Using Speech Recognition to Reduce Typing Tasks

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Aficionados of old movies are familiar with the archaic workplace scene consisting of an executive dictating a letter to a secretary. This doesn't occur often in the modern workplace, where we are expected to type our own letters.

Speech Recognition in Word brings dictation back into the mainstream of the working world. You dictate to your computer, and Word converts your speech into text on screen. You might even find yourself ordering: "Computer, take a letter ..."

Inside Out


Speech recognition in Words is not a "hands-free" solution suitable for those who have physical disabilities that preclude use of the hands. (See the sidebar "Hands-Free Dictation.") This is because people who make regular use of speech recognition software have found that it's faster and more efficient to mix keyboard and mouse inputs rather than using voice commands alone. Word Speech Recognition takes this mixed input (voice and keyboard) approach.


Hands-Free Dictation

People who are not able to use their hands and arms need dictation software that is designed for hands-free use. The speech recognition capabilities of this class of products are not that different from those in Word. However, hands-free software adds more extensive navigation tools and voice macro support that allow users to write their own computer command instructions.

True hands-free solutions are installed by specialized consultants and resellers who configure hardware and software to meet the needs of individual users. Some consultants have developed their own software solutions. Your local disability agency or rehabilitation center might have recommendations of consultants and resellers in your area.


Preparing to Use Speech Recognition

The Speech Recognition feature in Word places heavy hardware demands on a computer. First the software loads into memory its vocabulary of words and its digital model of your speaking voice. Then the software performs complex computations to match your speech input to words in the vocabulary.

If you want to use speech recognition with Word, the minimum hardware recommendations are as follows:

  • A microphone, ideally the headset-mounted type
  • A 400 megahertz (MHz) or faster computer
  • 128 MB or more of memory
  • Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, or later
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later

Memory is particularly critical because of the amount of system resources Speech Recognition requires. You should consider adding 64–128 MB of RAM to your system beyond your normal computing needs. In other words, if you need 128 MB to run your computer efficiently without Speech Recognition, you should have 192–256 MB to use this feature.

You'll also need a high quality sound card if you decide to use a conventional (analog) microphone. A better choice, however, would be to use one of the new USB digital microphone headsets. These contain their own digital signal processor (DSP) circuits to convert your voice's sound waves into digital code, and they plug into your computer's USB port. Typically there is a lot of electronic "noise" associated with a sound card because of its multi-function audio circuitry and because of its location inside the computer's case, where it's subject to noise emitted by the other computer components. DSP headsets are necessary if you're using a laptop, where system noise is too great for any accuracy in speech recognition. When you shop for a headset, be sure to look for one that has a noise-canceling microphone designed to filter out background noise in your workspace.


Shopping for a Microphone

Plantronics has been designated by Microsoft as its recommended supplier of headsets for Office XP. This company's monaural DSP-100 and stereo DSP units are well suited to Word, as is the analog LS-1. The USB models have nifty software that automatically switches your system from sound-card-and-speaker mode to the USB sound system when the headset is plugged in. Interesting products from VXI (a long-time supplier to the speech recognition market) include the Jamaica USB headset and the Bahama, which is an analog unit that connects to your telephone as well as your computer. And if you're a computer game addict, Microsoft's Game Voice controller has a Word-compatible headset that allows you to dictate letters and shoot aliens using the same piece of hardware.


Tip - Position your microphone correctly


Microphones work best for speech recognition if they are positioned in front and to the side of your mouth and if they remain in the same position throughout a dictation session. You can accomplish this with a desk-mounted microphone–provided you're willing to strap yourself rigidly in place at your workspace. Or you can use a headset microphone, which gives you the freedom to move around and still keep the microphone in place.

Activating Speech Recognition

The Speech Recognition function starts whenever you click the Microphone button on the Language bar. This works in any speech-enabled Office XP application, and, once started, Speech Recognition will continue to run until all Office applications are closed. You can also start Speech Recognition by choosing Tools, Speech in Word.

Tip - Show the speech balloons


By default, Show Speech Messages on the Language bar's Speech Tools drop-down menu is turned on. You should leave it on. The balloons provide helpful feedback, such as the last thing the system was able to recognize or warnings if you are talking too softly or too loudly. (For more on this feedback, see Table 39-1.)

When the Speech Recognition system is being activated, a speech balloon appears on the Language bar with the message Starting Speech. When the words disappear and the balloon turns blank, Speech Recognition has been loaded. (See Figure 39-4.) It is best to wait for the process to finish before running some other computer task; a lot of resources are being used and things will go more smoothly if you let the computer focus on that one task.

figure 39-4. when the text starting speech appears in the balloon, the system is loading your speech recognition files. when the words disappear from the balloon, speech recognition is active.

Figure 39-4. When the text Starting Speech appears in the balloon, the system is loading your Speech Recognition files. When the words disappear from the balloon, Speech Recognition is active.

Starting Speech Recognition for the First Time

The first time Speech Recognition runs, Word will present you with the Microphone Wizard to help you set up your microphone and sound system for use in recognition. The first wizard page guides you through microphone placement, and then you run a volume check and adjustment. To do this, simply pronounce the displayed text over and over–it usually takes three or four recitations–until the volume bar stays consistently in the green area. Word adjusts your Windows sound settings accordingly.

The last page in the Microphone Wizard requires you to say the phrase, This papaya tastes perfect, and then listen to a recording played back to you. (See Figure 39-5.) The object of this exercise is to ensure that the microphone is placed where there won't be too much "popping" from the breath you expel while talking.

figure 39-5. the last step of the training session helps you check that your microphone is positioned correctly.

Figure 39-5. The last step of the training session helps you check that your microphone is positioned correctly.


Troubleshooting

My Computer Doesn't Hear Me

When you're troubleshooting Speech Recognition problems, don't forget the low-tech problems. Microphone cords can easily get tangled in things around your desk and yanked out of the computer, so check that first. Some microphones have volume controls in addition to or instead of mute switches, so if you're still experiencing problems be sure you have the microphone set to sufficient gain (volume) and that it isn't muted.

Also be sure that the Microphone is active in the Volume Control dialog box (sometimes referred to as the Windows Mixer) by following these steps:

  1. If the Volume Control icon is present in your system tray, launch Volume Control by double-clicking the icon. In the Volume Control dialog box that appears, choose Options, Properties to open the Properties dialog box. In the Properties dialog box, click the Recording option. Make sure that the Microphone check box is selected in the Show The Following Volume Controls list. Then click OK, which will open up the Recording Control dialog box. Go to step 4.
  2. If the Volume Control icon isn't in the System Tray, click the Start Menu and choose Settings, Control Panel, and double-click Multimedia in Control Panel (Windows 98 or Windows NT4) or double-click Sounds And Multimedia (Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows ME). Click the Audio tab, and click the Volume button in the Sound Recording Section to open the Recording Control dialog box.
  3. If Microphone Balance isn't showing as one of the sound sources in the Recording Control dialog box, choose Options, Properties. Follow the procedures for setting the properties as described in step 1.
  4. In the Recording Control dialog box, select the Select check box for the microphone. Note that the setting of the Microphone volume slider is not important, because Word will run a sound check and adjust those settings automatically. Click the close box to close the Recording Control dialog box and return to your document.

Training the Speech Recognition Feature

After you've finished the Microphone Wizard, Word opens the Voice Training Wizard so you can move on to a training process—for both you and Word. You dictate prepared text that gives you an introduction to Speech Recognition while Word builds a model of your voice. When Word "listens" to you, it's actually carrying out complex calculations in which the digital signals of what you dictated into the microphone are compared with Word's base phonetic models. Then, over time as you dictate and correct (see "Correcting Speech Recognition Errors"), Word modifies its phonetics to match your actual pronunciation patterns. To train Word to recognize your speech patterns, follow these steps:

  1. When the Voice Training wizard opens, read the welcome page and then click Next.
  2. In the next page, Word asks your age and gender. It's not being nosy; this is to establish a base voice model tied to the likely pitch of your voice. Select the appropriate options, and then click Next.

    Tip


    Forget the gender stereotype. The real question is, do you have a high-pitched or low-pitched voice? For the former, answer female, and for the latter, answer male—regardless of your actual gender.

  3. The next wizard page is informational. You are instructed to position your microphone properly and set aside some time and a quiet location for training. Quiet is very important in the early stages of Speech Recognition. You want the computer to hear only your voice, not background noise. After you've finished reading the page, click Next.
  4. You then start working your way through a series of pages in which text is displayed for you to read. The wizard also instructs you in some basics of Speech Recognition. (See Figure 39-6.) As you read the words, the background behind them first turns light blue, and then dark blue to signify that Word has understood you. If the background turns white, go back and read those words again. If you are stuck on a word, click the Skip Word button.

    Note


    You may use the Pause/Resume button as necessary to stop your training at any time. You do not need to do anything to advance the wizard; Word will do that automatically.

  5. When you've completed the reading, a page showing a progress bar appears as the recorded data is converted into a computer model of your voice. When the process is done, click Finish.
  6. A short tutorial video opens in an Internet Explorer window. You can let it play or close the window and go back to Word. This completes the initial voice training.

    figure 39-6. reading the text helps word 'learn' your voice, and helps you learn about speech recognition.

    Figure 39-6. Reading the text helps Word "learn" your voice, and helps you learn about Speech Recognition.

Note


Patience is a virtue. Remember that Word has to learn how you speak. Don't expect great accuracy at first, since the software must develop its voice model over time. Realistically you will need several sessions before you can start using it efficiently. At first you ought to limit yourself to short sessions—a page or so of text. That way you won't get frustrated, and the frustration won't creep into your voice and make matters worse.

Using Speech Recognition Profiles

The central concept of a profile is that it is yours and yours alone. Your first profile was created when you went through the training process the first time you started Speech Recognition. If someone else is going to use the computer, he or she needs to create a separate voice profile. This is called speaker dependent recognition. You may also need to set up another profile for yourself to cover special situations—for example, one you can use on a day that you have a bad cold, so your "regular" voice model won't be corrupted by the way your voice sounds when you're sick.

You create a new profile by clicking Options on the Language bar's Speech Tools drop-down menu. You can also create a profile by clicking the Start and choosing Settings, Control Panel, and double-clicking Speech. Either method brings up the Speech Properties dialog box shown in Figure 39-7. In the Recognition Profiles section, click New to create a new profile or click Delete to get rid of an old one. You can also run the Microphone Wizard again, which will be necessary if you change microphones, if noise levels change in your work environment, or if you want to refresh the settings. (For more details, see "Getting Situated before Starting.")

figure 39-7. you can create additional profiles for speech recognition or eliminate obsolete ones.

Figure 39-7. You can create additional profiles for Speech Recognition or eliminate obsolete ones.


Mastering the Art of Speaking to a Computer

Unless you are practiced at dictation, talking to your computer may seem strange at first. How, indeed, should you speak to a computer? Here are some pointers:

  • Don't mumble. You don't need to have the diction of James Earl Jones, but you should make an effort to speak clearly.
  • Don't shout. You don't need to yell, but you should try to keep a constant volume level.
  • Don't rush. It isn't necessary to speak slowly—actually, that can hurt recognition. Just don't rush your words so that they slur together.

One of the principles of effective speech recognition is: speak in phrases. Word uses what is called continuous speech recognition, meaning that the program examines groups of words and tries to figure out what you said from context as well as from the sound of each word. It helps, therefore, to speak in phrases that convey the necessary context.

Consider, for example, the sentences, "I want to dictate something," and, "I want two dictation examples." Sound alone does not distinguish "to" from "two" (or "too"). But a tu sound followed immediately by a verb usually means "to," while the same sound followed by a noun is likely "two." In either case, if you pause after saying "I want tu," the computer would have no way to determine whether you wanted "to" or "two." (In that case, it just makes its choice on the basis of which version you use most frequently—a less accurate method.)


You switch between profiles by selecting the appropriate check box in the Recognition Profiles Section or by clicking the Speech Tools button on the Language bar and choosing Current User, and then the user from the drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 39-8.

figure 39-8. you can use the speech tools drop-down menu on the language bar to specify the speech recognition user profile.

Figure 39-8. You can use the Speech Tools drop-down menu on the Language bar to specify the Speech Recognition user profile.

Providing Additional Training

Click Speech Tools on the Language bar and then choose Training to bring up other text passages to continue training Word. (See Figure 39-9.) It's a good idea to do at least two or three extra training sessions. The more data you give the computer, the better the voice profile it can create.

You probably ought to read the Bill Gates passage. Really. It's a businesslike description of the revisions he made in the second edition of his book, and it doesn't have many literary flourishes. This makes it the best approximation of routine business letters, reports, and memos.

figure 39-9. selecting additional material to train word helps improve your voice profile.

Figure 39-9. Selecting additional material to train Word helps improve your voice profile.

Getting Situated Before Starting

When you're ready to start dictating, you should begin by doing a microphone check. First make sure you have it positioned correctly, and then check the volume by clicking Tools, Options in the Language Bar. Click the Speech Recognition tab, if necessary, and speak into your microphone. The volume level is shown in the Level bar in the lower portion of the dialog box. If necessary, move your microphone to adjust the sound level or click the Configure Microphone button to launch the Microphone Wizard and readjust your volume levels. You rarely speak the same way at each sitting. You may be tired or bored and speak more softly than usual, or you may be exceptionally perky and loud on a given day. Your posture also affects your voice, so try to make sure you're seated comfortably and have a glass of water nearby in case your mouth gets dry as you speak.



Microsoft Word Version 2002 Inside Out
Microsoft Word Version 2002 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))
ISBN: 0735612781
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 337

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