Listening to audiobooks: Advantages, limitations

Kabul (Pajhwok): The “Bulbul” application, by offering more than 300 audiobooks in Dari and Pashto, has made access to reading in audio format easier and has provided work and income opportunities for around 400 narrators. Experts say this app is useful, but it cannot fully replace physical reading.

Sorya Yousufi, director of the “Bulbul” application, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the audiobook app was launched in 2021.

On the app’s creation, she said: “Previously, we had an application that provided books in physical form, but we faced a major problem—we couldn’t send books outside Afghanistan because the shipping cost was higher than the book itself. That led us to create Bulbul, an app to make books accessible in audio form for everyone.”

According to Yousufi, Bulbul was built with three primary goals: to provide access to books for all, to promote a reading culture, and to offer income opportunities for individuals skilled in narration.

She added: “The app includes a section called ‘Narrators.’ Anyone with narration skills can create a profile and submit a voice sample. Our technical team evaluates the sample, and if it meets our narration standards, the individual becomes an official narrator and can record books, which are then available for download in the Bulbul app.”

Yousufi emphasized that Bulbul is available on both the Play Store and App Store, and each audiobook costs 10 afghanis. Narrators receive payment whenever their narrated books are purchased, providing a source of income.

She explained that before narrators officially record a book, they must submit a sample audio for review. This ensures proper pronunciation, sound quality, and adherence to the app’s standards. The process not only guarantees content quality but also allows narrators to improve their skills and build a professional profile.

Yousufi noted that Bulbul offers books in various categories.

The app currently offers books in Dari and Pashto, with English titles recently added. Efforts are underway to include other commonly spoken languages in Afghanistan.

However, Bulbul’s main goal remains to provide access to content in Dari and Pashto, particularly for Afghans living abroad, given the scarcity of apps in these languages.

Yousufi emphasized that over 300 books have been uploaded to the app. She also highlighted the importance of protecting authors’ rights, noting that narrators are responsible for obtaining permission before recording. If an author does not grant authorization, the book is removed from the system and cannot be narrated by anyone else.

She added that the app requires users to create a personal profile, including their name, email, and phone number, to access all services. Users in Afghanistan can purchase books through the “HesabPay” app, while international users can buy books via Apple Pay.

Currently, Bulbul has about 400 active narrators, with approximately 60% male and 40% female.

Narrator: My main goal is not to earn money

Safiullah Mohammadi, one of Bulbul’s narrators, said he usually downloads books from various websites, coordinates with the app, narrates them, and publishes them on Bulbul.

He began his work years ago through social media, maintaining a personal page, and started collaborating professionally with Bulbul after becoming familiar with the platform.

Mohammadi has been working with Bulbul for nearly a year, narrating books in two to three categories, including motivational, religious, and novels, noting that novels are the most popular.

He emphasized that his main motivation is not earning money but allowing others to benefit from the books he reads.

Regarding the advantages of the app, he said it allows those who are interested in reading but lack time to easily listen to books—for example, during commuting.

He also noted the challenges of narration, which involve recording, editing, and publishing books—a demanding process made easier with teamwork and sufficient resources.

Bulbul App User

Mohammad Omar Joyya, a Bulbul user, said he discovered the app through social media.

He described Bulbul as an ideal solution for people without access to physical books or sufficient literacy, offering a large library of content.

Joyya emphasized that as the app’s content and variety expand, its usefulness will grow, allowing users to access their preferred books more easily.

Qazi Najibullah, a writer, said that reading culture in Afghanistan is limited, literacy levels are low, publishing offices are fewer than in neighboring countries, and many people cannot access the books they want.

He believes converting books into audio is an effective way to spread their messages nationwide and to remote areas, making content accessible to all, including those who cannot afford books or are illiterate.

Psychologist: Audiobooks can make us lazy

Abdul Jalil Amrakhil, a psychologist, explained that reading physical books and listening to audiobooks engage the mind differently.

Reading physical books stimulates multiple senses simultaneously, helping readers better understand and retain the content. While reading, individuals visualize each paragraph, consolidating information mentally.

In contrast, audiobooks focus on listening to the narrator’s voice and pronunciation, limiting imagination and mental visualization.

Amrakhil added that while audiobooks have benefits, “the only problem with audiobooks is that they can make us lazy and distract us from the core content.” He recommends prioritizing physical books for study whenever possible.

sa