What really good computer programs are there for converting dictation to print?

In version 9 (there is a 10 out now) you can train it on individual words so if it consistently misinterprets your pronounciation of a word you can request it record your audio of that word and include it in the user's vocabulary file. You can also adjust the time intervals for pauses so it knows when it is a pause and when it is the end of a sentence.

Background noises are definitely a problem. A good noise reducing microphone helps a great deal with that. DNS also does not like music. It tries to convert the sounds to text.

One thing I do like about it is you can have a library of user voice profiles. I set up a user voice profile for many of the repeat speakers of audio tapes so I could train DNS to their specific speech patterns. It doesn't work as well when there is more than one speaker such as in an interview.

I'm not sure it's a current offering; when I used it, I had to perform a special download and jump through some hoops to get it working.

Also, it requires "training" the software, and I never did achieve very good results.

Voice recognition for dictation is actually cheaper than getting the package that will also perform voice commands.

Or, that was the case when I last researched it, anyway.

and make sure it has access to an English dictionary. Not a lot of use if you continually have to correct the spelling.

Oh, yes. The ability to add to the dictionary is absolutely essential if you use a lot of jargon.

The Microsoft Office voice recognition kinda struggled when I attempted to dictate stuff related to my job. It never did get "ip address" right.

When I was in the assistive technology biz, Dragon Naturally Speaking was the gold standard. It was by far the preference of people who couldn't type for whatever reason.

That's a bit out of date now, but thought I'd mention. (I thought "Dragon Naturally Speaking" as soon as I saw your title.)

Sigh.

I now have to check if our IT people will let such a piece of technology onto our sacred computers.

I am not allowed even to try to turn on the program lurking in our XP.

I have god's name, and I called her yesterday, but could only leave a voice message.


I guess this is the way of gods, eh?

An alternative you can offer to them is purchasing a recorder and hiring a transcriptionist to transcribe your reports.

DNS will seem much more sensible and cost effective to them.

You made my coffee come out my nose!


No, such a threat will not bother them. Believe me.

Access to work has just given me the go ahead to purchase Dragon Naturally Speaking software with 2 x half day training.

Question: this is going to be installed on the school cpu - will DNS recognise anyones voice who speaks into the mic? The headteacher wishes for one of the kids who has speical needs to use it also. Is it transferrable to one of the kids laptops? Is is transferrable to mine at home?

Does anyone know if the wireless edition gives the same quality?

How's it going?

Welllll - I'm hoping it is going to arrive this week. The order should have been placed on Friday.

(Access for Disabled at Work gave me a £2K grant to obtain a bespoke height adjustable desk, pro logic RH300 (I think) chair, footrest, electronic gadgets (like stapler, hole punch, school address stamp etc, headset, mini keyboard, writing slope, mouse that sits on it's side so my hand is upright and resting - oh, loads....) so I don't have to use my hands and FAT PENS - yay for FAT PENS. A whole lot of equipment to make life easier (the company I dealt with were just fantastic and so accommodating).

However, the training for the sofware was going to be £300 per half day session - so my boss reckons I need to try and figure it out using the CD - so may be back to ask questions here!) She also wishes for a little boy who has scribing probs to try the software.

Also have applied for a further grant as our school is not access friendly - hoping to get a ramp done outside the entrance for wheelchair access, handrails and a few other things - have the paperwork downstairs to complete. I still wouldn't be able to get into my office in a w-chair - but could shuffle a bit and onto the office chair if I have more surgery <which is a possibility> )

So.... will let you know how it goes with the software once I'm up and running.

Any advice would be great - I'm not the most technically efficient person in the world!

I have just installed the software into my laptop.

I am talking into the microphone Using Dragon naturally speaking 10 speech recognition software.

I am so impressed.

I find this quite incredible.

I have had a lot of help from the access to work people and have lots of new equipment at school. I think this software will be very useful if my hands get bad and actually at the moment this is quite good fun. I think I need to do some training or tutorials on it. It does feel very strange talking into a microphone and not having to type anything but I don't feel as though I am talking naturally which is a bit strange. I guess I will get used to if I need to.

smiley emoticon

I never saw these last few posts of yours Izzy!

How is it going now? Need any help with training or teaching the young student how to use it?

Do you still use it as much as you did before the novelty wore off?

I still find it a lifesaver, especially when I'm working on very long transcription projects and my fingers are burning and swollen from several hours of steady typing.

Hey Butrfly

Thank you for asking. Yep, it's going well actually - have used it a few times when my hands get bad or I have to do a lot of typing. We didn't get it set up with the kiddo at school in the end, as it would have meant him coming into the office and configuring it for him personally - however, his SEN improved when he went into Year 6 and was encouraged to write more (he was a very reluctant writer and said he would never need to learn because he was going to take over the farm!). He did improve hugely tho as he matured in his last year of primary school.

I do find it hard to talk precisely and haven't figured out all the shortcuts yet - but that will come with practise, no doubt.

It is amazing software tho. Very impressed. When I eventually have surgery on my hands, it will be indispensable.

I haven't tried using it with Excel at all - I reckon that would be pretty complicated.

(what's weird also, well, not really weird per se, is that as the use of my hands is very unpredictable but I seem to type at the same speed with the use of only 4 fingers - mutant finger adaptability!!!!!)