Tuesday 15 November 2011

Translate text into phonetic script

I always believe that the best  sites and web tools are the simplest, and this is certainly the case with Phonetizer. It's a really easy to use tool that takes and text and adds the phonetic spelling below it.


It's really easy to use. You just cut and paste or type in the text you want to use in the left hand side, click on 'Transcribe' and the text appears on the right with the phonetic writing underneath each line.  You can then cut and paste to a document if you want to save it.


Ways of using Phonetizer with EFL ESL students
  • This is a great tool to add pronunciation support to any reading text and help students to develop their pronunciation while reading.
  • You could also get students to use it to record their own version of the text using something like Audioboo.fm.
  • You could use it to produce vocabulary records with pron symbols added 
  • You could get students to transcribe a short text then use Phonetizer to check their own work.
  • It can be especially useful with things like scripts or poems which are intended for reading out loud.
  • It's a great way to add a pronunciation record to any dialogues students work with.

I hope you find Phonetizer useful and create some useful materials.

Related links:



Best
Nik Peachey


8 comments:

Gordon said...

Great tool! Thanks as always for sharing, Nik. :-)

Anne Hodgson said...

Wonderful, works like a charm. Thanks so much for this!

Caoimhín Ó Donnaíle said...

Interesting that it gives the same pronunciation for “source” and “sauce”. I pronounce them completely differently. And for “whales” and “Wales”, which I pronounce differently. Whereas it gives different pronunciations for “caught” and “cot”, which I pronounce the same. (I have a South-west Scotland accent)

Nik Peachey said...

Hi Caoimhín

The tool gives an RP version of pronunciation. There aren't many that can give regional variations yet I'm afraid. One day.
Best

Nik

Ubaid from Islamabad said...

Thanks for introducing us to this tool, Nik. I had been looking for this for a long time b4 the CALL IRP Workshop Islmabad.

gi_ga said...

Thanks Nick. I enjoyed your lesson in Cambridge last year;)
Your quickshouts are always sooo great and useful!

Anonymous said...

Can we listen to the pronunciation of the text along with its phonetic transcription?

LeylaKu said...

Awesome tool! Strange, I haven't run across it before. It's like a breath of fresh air for me now since we do a lot of phonetic practicing with my students at the moment; and I don't mind if it gives just RP, we don't need to go into depths at this level. Thanks again!