Text to speech: translate and listen in 20 languages
ToolDeck Text to Speech is a free online tool that reads any text aloud and can first translate it into one of 20 languages, including Urdu, Hindi and Arabic. It works on phones and computers, uses the voices already on your device, and needs no sign-up. Listening with local voices stays on your device.
- Translate, then speak in 20 languages
- Works on Android, iPhone and PC
- Rate, pitch and volume sliders
- Tap to play fallback for phones
Translate, then listen
Write in one language and hear the same meaning in another. Pick a language and tap Translate & speak.
Tip: To hear a language aloud, your device needs a voice for it. Urdu, Arabic and Hindi voices are built into Microsoft Edge and Safari, and Android can download them in Settings. If you see a missing-voice message after translating, the translation is still correct and you can copy it.
Voice
0 voices available on this device
Quick presets
Listening runs on your device with the browser voice engine. Text is only sent to a translation service if on-device translation is not available for your language pair, or you pick a “(network)” voice. Press Space to play or pause.
- 100% Free
- Translate & Speak
- Phone & PC
- Every System Voice
- Rate, Pitch, Volume
- No Sign-up
Text to speech with translation at a glance
The short version, for people and for search and AI assistants.
- What it does
- Reads text aloud and translates it into 20 languages, then speaks the translation.
- Price
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark, no usage limit.
- Text limit
- 10,000 characters per run (about 1,500 words).
- Languages
- 20: English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Persian, Dutch, Polish, Swedish.
- Devices
- Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, macOS and Linux, in any modern browser.
- Voices
- The speech voices already installed in your browser or operating system.
- Privacy
- Listening with local voices stays on your device. ToolDeck does not store your text.
20 languages you can translate to and from
Translation works between any two of these. Hearing the result needs a voice for that language on your device.
- English
- Urdu
- Hindi
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Turkish
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- Indonesian
- Persian
- Dutch
- Polish
- Swedish
Voice support by browser and phone
Every browser has its own speech engine. Here is what to expect from each.
| Browser | Voices | Offline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome (desktop) | Local + Google cloud voices | Local voices only | Best voice variety. Built-in on-device translation (version 138+). |
| Edge | Local + Microsoft cloud voices | Local voices only | Microsoft Natural voices are the most human-sounding available, including Urdu, Hindi and Arabic. |
| Safari (Mac) | macOS system voices | Yes | Voices depend on what is installed. Translation uses the fallback services. |
| Safari (iPhone / iPad) | iOS system voices | Yes, if downloaded | Download more under Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices. Needs one tap to start audio. |
| Firefox | Local + cloud voices (varies) | Local voices only | Voice list may need a click before it populates. Translation uses the fallback services. |
| Chrome (Android) | Google system voices | Yes, if downloaded | Install more languages under Settings → Accessibility → Text-to-speech output → Install voice data. |
What each setting changes
Three sliders, one preset row. Here is what to reach for.
| Setting | Range | Default | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | 0.5×-2× | 1× | Slow for language learning, fast for skimming your own writing |
| Pitch | 0-2 | 1 | Lower for narrator style, higher for cheerful notifications |
| Volume | 0%-100% | 100% | Lower when previewing a voice you might not keep |
How ToolDeck compares
Many online TTS sites cap you at a few hundred characters and put a paywall on natural voices. Here is how this tool differs.
| Feature | TToolDeck | Typical TTS sites | Paid TTS apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| No sign-up or email | Yes | Partial | No |
| Long text (up to 10,000 characters) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Translate, then speak in another language | Yes | No | Partial |
| Works on phones (Android and iPhone) | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Listen without sending your text anywhere (local voices) | Yes | No | No |
| Uses your device voices (offline capable) | Yes | No | No |
| Adjustable rate, pitch and volume | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Every system language available | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Play / pause / resume / skip | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Quick presets (narrator, slow, calm) | Yes | No | Partial |
| Preview individual voices before you play | Yes | No | Partial |
Comparison reflects publicly available information at the time of writing. Features may change. Representative examples of common patterns.
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How to translate text and listen to it
- 1
Paste or type your text
Drop in an article, an essay, a script or a few sentences in any language.
- 2
Translate if you want
Choose a target language and tap Translate & speak. The voice switches to that language automatically, and you can edit the translation before playing.
- 3
Listen and adjust
Tap Play to listen, and tune the rate, pitch and volume to your liking. If your phone blocks automatic sound, tap the Tap to play button once.
Everything you get for free
Translate, then listen
Write in Urdu, English, Hindi, Arabic or any of 20 languages, pick the language you want to hear, and press Translate. The voice switches to match, and you can edit the translation before you play it.
Built for phones too
Big tap targets, a bottom mini-player with pause, skip and stop, and a one-tap start if your phone blocks sound after translating. The screen stays awake while it speaks.
Every voice on your device
The tool lists every speech voice your browser exposes: the natural-sounding ones bundled with Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, plus cloud voices from Google and Microsoft when they are available. Preview each before you commit.
Rate, pitch and volume
Fine-grained sliders for rate (0.5×-2×), pitch (0-2) and volume (0-100%). Slow down language-learning material, speed up a news article, or soften a voice for bedtime reading. Your settings are remembered.
Quick presets
Six one-tap presets: Natural, Narrator, Fast, Slow, Bright, Calm. Each preset is a curated combination of rate, pitch and volume.
Handles long text
Some browsers stop mid-sentence at around 15 seconds. The tool splits your text into short parts and plays them back-to-back. Use Prev and Next to jump between parts, and watch the current part in the Now reading box.
Paste and copy
Paste from the clipboard in one tap, and copy the translation when you are done. Live word, sentence and duration stats update as you type.
Private listening
Playing with a local voice happens entirely in your browser. Text is only sent to a translation service when your browser has no on-device translator, or to a vendor if you choose a "(network)" voice. ToolDeck does not store your text.
What people use it for
Hear it in another language
Write a message in your own language, translate it, and listen to how it sounds in Spanish, Arabic or Japanese. Handy for travel phrases and checking pronunciation.
Hear your notes aloud
Turn notes, announcements or study material into audio you can listen to while commuting, cooking, or resting your eyes.
Proofread by listening
Reading your own writing silently skips over typos. Hearing it read back, especially at 1.5× speed, catches duplicated words, missing commas and awkward phrasing.
Accessibility and low vision
If reading dense text on screen is tiring, having it read aloud helps. Adjust rate and pitch to what is comfortable and let the voice do the work.
Language learning
Paste a passage, pick the matching voice and slow the rate to 0.7×. You get a pronunciation model that never gets tired of repeating.
Voiceover reference
Content creators use the tool to hear a script at the right pace before recording. The duration estimate tells you if the script fits the video length.
Questions people ask
How do I use text to speech online?
Paste or type your text into the box, pick a language and voice, adjust rate, pitch and volume if you want, then press Play. The voice reads the text aloud using your browser's built-in speech engine. On a computer you can pause with the spacebar.
How do I translate text and hear it in another language?
Type or paste your text, choose the language to translate into under "Translate, then listen", and press Translate & speak. The tool shows the translation, switches to a voice for that language and starts playing. You can edit the translation first, and switch between reading the original, the translation or both.
Why does the audio not start on my phone after translating?
Phone browsers, especially on iPhone, only allow speech that starts from a direct tap, and translation takes a moment to finish. ToolDeck unlocks speech when you tap Translate & speak, and if your phone still blocks it, a Tap to play button appears. Tap it once and the translation is read aloud. If nothing plays at all, your phone probably has no voice for that language installed yet.
Is the text I paste uploaded to a server?
It depends on what you do. Playing text with a local voice runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. For translation, Chrome 138 and later on desktop can translate on your device. In other browsers the text is sent to a translation service (ToolDeck's own translation route if enabled, otherwise the public MyMemory service) to produce the result. ToolDeck does not store your text. Voices marked "(network)" also stream your text to Google or Microsoft.
Which browsers can translate on the device?
Recent desktop versions of Chrome (138 and later) include a built-in translator that works on your device, and it downloads a small language pack the first time you use a language pair. Phones and other browsers use a translation service instead, which needs an internet connection.
Why do some voices have "(network)" next to them?
A few browsers, notably Chrome and Edge, offer high-quality "cloud" voices that stream audio from Google or Microsoft servers. These sound more natural than local voices but require an internet connection and send the text being spoken to that vendor. Local voices run entirely on your device. The suffix tells you which is which.
What is the maximum length of text I can paste?
Up to 10,000 characters in the box, which is around 1,500 words or a long article. The tool splits longer text into short parts and plays them back-to-back, which is necessary because some browsers cut off a single utterance after about 15 seconds.
There is no voice for my language. What can I do?
You will see a warning when your device has no voice for the language. The translation is still correct and can be copied. You can install a voice in your system settings. Android: Settings → Accessibility → Text-to-speech output → Install voice data. iPhone and iPad: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices. Windows: Settings → Time & language → Speech → Add voices. macOS: System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → System Voice → Manage Voices. Then reload this page. Microsoft Edge also includes many cloud voices out of the box.
Does the tool work offline?
Yes for listening, if you use a local voice. Local voices are installed on your device and need no internet. Cloud voices labelled "(network)" and the translation services all need internet. Chrome's on-device translator works offline after its language pack has been downloaded.
Which voice sounds the most natural?
In Edge and Chrome, the Microsoft Natural and Google cloud voices are noticeably more human than the built-in OS voices. On macOS, "Samantha", "Daniel" and "Karen" are well-regarded. Try a few with the Preview button. The best voice depends on the language and what you are reading.
Why does the voice stop in the middle of a sentence?
Some browsers, most notably Chrome, cut off a single long utterance after roughly 15 seconds. This tool works around that by splitting your text into short parts and queuing them. If playback still stops, reload the page and try a local voice rather than a network voice, which sometimes times out.
Is it free? Can I use it commercially?
The tool is free to use. What you do with the spoken output is up to you, but the voices are governed by their vendors' terms (Microsoft, Google, Apple). For commercial voiceovers, check the licence for the specific voice you want to use.
When your text stays on your device
Listening with a local voice runs in your browser using the Web Speech API, and nothing is sent anywhere. Your text is only sent to a translation service when your browser has no built-in translator, or to the voice vendor when you pick a “(network)” voice. ToolDeck does not store your text. Read the privacy policy.