Support for Let’s Talk software from Sunday Software

Sunday Software closed its virtual doors in 2019 and donated all of its 18 programs to http://www.rotation.org where you can find the updated teaching guides and extra tech tips. Supporting Members at rotation.org can also download the software for free. Let’s Talk can be downloaded for FREE by the supporting members of Rotation.org. View the latest Let’s Talk Guide and Tips, plus lesson plan ideas in the forum at https://www.rotation.org/forum/free-bible-software-for-children-and-youth

View our “General” and “Common Issues/Solutions” webpage.

For more specific help, contact neilmacqueen+sundaysoftware@gmail.com

Let’s Talk software uses a little known but powerful part of the Microsoft Windows operating system call “the Speech Application” (SAPI for short). It comes pre-installed in Windows, but some older computers may have uninstalled it at some point. We’ve included a copy of it on the Let’s Talk CD and download. Microsoft put out two versions of it, and Let’s Talk uses the more popular ‘version 4’ -so read our tech notes below with that in mind.

Troubleshooting Installation in Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10
If you get a SAPI error message at start up,
or only have one voice to choose from for your character,

Then you need to install the two Speech Applications (SAPI4 and SAPI5) found in the SAPI_installers folder on the Let’s Talk CD. These will install the two required Microsoft Speech Applications. Find them on your CD and double click 4 to install, then 5.

HEADS UP:
We have noticed ONE ODDITY
in Let’s Talk running on Windows 8 and 10, and some Windows 7 computers. Here it is:

When you are selecting eye and hair styles in any of the “Build a Teacher” screens, you need to MOVE YOUR MOUSE OFF THE BUTTON in-between clicking the option arrows.

If you just keep clicking a selection arrow, without rolling off the arrow in-between, you will think there isn’t much to select from!

Solution: roll off the arrow and back onto it to make another selection. Be sure to click the ARROW and not just the button around the arrow.

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MORE SUPPORT NOTES:
How can I delete lessons?
Open the c:\programs\Lets-talk\Lessons folder on your computer and manually delete them.

Speech “TOO FAST” ?

One customer has reported that the text-to-speech speed was very fast on their computer. We can’t duplicate it. However, there is a speed control in the Windows Control Panel -> Speech Recognition -> Text to Speech link.

PROBLEMS~SOLUTIONS

Problem:
I only see ONE “voice” to select for the onscreen characters.
I see NO voices to select for onscreen characters.

Solution:
Open the files on the Let’s Talk CD and install SAPI 4 (the msttsl file on the CD) to add more voices.

Most Windows operating systems came with 3 or 4 different voices. But on some computers, they were not installed or have been inadvertently uninstalled. Some versions of Windows 8 only have one voice. Installing SAPI 4 msttsl file from the CD or download will correct that.

Alternately, you an download additional SAPI 4.0 text to speech “voices” from http://www.bytecool.com/voices.htm. Click the “free text to speech engines” “Mary, Mike, Sam and More” for Sapi4.0. The American English voices download for Sapi4 are also good to go. “Msttsl” stands for the Microsoft text to speech voices which are available to freely install on your computer. You could also reinstall them from your Windows disc.

There WERE issues with Let’s Talk on older computers which our latest version of Let’s Talk and updates to Windows have all solved.

Author: Neil

I'm Neil MacQueen, a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA). For 24 years I owned and operated Sunday Software at www.sundaysoftware.com. A few years ago I shut down the site and donated all my software to Rotation.org. I am also the founder and webmaster of Rotation.org, a non-profit Sunday School resource ministry run by a group of volunteers.

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