Ziafont reads TrueType/OpenType font files and draws characters and strings as SVG elements. Unlike the SVG element, the output of Ziafont's SVG will render identically on any system, independent of whether the original font is available.
Ziafont supports fonts with TrueType glyph outlines contained in a "glyf" table in the font (these fonts typically have a .ttf extensions), or fonts with a "CFF " table (typically with a .otf extension). Kerning adjustment and glyph substitution are supported if the font has a "GPOS" table.
Documentation is available at readthedocs. There is also an online demo of Glyph rendering using Ziafont.