format) files. You will receive a lot of documents as pdfs in law school. Adobe Reader does have a built-in read-aloud function, but… it sucks. Instead, I would recommend opening your pdfs in your browser and using a browser-based read-aloud function as explained below.
Browsers:
Using the read-aloud function in your web browser is extremely valuable as it allows you to quickly read articles, documents (like pdfs), and even proofread your emails. I almost exclusively use Google Chrome as my web browser, so that is the only one I will highlight here. If you use another browser, try a quick google search to find a good extension that will enable a read-aloud function.
Google Chrome
The Chrome extension I use can be found here. It is easy to install. Once installed, I would recommend turning up the speed to the max. It is slower than the reader in Word, but it gets the job done. To use the function, all you need to do is highlight the text you want to read, right-click, and select “Read aloud selected text.”
Conclusion
Give these read-aloud functions a try and see what you think. As your law school reading continues to pile on, anything that can lighten the load is an asset to a law school student. Read-aloud functions aren’t going to replace the need to read, but hopefully they can help you complete your reading and writing assignments with a little more efficiency. If you have other suggestions or comments about read-aloud programs, please let me know.
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