Yes, our course books are also available as audiobooks.
Our audiobooks (mp3s) are created with the use of high-quality voice synthesis (text-to-speech technology). They are primarily intended for students with visual or reading impairments. Of course, everyone else can also make use and benefit from this additional learning medium. However, the audiobooks should be used as supplementary material - just like the videos. Some elements, such as tables, figures or self assessment tasks, are not read aloud: So having a look into the course book is still needed.
Of course, you can download the audiobooks and study from anywhere.
Our digital voice - we call him Jeff :-)
A synthetic voice always sounds a bit different from a real human, we are aware of that. However, since our course material is very extensive and also because it is updated regularly, hiring a human speaker for this job would be very expensive - in this case, we wouldn't be able to keep the prices of our foundation and additional trainings any longer.
One of the aspects that sets us apart is our cutting-edge course books. With a human speaker, the updates would not only be cost-intensive. Good speakers are usually fully booked for months at a time, which would lead to constant delays. Adding the updates to the mp3s would also be a time-consuming and expensive. As you can see, we put a lot of thought into this issue and made a conscious decision to go with "Jeff".
We think we have found a solution - at the highest possible technical standard - which provides a pleasant listening experience and allows us to keep our prices stable.
We are happy to receive suggestions, ideas and requests for improving the voice output via email. Leave us a message at mp3@ecodemy.com.
Where can I find the audiobooks?
If a course book has a mp3 file, you will find it at the same place where you can download the course book: