Dragon Naturally Speaking transcription software triples productivity
Although the world record for typing is 216 words per minute, most people type at 40 words per minute, which is one-third the speed of ordinary human speech. Nuance Communications’ Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition software solves the problem of slow typing speeds by transforming speech into content at normal speaking speeds.
Freelance writers who are paid per article can significantly increase their hourly wage by using speech recognition apps like this one. Very slow typists can also benefit a lot. Those who write large business documents and a lot of email will benefit from the productivity gains. Another group of people who benefit are those who suffer from repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel.
When the first speech-to-text software came out in the 1990s, words had to be separated by a pause so as not to confuse the software. This is no longer essential. Older versions of Dragon Naturally Speaking often bogged down the computer and were also less accurate. A quantum leap ahead of previous versions, Dragon Naturally Speaking 11 doesn’t have those limitations. Recent earlier versions would often interpret a breath as a possible word. Eleven no longer does this, so you no longer need to turn off your microphone when taking a break from dictation.
Installations
The installation of Dragon Naturally Speaking is simple. Once the files have been copied and checked into your system, the microphone needs to be calibrated and some audio testing done. As for the microphone, it is recommended to use the one from Nuance for compatibility reasons. In general, a wired headset will work better at a lower cost, as wireless headsets that work well with this program are often very expensive. To use a wireless headset, it is necessary to update to the Preferred version of the software.
Training
The next step, after installation, is to move through the tutorials. It is recommended to choose an easier reading. Later, you can do a more difficult reading and refer back to the General Training, if necessary. For best results, speak in a normal voice. Don’t enunciate too much or use a different voice because although the program is great, your comprehension ability is not as good as a person’s. So speak normally.
practice
Next, it’s time to dictate some dictation. Initially, the program will make some errors. Avoid correcting wrong words manually. Instead, use the select that so that the software knows what the correct word is. If you do not perform this step, the software will not improve your comprehension ability.
Once the software adapts to your unique way of speaking, your error rate will drop and won’t exceed 1.5 percent, which is comparable to professional typists anyway. Even if users spend the same amount of time correcting transcription typos, a lot of valuable time has been saved thanks to the speed of the software.
Dragon Naturally Speaking runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. It can handle dictation from most Microsoft Office products, such as Word and Excel. It also dictates into other popular software products such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, AOL, and Corel WordPerfect.
Price
The basic version of Dragon Naturally Speaking retails for $99.99 on the official website, but you can find it for less at other retailers. The Preferred version supports wireless microphone and includes several additional features. There are specialized versions suitable for medical and legal professionals, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking Medical and Dragon Naturally Speaking Legal, respectively. Those have extended glossaries.
conclusion
Dragon Naturally Speaking improves with use. The better you know your voice, the better you will perform. Freelance writers can give themselves a significant boost as dictating is much faster than typing and writer’s block isn’t as big of a problem during verbal speech. It is unrealistic to expect speech-to-text software to be bug free. What is certain, however, is that it will increase your productivity by a factor of three or so.