Balabolka is a free programme for Windows that will convert text to speech. It can read aloud text copied from websites, word documents and PDFs, and can create MP3 files so you can listen on the go. 

For guidance on using Balabolka, we have a detailed guidance PDF, and you can watch this short demonstration video.

You can download and install on your own Windows computer for free, with no adverts, from here.

Free, high quality Scottish voices “Stuart” and “Heather” are also available to download from here. You will be asked to complete your details before you can download them – make sure you give you Heriot-Watt email address.

For more information about software available to you as a student, visit the Information Services Software webpages and the Assistive Technology webpages.