| Well, do you? No, I don't mean the things you say | | | | And that, of course, is one of the downsides of |
| to it when you get that blue screen of death, or | | | | dictation software. Some are definitely better |
| when half a day's work disappears without a | | | | than others both at actual dictation, and at |
| trace. What I mean is have you ever thought of | | | | correcting when they misunderstand. When you |
| dictating stuff into your computer rather than | | | | start using one of these programs they take you |
| having to type it? | | | | through a brief "training process" where the |
| And your next question will be "Why should I?". | | | | software learns how you talk. Don't be fooled by |
| No reason, I suppose, for most people except | | | | this. The actual training to use the program goes |
| that it eases the risk of repetitive strain injury. It's | | | | on for quite a long time, and it's a two-way |
| supposed to be quicker, too, though if you sit | | | | process. The program has to learn the way you |
| there all day talking to your computer you're likely | | | | talk and any specifics of your vocabulary. You |
| to get some strange looks from your colleagues! | | | | have to learn how to talk to the program so that |
| It can be fun, too. Most of the fun, of course, | | | | it best understands you. |
| comes from seeing those strange looks on other | | | | Is it faster than typing? That's a good question. It |
| people's faces. Some of the misinterpretations by | | | | partly depends on how fast a typist you are, and |
| the software can be amusing as well. Many are | | | | partly on how well trained your dictation software |
| fairly straightforward and can be simply corrected. | | | | and you are. It does need a fairly powerful |
| Some, though, are real howlers. For example, I | | | | computer to get it going with any degree of |
| was dictating something the other day and I | | | | speed and I wouldn't recommend it as something |
| forget what I actually said but one of the | | | | to do just for something to try. But if you're |
| correction options but the software offer was | | | | more of a "hunt and peck" typist, or you do have |
| "send a mummy a seagull"! Now, I can promise | | | | problems with your hands, then it can be a great |
| you, that was nothing like what I dictated. But it | | | | asset. I can vouch for that. I have arthritis in my |
| took quite a bit of fiddling, and a moderate | | | | hands and typing is very painful, so I rely almost |
| amount of time, to convince the dictation | | | | totally on my voice input. And yes, this whole |
| program to type the correct thing. | | | | article has been dictated. |