14.0

About spoken recordings as source

Please see our website (www.nuance.com/dragon/transcription-solutions) for illustrations and details,

including Nuance’s free Dragon Recorder app for smartphones and related devices.

Important: Dragon works with one voice at a time, so it cannot transcribe interviews or meetings directly.

Dragon’s transcription feature (available in editions Premium and higher) can be particularly useful to

exploit what you dictate while observing something (such as during a field inspection) or after an event

(such as a meeting or a class). Once you have set up your profile for transcription use, you can use

Dragon to transcribe your recordings.

TIP: If your recording was very “rough” or if it contained voices other than yours, consider the practice of

“echoing” or “re-speaking” rather than (or in addition to) transcribing the recording: while listening to the

recording and pausing it as needed, you dictate to Dragon what you hear. Among other advantages, this

gives you the opportunity to improve upon the original words, or add to them, including adding

punctuation that had not been spoken.

Before recording files for Dragon to transcribe, note:

 We recommend first using Dragon for real-time transcription (dictating directly to your PC)

because this gives you a chance to practice speaking clearly, in long phrases, and with

punctuation. From what you see Dragon transcribe as you dictate, you get feedback on how

clearly you are dictating. You also get ideas as to how to personalize your profile’s vocabulary, for

instance by noticing jargon or phrases you should add to the vocabulary so that Dragon will be

able to write them with the spelling, capitalization, and spacing you desire. (In addition to adding

words and phrases, be sure to designate to Dragon representative text documents so it can learn

what words and phrases you often use.) As explained further in this workbook, vocabulary

personalization is very important; it prevents many recognition errors!

 Learn the essential operations of your digital recorder or the recorder app on your smartphone

(starting and stopping recordings, for instance). Also, verify that the recorder is set to the correct

time and date as well as optimal settings for speech recognition (see details on individual models

tested by Nuance at http://support.nuance.com/compatibility).

 Some digital recording devices come with special software to manage recordings (including

transferring them to a computer and converting their format if necessary). Check your device’s

documentation and take the steps required to set up your device, including installing the software

it may require.

 Setting up a transcription source can be done using a sample of your own recorded voice, or

someone else’s (you must have a profile for that person).

Adding and managing sources

If you already have a Dragon profile and want to use another type of audio input device, add a source to

your profile instead of creating a separate profile: open the DragonBar’s Profile menu and choose

“Manage Dictation Sources.” This opens the dialog box where you can pick the desired source.

Remember that personalizing the Vocabulary is one of the keys to getting Dragon’s full benefits! Having

multiple sources within a profile means that, no matter which audio input device you use, the same

Vocabulary will be used — and refined — each time you use Dragon. For example, the phrases and

capitalization properties you taught Dragon while using a smartphone as a source will also be available

when you use a USB microphone.