I’ll be the first to admit that I'm a Luddite, one of those people who drags her feet at progress, especially in the area of technology. However, in the past few months I have surprised myself. I was at a writers’ retreat back in April and got into a discussion about Dragon Naturally Speaking, the dictation software that allows a person to “speak” her writing into a computer and have the words magically appear in a document the writer has set up. Because I anticipated lots of writing coming up and was finding it difficult to sit for long periods of time in front of the computer, I decided to purchase the program.
When the software and headset arrived, I managed to attach everything and download the program myself. However, being a cheapskate at heart, I didn’t buy the training DVD, which would have cost another forty dollars or so. I immediately started dictating e-mails, editorial comments, and my own personal writing. But, just like any other new-fangled thing, getting used to how to use it took some doing.
My dictation software actually reminds me of the first time I used the editing function on my word processor. It's a very cool function, but until I got used to using it, all of the red marks and boxes in the right-hand margin were incredibly distracting, particularly because my ADD liked to go into "Oh, shiny!" mode every time I had the idea that I might need to use one of those functions.
As for my new toy/business purchase, without the dictation training software for constant reference, I had to rely on trial and error, and the “tips” which appear when the program boots up. Since they come at the beginning of my writing sessions and I didn’t really know how to access them during it, though, they’re not totally helpful. I sort of stumbled onto how to add vocabulary words, etc., and I’m getting better at using the features, but I’m wondering if I should have sprung for the training DVD right when I got the program. Because, although I do love to talk, apparently I mumble when I dictate.
On the up-side, this habit of mumbling has resulted in some rather humorous responses from my dragon and provided me with a blog topic.
So as a cautionary tale, here are some of the sought for responses and some of the actual results I’ve gotten from my dictation software:
In my current work in progress—a Regency-set romance—mischief became “Ms. Jeff,” yarn stockings became “ER and stockings,” and still a humbug became “Stella Humbug.” My heroine’s name is Elyse, and although the computer usually catches the correct spelling because I programmed it to, I was dictating dialogue and “to see that Elyse” became “to see the police.” Not at all what I had in mind. Later in that dictation, simpering miss became “simple ring this.” I should figure out how to go back and see if I trained my dragon to recognize “simpering” when it hears it.
There are more examples, of course, and maybe these have to do with the fact that my WIP is historical. I was dictating research from a book about London in the 16th and 17th centuries into a document I’d created for reference notes, and Dr. Rock’s Antivenereal Electuary—and, yes, this is a real “medicine” sold in London years and years back—became “and have an ariel elect to wary.” I can only guess at what an antivenereal electuary is, but I suspect it was used by men who elected not to have venereal diseases. And although this cure sounds amazingly silly, my dragon’s translation is even more so since it’s just a string of words the poor machine “heard” me speak. If I’d thought about it, I’d have done an “add vocabulary” function and hopefully taken care of the problem right then and there. Of course, then I wouldn't have any material to laugh about for this blog.
And of course I could be all wrong about the Dragon's inability to understand historical types of references. It could just come down to the fact that I mumble. In a newsletter article I wrote about Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Hotel, the phrase acerbic critic became “a cervix critic.” Of all the things Ms Parker was alleged to criticize, I’d never heard that a cervix was one of them.
So, perhaps my Dragon isn't sarcastic enough on its own to understand the word acerbic. Right after the cervix fiasco, I trained it to understand the difference between the two words when spoken.
Most of my problems have been in dictating regular documents, although it has taken me a while to figure out how to get the correct spelling of my name into e-mail. (I suppose if I had been trained correctly, I would have known enough to add my spelling to the list of names. But…). Here is an interesting one from an e-mail: what should have been the second week in October became "the second. We cannot Tober.”
However, operator error still has to be considered. I must have really mumbled on this next one, because what was supposed to be inspired my students became “inspired mice, dude. It’s the…”
Obviously, there is more training to do. I should note that about half of this blog was done using my dictation software—which I have learned must be proofread very carefully—and half was done with my own ten little fingers on the keyboard because I already know that my Dragon still needs training.
Either that, or I need diction and elocution lessons.
--Laurie C. Kuna
When the software and headset arrived, I managed to attach everything and download the program myself. However, being a cheapskate at heart, I didn’t buy the training DVD, which would have cost another forty dollars or so. I immediately started dictating e-mails, editorial comments, and my own personal writing. But, just like any other new-fangled thing, getting used to how to use it took some doing.
My dictation software actually reminds me of the first time I used the editing function on my word processor. It's a very cool function, but until I got used to using it, all of the red marks and boxes in the right-hand margin were incredibly distracting, particularly because my ADD liked to go into "Oh, shiny!" mode every time I had the idea that I might need to use one of those functions.
As for my new toy/business purchase, without the dictation training software for constant reference, I had to rely on trial and error, and the “tips” which appear when the program boots up. Since they come at the beginning of my writing sessions and I didn’t really know how to access them during it, though, they’re not totally helpful. I sort of stumbled onto how to add vocabulary words, etc., and I’m getting better at using the features, but I’m wondering if I should have sprung for the training DVD right when I got the program. Because, although I do love to talk, apparently I mumble when I dictate.
On the up-side, this habit of mumbling has resulted in some rather humorous responses from my dragon and provided me with a blog topic.
So as a cautionary tale, here are some of the sought for responses and some of the actual results I’ve gotten from my dictation software:
In my current work in progress—a Regency-set romance—mischief became “Ms. Jeff,” yarn stockings became “ER and stockings,” and still a humbug became “Stella Humbug.” My heroine’s name is Elyse, and although the computer usually catches the correct spelling because I programmed it to, I was dictating dialogue and “to see that Elyse” became “to see the police.” Not at all what I had in mind. Later in that dictation, simpering miss became “simple ring this.” I should figure out how to go back and see if I trained my dragon to recognize “simpering” when it hears it.
There are more examples, of course, and maybe these have to do with the fact that my WIP is historical. I was dictating research from a book about London in the 16th and 17th centuries into a document I’d created for reference notes, and Dr. Rock’s Antivenereal Electuary—and, yes, this is a real “medicine” sold in London years and years back—became “and have an ariel elect to wary.” I can only guess at what an antivenereal electuary is, but I suspect it was used by men who elected not to have venereal diseases. And although this cure sounds amazingly silly, my dragon’s translation is even more so since it’s just a string of words the poor machine “heard” me speak. If I’d thought about it, I’d have done an “add vocabulary” function and hopefully taken care of the problem right then and there. Of course, then I wouldn't have any material to laugh about for this blog.
And of course I could be all wrong about the Dragon's inability to understand historical types of references. It could just come down to the fact that I mumble. In a newsletter article I wrote about Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Hotel, the phrase acerbic critic became “a cervix critic.” Of all the things Ms Parker was alleged to criticize, I’d never heard that a cervix was one of them.
So, perhaps my Dragon isn't sarcastic enough on its own to understand the word acerbic. Right after the cervix fiasco, I trained it to understand the difference between the two words when spoken.
Most of my problems have been in dictating regular documents, although it has taken me a while to figure out how to get the correct spelling of my name into e-mail. (I suppose if I had been trained correctly, I would have known enough to add my spelling to the list of names. But…). Here is an interesting one from an e-mail: what should have been the second week in October became "the second. We cannot Tober.”
However, operator error still has to be considered. I must have really mumbled on this next one, because what was supposed to be inspired my students became “inspired mice, dude. It’s the…”
Obviously, there is more training to do. I should note that about half of this blog was done using my dictation software—which I have learned must be proofread very carefully—and half was done with my own ten little fingers on the keyboard because I already know that my Dragon still needs training.
Either that, or I need diction and elocution lessons.
--Laurie C. Kuna
I had no idea they had such a program, Laurie! I would love to have it. I'm so glad you posted this. Now I'm going to look into it too. And since you've been there and done it I'll just come to you with questions :)
ReplyDeleteSince you're one of the most articulate people I know, I'm sure I'd have even more problems with this software than you do! Thanks for the warning. It sure makes for funny reading, though. I bet you could work this into a manuscript.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I used this software a few years ago and got so irritated with it spelling my name (Marti) as "Bonnie" that I decided I must need elocution lessons desperately! Good luck training your dragon.
ReplyDeleteMarti Ocilka
Writing as Stephanie Michels