What is Dragon NaturallySpeaking?
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is the world’s best-selling speech recognition software.
It has two main features:
- The ability to dictate text which gets written in real time on your screen, in any application
- Being able to control your computer without using the keyboard or the mouse
In other words, your voice allows you to create documents, navigate the internet, send emails, create reports… and all this in a few seconds. Tweaks like selecting text to erase it or make the font bold or italic are also there, not to mention the ability to search documents, etc. The list of benefits would be endless.
Who uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking?
This software would be a boon for companies who often need to transcribe content from long meetings. We speak 3 times faster than we write, so it would save some time!
The main benefit is automating repetitive tasks in order to free up valuable time for your employees.
This software is equally used by many people with a disability, who maybe can’t use the keyboard or the mouse.
Some kinks in the software
It’s true that this software isn’t perfect, but we all make mistakes 😉 However, the publisher, Nuance, tells us its accuracy can go up 99%.
The errors are orthographical in nature, because the software still has some trouble perceiving context and doesn’t always pick the best option for a word which has homonyms. The Pro version has some extra features like an enriched vocabulary compared to the Home version; you also need to shell out some extra bucks as the cost is €800. If you’re less picky, the Home version costs much less, about €70.
It needs to be pointed out this software can’t be used in a noisy area as it would not function properly. You need to be able to use your voice loud and clear into a microphone for best results. You also need a bit of training before reaching that point of smooth sailing, because you can’t lose focus and you need to prepare your words carefully before saying them out loud.
At TradOnline we haven’t yet invested in this tool, but as we are fans of new technology, it is probably only a matter of time 😉
If you are an SME like us and you’ve taken this step, do let us know what you think of the software!