Speech recognition / Auto Transcribe

I have some things that I need to transcribe, but would rather have some software prepare the rough draft so only (hopefully) minor edits would be necessary. I'm more interested in being able to transcribe an mp3 file than dictation.

What are the options and opinions available?

I haven't had experience with voice recognition, but have heard that Dragon Naturally Speaking is probably the head of that field. All feedback I have on voice recognition is that it is very time consuming to set up and 'train' the software to recognize your voice. This means then that you will save yourself time in the long run, but if you wanted to use it for your client files it will be a lot of trouble because everyone has a different voice (tone/inflections etc).

I will admit I haven't looked into this for well over a year, so there may be some new information that others may have and I would be interested to hear about.

Good luck,
Marie

I seriously doubt that voice recognition software could be used to type audio files in place of transcribing them. Everybody's voice is different, the sound quality of the recordings might not be great, etc. I know it has improved over the years, but I tried Naturally Speaking a long time ago for myself and it was more trouble than it was worth. I also had a client who tried it and it worked horrible for him (so he ended up hiring me to type his work for him!).

I used the Dragon Naturally Speaking software some time ago and it was more trouble than it was worth. My laptop has Windows voice recognition software which comes with Vista but it is really only best for giving commands, 'open document', 'close document', etc.

Although I understand that voice recognition software has come a long way since its inception, it is still rough around the edges. Google Voice uses recognition software to send voice mail messages and it is consistently incorrect that I end up listening to the message instead of reading the text message it sends to me.

Here's a product review on the Dragon Naturally Speaking but I'm sure you can find other reviews, perhaps on Cnet. http://www.consumersearch.com/voice-...ition-software

Janine

I agree with Pam and Janine. I tried Dragon Naturally Speaking and got a really good laugh out of it. Until voice recognition software has reached a much higher ability to actually do what it is supposed to, a headset, good set of ears, and your typing skills are the best things out there for transcribing - and a lot less expensive.

My experience has been pretty much the same. By the time I cleaned up everything the software did wrong, I could have just typed it to begin with. Not worth it.

I just ordered something from Start-Stop and I noticed a question in their FAQ's that kinda relates to this thread. Someone asked if you could use Dragon 10 in a conference environment. I've quoted the answer below:

"Unfortunately not. Dragon 10 "learns" the subtle differences in your voice and diction as you use the program. Right now there is no commercial software available from anyone that can separate different voices and accurately convert that speech to text. The technology is constantly improving so this will eventually be a reality."

I've thought about it once in awhile for writing. I thought maybe it would allow me to put out articles faster but I'm not sure I want to put out that kind of money. Hmmmm.....now I'm thinking about it again

Dawn

I started using Dragon Naturally Speaking when I had a broken arm several years ago. Once I trained it (and yes it is an investment in time), it worked very well. The trick is to train it for your different tones of voice. I have one that is for early morning, one that is tired, and one that is for a cold or stuffy nose. I have a couple of clients that use it also and they just send their transcription to me to "proof and format" it correctly.

There are different types of versions out there and the basic program is horrible. I have the Pro version. I have worked with the medical version and it helps quite a bit with those lovely medical terms, but the price tag is very expensive.

As most others i have used Dragon Naturally Speaking software, the setup and training does take quite a bit of time. There is also the need to still proof and format the document.

In my experience i find it easier just to transcribe, that way i can be sure the document is formatted and all spelling is correct as i type.