A handy language learning tool
If you are teaching or learning language, you can improve listening and pronunciation using speech synthesis software. When people have access to Windows Vista, they can install the text-to-speech freeware panopreter on it. Then Microsoft Anna, the standard American voice, will speak and read files in English. It's a wonderful English learning method, in addition, panopreter converts speech into wave and mp3 files, you can import generated audio files to portable devices, and listen to them while walking, jogging or commuting to work.
It supports other languages too, such as Spanish, French, German etc. If you are running panopreter on Windows XP, you'd better install a third party voice engine, for the default Microsoft voice on Windows XP is not as good as that on Windows Vista. It is popular text-to-speech software, you can download it by search with google using keywords "panopreter", then you will get a lot of results.
.......and eventually, you'll end up speaking like a robot!
<<It's a wonderful English learning method>>
No, it sucks. You'll never speak naturally that way. You'll end up sounding like an idiot.
You can hear text read in several languages at Reverso, a website, but only a couple of sentences at a time (it's free). It sounds pretty good, but not perfect. Google it and try it in German, French, Spanish, etc.
The best way to get the sounds down in a language (other than having a good "ear"), is to listen a lot. Listen to recordings, the radio, TV, in the background as well as listening while you read a text. I think Krashen is interesting, but I wouldn't encourage you to listen for months before speaking. Listen a lot and keep listening after you start to speak.
You can buy "Pronounce it Perfectly in English" for about twenty dollars in bookstores in the US and on the internet. It has audio and text. It's available for Japanese, Russian, Spanish, French, and possibly another language. If you read about people who are serious (like Prof. Arguelles)
about languages, you'll see that some of them studied with a teacher (German for him), or they studied phonics. This is a less expensive way to go and it's not just for people who have major pronunciation problems. I'm of the school that it is best to sound as native as possible simply because it takes the focus off you the speaker and and allows your listener to concentrate on your message.
You can also get software where you can compare your voice (fricatives, etc.) with a native speaker in the language you choose. This is available in many languages (for almost nothing) with 101 Languages of the World, 31 Languages of the World, however this is only for beginning students/hobbyists.
Antimoon has a product as well. Check it out.
The best tool: "Tell Me More" software from Auralog. Give it a try and you will not regret it.
REgards.