Student Reader for Google Docs™

Support and Help

Student Reader for Google Docs™ is a DonatiTech reading-support add-on that reads Google Docs aloud using browser or system voices and offers optional English-to-Spanish translation.

Support email: support@donatitech.org
Website: https://donatitech.org

Getting Started

1. Open a Google Doc.
2. Open the Student Reader add-on.
3. Choose Open Reader.
4. Choose a source: selected text, current paragraph, Read From Cursor, or Entire Document.
5. Load the source into the reader text area.
6. Refresh the voice list if needed, then choose and test an available voice.
7. Set the reading speed, highlighting, Reading Focus, and Reading Display options as needed.
8. Choose Read.
9. Use Pause, Resume, Replay Sentence, or Stop as needed.
10. Preview the reader text or open the Reading Workspace for a larger reading view.

Voice Support

Student Reader lists voices made available by the browser and operating system. Voice availability varies by device, browser profile, operating system, and school-managed settings.

If the expected voice does not appear, refresh the voice list, reopen the sidebar, reload the Google Doc, check browser audio, or try another installed voice.

Reading Sources

Student Reader can read the entire document, selected text, the current paragraph, or from the cursor. Student Reader reads document text but does not edit the source document.

Word Support

Open Student Reader and load text into the Reading Preview. Select a word in the preview, confirm that it appears in Word Support, then choose Pronounce Word. Student Reader speaks only the selected word using an available browser or system voice for the current reading language.

Word Support works with Original English and with Spanish when an appropriate Spanish voice is available. Pronouncing a word does not automatically restart document reading; start a new Read when you are ready.

Spanish Translation and Speech

Original English is the default. To translate loaded English reading text, intentionally select Spanish under Translate & Read. Translation may take a moment for longer text and depends on network and Google service availability. It does not change the original Google Doc or create translation history.

Spanish read-aloud requires a Spanish voice exposed by the browser or operating system. Student Reader does not silently substitute an English voice when a Spanish voice is unavailable. If expected voices are missing, choose Refresh Voices, reopen Student Reader, or review the device's installed speech voices.

Reading Position and Bookmarks

Save Position, Resume Reading, and bookmarks are available for Original English reading. These controls are intentionally disabled in Spanish mode so English bookmark indexes are not applied to translated text.

Preferences and position or bookmark metadata are stored in the current browser profile. They may be different or unavailable on another computer, browser, or profile, and they may be removed when local browser storage is cleared.

Reading Check-In

Reading Check-In offers Main Idea, Key Detail, Confusing Part, and My Connection prompts. Responses are not graded or evaluated by AI. They remain only in the open Student Reader interface and are cleared when it closes.

Privacy

Student Reader does not send document text to DonatiTech servers or external text-to-speech services. Speech uses browser or system voices. Optional Spanish translation processes the English text being translated using Google's Apps Script Language service. The add-on does not use AI comprehension, analytics, advertising, or telemetry.

Troubleshooting

I do not hear audio

• Click Test Voice.
• Refresh the voice list.
• Try a different voice.
• Reopen the sidebar or reload the Google Doc.
• Check the device volume.
• Check Chrome audio permissions.
• Ask your school technology team whether browser speech voices are blocked.

Read From Cursor does not work

Click inside the document text first, then try Read From Cursor again.

Read Selected Text does not work

Select text in the Google Doc first, then choose Read Selected Text.

An expected voice is missing

Voice availability depends on the device and browser profile. Student Reader can only list voices exposed by the browser and operating system.

Spanish translation does not start

Load English text first, then intentionally select Spanish. For longer text, wait for translation to finish. If it fails, check connectivity, switch back to Original English, and try again.

Spanish text appears, but it is not spoken

Choose Refresh Voices and select a voice labeled with a Spanish locale such as es. If none is available, install or enable a Spanish voice in the browser or operating system.

Contact Support

For help, email support@donatitech.org.

Google Docs™ is a trademark of Google LLC.