Run the installer. Click through the options. At the end you can choose to run two applications - we recommend running these. If you don't check these boxes - you can run them - either from your desktop or your Start Menu. The two applications you need to run are

1. AACSpeakHelperServer - this runs in the background in your task bar.

2. Configure AACSpeakHelper - this allows you to configure the setup you need.

So we are not providing here software Gridsets/Pagesets of Keyboards for different languages.

If you want a client to write in the language of this TTS system (not use translate) You have to

• Find a keyboard layout the client is familar with in the correct script.

• Copy and paste the characters needed into a Gridset/Pageset that you need. Remember to not put spaces behind the characters

• This is painstaking. Please consider sharing your work so others can benefit.

Download the installer from our latest release. You click on the link under "assets" for the file named AACSpeakHelper-v2.2.8.exe (or whatever number is there) (eg. Right now download this "AACSpeakHelper-v2.2.8.exe )

Alternatively you will find the current most release on the Ace Centre Website

After installation, you need to configure the application. You can edit the settings file by hand or use our GUI application Configure TranslateAndTTS, which you can find in your start menu and Desktop. It looks like this

It has 3 Tab areas

TTS Engine

Drop Down for Engine

This means the "Text to Speech Engine" - voice system. We have several to choose from. The most likely one is sherpa-onnx. Its Offline and supports a large range of languages not supported by other systems. The quality may not be perfect however and it may be too slow for your needs but we find its a good balance.

You can choose the engine in the dropdown. We also have Google, Microsoft Azure or Google Translate. All these options require you to be online all the time. For Google or Azure you have the option to add your own keys. We recommend adding your own keys as our keys may stop working.

Voices List

Simply look for your language and voice. You can preview a voice by pressing on the play button.

Choose a voice by pressing on the voice - you can see what is selected by the text "Current Voice" in the configure screen

Save Audio

If you want to cache audio for TTS tick this box. It wills save small wav files for each utterance saving time for further calls.

Translate Settings

Firstly if you DON'T want your system to translate (eg. your client is writing in the correct language for the TTS System) untick the "Translate" box on this page. Otherwise it will assume your writing language and convert it to the Target language

You can choose your translation provider. Note that "GoogleTranslator" is free and that seen at translate.google.com - if you use this a lot you may find it stop working. Equally some systems are better at other languages.

Overwrite pasteboard

You want this if you want your AAC software to print the translated text

Bypass TTS

This will mean that TTS isnt done at all and you only want to use our tool for translation

Application Settings

You generally don't need to edit anything here. We do collect the number of times our app is run and used anonymously. If you want to turn this off do so here. Note too, if you have chosen to save the audio you can choose how long the cache is kept for.

A note for those more adventurous

You can edit the settings file by hand if you wish. To do this, navigate to %AppData%\Ace Centre\AACSpeakHelper in File Explorer to find the settings.cfg file. Edit the configuration using either a plain text editor.

Note: You can copy this settings file and have numerous versions of them - or make it and distribute it to an end user. You would use the --config file path to run the application using a different config file.cfg parameter

AACSpeakHelper ISNT a SAPI Speech engine. What this means is it is not seen by your AAC Software as a voice you would pick in your regular settings screen. We have to do some things to get this to work. And note you will have to be comfortable editing your software.

In short you need to:

• Add a button to copy the message bar (writing area)

• Then, have an action on this button to call the executable found at %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Programs\Ace Centre\AACSpeakHelper\client.exe (Note: You will need to browse for the app. You can paste this link into the file explorer but you need to find the exact path on your own computer)

• Then it's wise to wait around 4-10 seconds

• Clear the message bar

• Paste the returning text back if you are translating

You can test it by copying some text from a text file and running the app client.exe. Give it a go.

The Grid 3

We make things a little easier for the Grid as we provide an example pageset with the correct path to the application on your desktop under "Example pagesets". You can double click this and then try it out. Write some text - and then press on the flag icon

Tobii Dynavox Snap

Communicator

See the demo pageset here

NuVoice

MindExpress

To-do

If you want to use mind-express for translation note that MEX already can do this. See here for a demo

• It works on Python 3.10 or 3.11. The dependencies aren't well covered on all other versions (and there are a lot!)

This tool supports a multitude of languages provided through Azure and Google Cloud. For a detailed list, please refer to the respective sections below.

WARNING

Please note. If you use any online TTS system, the data is sent to a server and sent back. These services do not store this data, but it is up to you to check this and how it may work against your own IG policy. The app does have a feature of 'caching' data, too - but this is not sent to Ace or anyone else. It's all on the device.

Languages by Azure

Languages by Azure (Online)

Languages by Google Cloud (Online)

Languages by Sherpa-Onnx (MMS)

AACSpeakHelper is a small tool that enables you to

• Take text written in a Windows AAC application

• If you need to - Translate it using a choice of online translation systems

It is good if you

• Want to set up a AAC system for someone speaking in a language not currently supported by solutions available

• If you have a client who wants to communicate to some people using a language they aren't familiar with. For example speaking to carers who are don't communicate using the communication aid users language or need to speak to family members who only speak in a language that they dont have a understanding of that written form

What its not good for

• Reading or saving long streams of text (eg reading a book aloud)

• If you want to use with a piece of software you cant copy the text from a message bar

• You really have to use iOS, Android or something else

Typical Use Cases

1. Language translation and speech output

Imagine you are a Kurdish speaker with limited English skills residing in a care facility. AAC Speak Helper bridges you and your caregivers, translating Kurdish text into English. Moreover, it supports people who need to speak languages less commonly supported by TTS technology.

2. Language not supported by current commercial solutions

If you speak Urdu - either as a bilingual speaker or as your primary language it can be difficult to find the perfect AAC system to meet your needs

Compatibility

AAC Speak Helper is a lightweight Windows executable. It can be called from any AAC app on Windows that can run external programs.

How it Works

AAC Speak Helper reads the text once the text is copied to the clipboard (using Ctrl+C). Depending on the configuration settings, it either translates the text using the selected service, speaks it aloud, or reads it. There are additional features, such as putting intonation (or style) onto some voices. We have a graphical application that can configure the app. The main application, though, has no interface.

First up, check the table below for Languages officially supported by the software you are using. You can also use this as a tool to find which apps support a language you are interested in. Be careful. Some languages write in different scripts. Check the script that the TTS engine expects.

MindExpress

RHVoice (SAPI)

SAPI - MSSpeech

anReader

Note:

• All versions of anReader 4.2.8 support both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows OS.

• It is recommended that Windows is updated and the latest system patches are installed.

• On Windows 10 and Windows 11, only the latest version of NVDA is currently supported, with other screen readers minor problems may occur in the operation of anReader.

Cereproc (SAPI)