The decades-long battle between traditional reading and audiobooks could be about to turn a new page thanks to a hybrid technology that combines the two.
US tech giant Audible will release its Read and Listen feature in Australia from Monday, allowing users to follow along with text from a book as it is read to them.
The feature could aid comprehension and assist those with language and learning challenges, the company says, but is ultimately designed to boost overall literacy levels.
The feature comes after research from Monash University found most Australians read fewer books than intended, and providing greater access and advice could help more readers reach their goals.
The Read and Listen feature will be available to readers who own e-book and audiobook versions of a title, and will show its text within the app with words highlighted as they are read aloud.
Early research from the US found reading along with an audiobook made the experience more immersive, Audible chief product officer Andy Tsao said, and had the potential to help new readers and those expanding their vocabulary.
“We hope that it’s for everybody but we do think that there’s the potential for it to help people who have different learning spectrums and combining the audio and the text will make reading more accessible,” he said.
“We’ve seen some research that it will increase comprehension so we hope that it’s going to help those customers.”
One in three Australians listen to audiobooks, Mr Tsao said, and the ability to read along with a recording could help solve any remaining debates about the legitimacy of the practice.
“Books are the experience and we want more people with more books – I don’t see them as competing with each other,” he said.
A study conducted by Monash University, in collaboration with Creative Australia and Australia Reads, found 55 per cent of the nation’s readers got through fewer books than they planned to finish.
A follow-up report, called Reaching Australian Readers, found providing personalised recommendations, making reading accessible, and demonstrating ways to fit books into everyday routines could boost literacy.
“Our research shows that strategies work best when people can see themselves in the message, feel confident they can do it, and believe reading can fit into their lives in small, manageable ways,” lead researcher Breanna Wright said.
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