| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Is speech recognition worth it? Thread poster: Inez Ulrich
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Inez Ulrich 
Germany
Local time: 12:25
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
Hi all,
I have been thinking about trying speech recognition again, especially as I have started writing a book (after 30 years of thinking about doing so ), but I would also use it for my translation work, of course. I think I purchased a licence for DNS 11 4 years ago, but then stopped using it, uninstalled it, got two other notebooks since and have no idea where the email with the licence is or where else I could fin... See more Hi all,
I have been thinking about trying speech recognition again, especially as I have started writing a book (after 30 years of thinking about doing so), but I would also use it for my translation work, of course. I think I purchased a licence for DNS 11 4 years ago, but then stopped using it, uninstalled it, got two other notebooks since and have no idea where the email with the licence is or where else I could find it. Version 11 is also probably very outdated.
But before I invest in the latest Home version:
- Is it really worth it? Do you really save that much time? And: how often do you use it at all?
- Is there other speech recognition software out there that ware recommendable or is Dragon the only one that is worth considering?
- Can you buy second hand licences or is that a bad idea?
- I read on Nuance's website that you can do proofreading with DNS - how exactly does that work? I do so much editing (of books), that would be a game changer, if it wasn't very complicated.
Thanks a lot!
[Edited at 2022-01-15 16:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It Depends on What You Are Doing | Jan 16, 2022 |
Hi There:
I use NS extensively for transcription work. I basically don't need to type much. The software is now very accustomed to the quirks of my voice. Having said that, if you are going to use it, I would recommend that you buy a Speech Ware microphone as well (the ones recommended by Nuance). They pick up the voice much quicker, which means the software itself is more responsive. On the issue of proof reading, Dragon has a playback function. Thus, instead of reading line-by-line, you ... See more Hi There:
I use NS extensively for transcription work. I basically don't need to type much. The software is now very accustomed to the quirks of my voice. Having said that, if you are going to use it, I would recommend that you buy a Speech Ware microphone as well (the ones recommended by Nuance). They pick up the voice much quicker, which means the software itself is more responsive. On the issue of proof reading, Dragon has a playback function. Thus, instead of reading line-by-line, you can have what you have written read back to you. Personally, buying it was on of the best decisions I made. ▲ Collapse
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I have dictated my translations for 20 years. Dragon is better than anything else.
It is good for dictating straight text (translating) but I find it’s no good for anything requiring commands (editing) as it just gets it wrong too much.
I can use it with Wordfast Classic (the only command I use is NEXT, and that cost me a £100 upgrade!!) but I wouldn’t want to use it in something like Trados.
I find the learning-from-your-voice feature works against me... See more I have dictated my translations for 20 years. Dragon is better than anything else.
It is good for dictating straight text (translating) but I find it’s no good for anything requiring commands (editing) as it just gets it wrong too much.
I can use it with Wordfast Classic (the only command I use is NEXT, and that cost me a £100 upgrade!!) but I wouldn’t want to use it in something like Trados.
I find the learning-from-your-voice feature works against me and recognition deteriorates over time so I delete my profile and start from scratch every now and again. Luckily, recognition is almost perfect out of the box. It’s certainly better than on my iPhone. The bad news is I then lose all my saved foreign words.
Like CAT tools, it suffers from having loads of features you never use and can’t turn off, so it gobbles up computer memory and grinds to a halt around 5000 words into a Word document so I split them into chunks.
Caveat: I dictate in English and do not have a strong regional accent. But I do mumble, and use a cheap and very old microphone, and it copes just fine.
If you want a more expert opinion on here from someone who understands technology and probably has it set up much better than me, contact Michael Beijer. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | There are many factors | Jan 16, 2022 |
James Hodges wrote:
I would recommend that you buy a Speech Ware microphone as well (the ones recommended by Nuance). They pick up the voice much quicker, which means the software itself is more responsive.
Sorry, but "picking up the voice much quicker" is physically impossible. I am not saying microphone quality doesn't matter, but paying $200 for a microphone may be an overkill. Personally, I use a built-in microphone in my notebook, and the results are excellent anyway. What's very important, however, is to choose a workplace that has no noise or bad echo. From the physical point of view, the two best options are opposite: either a small booth lined with sound-absorbing material, or an infinite empty space.
Since version 11, Dragon has made a tremendous advance in recognition quality, so you may be pleased with the new version. However, it may or may not be worth it depending on the texts you are working with (e.g. texts with plenty of non-dictionary words are poorly suited to dictation). Proofreading: possible, but probably not worth it. Other software of comparable power: none that I know of.
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Tony M
France
Local time: 12:25
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Choice of microphone | Jan 16, 2022 |
The key factors when selecting a microphone are how well it picks up te voice, and how ell it ignores extraneous background sounds.
Most microphones these days, even fairly cheap ones, will cope fairly well with the comparatively limited range of speech frequencies.
However, the second factor is by far the most important — and one of the best solutions is not to pay over the top for a 'special' mic, but simply to use a boom mike on your headset, which will put it closer to your mou... See more The key factors when selecting a microphone are how well it picks up te voice, and how ell it ignores extraneous background sounds.
Most microphones these days, even fairly cheap ones, will cope fairly well with the comparatively limited range of speech frequencies.
However, the second factor is by far the most important — and one of the best solutions is not to pay over the top for a 'special' mic, but simply to use a boom mike on your headset, which will put it closer to your mouth (yes, that's where the sound comes out!) than any other form of mounting.
Directly in front would be ideal, except that it renders it very prone to unwanted breath noises, so just to the side is usually best — as we see all the time with people on TV. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Inez Ulrich
Germany
Local time: 12:25
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks, Guys! | Jan 16, 2022 |
Thanks all, I will let this sit for another day or two and then make a decision. I know it is somewhere in this forum, but maybe you can answer this question as well: compability with CAT tools - CafeTran Espresso? Or SmartCat/MateCat? I don't have Trados and I won't ever have it, but I guess it would make sense to use DNS with a CAT. Any advice?
| | | | | Compatibility | Jan 16, 2022 |
In Dragon, there are two levels of compatibility. In Word and the like you have full-text compatibility, which means you can search and edit text by voice commands. With most if not all CAT tools, you have a keyboard-level compatibility - that is, Dragon does exactly what a keyboard without a mouse would do: you can enter text and you can undo your entry.
Regarding microphones and external noise: look specifically for a noise-cancelling microphone. There is nothing exotic in ... See more In Dragon, there are two levels of compatibility. In Word and the like you have full-text compatibility, which means you can search and edit text by voice commands. With most if not all CAT tools, you have a keyboard-level compatibility - that is, Dragon does exactly what a keyboard without a mouse would do: you can enter text and you can undo your entry.
Regarding microphones and external noise: look specifically for a noise-cancelling microphone. There is nothing exotic in them, they have existed for decades and aren't significantly more expensive than non-noise-cancelling ones. The principle behind noise cancellation is trivial: besides the opening facing the speaker, the microphone case also has an opening on the other side of the sensitive membrane, the one facing away from the speaker. A diffuse noise that comes from far away will arrive at the membrane from both sides and the resulting air pressures will cancel each other, so the membrane won't move, whereas your voice, coming mostly into the front opening, will shake the membrane as intended. Of course, this is a very crude approximation, as no noise is perfectly diffuse, so even the best noise-cancelling microphone will cancel most of the noise but not all of it, so you are beffer off in a quiet room anyway. There are also more intricate systems for voice cancellation, but again, if you are paying $200, you are paying mostly for the brand name rather than actual quality.
[Edited at 2022-01-16 17:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | further options | Jan 16, 2022 |
You could first try Microsoft's own speech recognition software as it is installed on the computer anyway. For me it works fine, though I have heard from other people that they had problems with it.
Another possibility is Voice Pro, formerly called ViaVoice. I have used it for several years and it worked fine for me. I bought a used licence then as it was much cheaper. There will always be people who try speech recognition software and lose patience soon or find out that dictating i... See more You could first try Microsoft's own speech recognition software as it is installed on the computer anyway. For me it works fine, though I have heard from other people that they had problems with it.
Another possibility is Voice Pro, formerly called ViaVoice. I have used it for several years and it worked fine for me. I bought a used licence then as it was much cheaper. There will always be people who try speech recognition software and lose patience soon or find out that dictating is simply not their cup of tea, so you might find used licences offered on e.g. ebay. ▲ Collapse
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Stepan Konev
Russian Federation
Local time: 13:25
English to Russian
| Speechpad (only for Chrome in Windows, Mac and Linux OS) | Jan 17, 2022 |
This one is for free: Speechpad
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
I've been using Dragon NS for at least ten years, in conjunction with WordFast Classic, and it works just fine. I was using the Premium version, but had an issue with it a couple of years ago, and rather than try to sort out through their helpline, which at that time wasn't great, I simply downloaded and installed the home version (15) and it does everything I need it to. I only use it for dictating, and don't bother with the command function.
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:25
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Inez Ulrich
Germany
Local time: 12:25
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Michael!
You have to have Windows 11 for that one, right?
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Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:25
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Inez Ulrich wrote: Thanks, Michael! You have to have Windows 11 for that one, right?
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:25
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Yes, you need Win11! | Jan 21, 2022 |
Inez Ulrich wrote: Thanks, Michael! You have to have Windows 11 for that one, right?
In fact, you also need to be running a so-called Windows Insiders preview build of Windows 11, and "Voice Access" is only available in the "Dev Channel". However, it will be available to regular Win11 pretty soon I think.
For now, I recommend having a look at https://www.voicemacro.net/ (which is free and works on Windows 10)!
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:25
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
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