Get Rid of Transcription Costs by Typing Your Documents with Speech to Text in Microsoft Word
When you’re writing articles, reports, or other documents at work, the last thing you want to do is transcribe your speech into text by hand. Instead of spending countless hours typing up your document, simply speak your document’s text out loud and Microsoft Word will transcribe it into text right on the page in front of you! This feature in Word allows you to type faster than ever before and save time and money doing it! Here’s how you can use speech to text in Microsoft Word for yourself today!
Open your program
When you start typing and hit a word that doesn’t exist or isn’t spelled correctly, speech-to-text will underline that word in red. By right-clicking it, you can select an alternative from a list (or add one) and voila—speech-to-text has learned something new. This will speed up your typing even more as it gets smarter and smarter. Remember, every time you use speech-to-text instead of typing out each letter individually, you’re saving yourself time. So type away! You’ll be glad you did when you see how quickly speech-to-text learns and adapts to your writing style. The next steps: If you want to take things further and make speech-to-text work for you on other programs, such as Google Docs or PowerPoint, there are several options available.
For instance, Dragon Dictate for Mac works with both Mac OS X and Windows systems. It’s also compatible with over 30 languages and offers customizable commands for quick access to different functions. Another option is Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 13 from Nuance Communications which allows users to control their computer entirely using voice commands. It also supports Windows 8/8 Pro tablets and PCs along with Windows Vista/7/XP operating systems on desktops computers.
Set up your microphone
Make sure your microphone is properly set up and functioning before you try using it. It’s also important to know that not all microphones are compatible with speech recognition. While recording, make sure you aren’t wearing headphones or a headset because these types of devices can cause interference. Keep your microphone close to your mouth and speak directly into it for best results. You may need some adjustment time as you get accustomed to using voice commands, but most people find it doesn’t take long before they start picking up on commands easily. Remember that how you say something will impact how well it registers, so try speaking slowly and clearly while adapting your voice tone if necessary (such as rising intonation at the end of sentences). Like anything else, practice makes perfect!
Hit Play and type away!
This method is my favorite because it saves a ton of time, money, and your voice! There are a few steps involved so let’s get started. If you aren’t using Windows 10 make sure you turn on speech recognition before beginning. In order for your computer to transcribe your words correctly you have to speak clearly and slowly. No mumbling or slurring words together please! Follow these simple steps
- Open up Microsoft Word
- Click on File
- Select New
- Click Blank Document
- Click Tools
- Select Options…
- Click on the Speech… tab
- Turn off all check boxes
- Hit OK (you can also adjust things like microphone settings here as well if needed). Now that you have your blank document open hit play on any audio file (music, podcast, etc.) and start typing. The text should appear as you type! I personally like to keep a separate window open with Google Chrome where I search for whatever I need to type about.
Hit stop when you are finished typing
To begin recording your dictation, click anywhere on a blank line within your document. If you select text first, only that selection will be dictated. You can also hit Ctrl+Alt+F9 (Windows) or Command-Option-F9 (Mac) to begin and stop a recording quickly. Once you’re finished, a new cursor will appear indicating where dictation should begin typing. The best part is that transcription costs are now a thing of the past since most word processors come equipped with speech-to-text capabilities as well as auto corrections and basic formatting functionality! Now all you need is an idea for a topic and we have got you covered! Start writing today with our professional writers at EduBirdie!
Go back through and clean up any mistakes
It’s often an arduous task, but it is important for you to go back through and clean up any mistakes. Typos, misspellings and punctuation errors not only make your document look sloppy, but could also damage your credibility. A lot of people will think you’re rushing things or don’t care enough about your work if they see a bunch of mistakes in it. Remember that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, especially when they’re doing something fast or under pressure. So do yourself a favor and pick out all those little errors before sharing your document with anyone else—they won’t be able to take their eyes off them otherwise!
Print out your documents, save them as a PDF, or upload them to an online document storage site.
Before you can transcribe your documents, you must convert them into a digital form. If you’ve already printed out your documents, go ahead and scan them now. You could also print out all of your documents and save them as PDF files on a flash drive or upload them to an online storage site like Google Drive or Dropbox. However, it may be easier to open up your document on a tablet or another computer since many transcription apps work on phones, tablets, and computers. The most important thing is that they are readily accessible.
