You may have noticed more and more people using Siri and other voice recognition applications to type their texts, emails, and documents. The appeal is obvious: speak, and your words will pop up fully typed in whatever form you want. Text Aloud and Dragon Software are used on computers to write full documents, although the software is not yet perfect.
Many people prefer the voice recognition applications on their smartphones because the technology is a bit more intuitive, and the messages are generally less complex. Although voice recognition can be of great help for people who need adaptive technologies, it can be overused by people who don’t need it. Learning to type is still a good idea if you are able, because voice recognition software has a number of flaws, like those listed below.
Lack of accuracy
Voice recognition software will not always type the words you are saying accurately. Programs cannot understand the context of language like human beings, and can’t understand all the complex words and phrases you may choose. This gap in knowledge leads to errors and misunderstandings.
Accent recognition
Voice recognition software has difficulty interpreting different accents, particularly accents that come from using a second language. Although some voice recognition software might learn your speech pattern, you may have difficulty pronouncing certain words in a way that the software will understand.
The software also cannot cope with people who talk too fast, mumble, or confuse words. If your voice changes due to a sore throat or congestion, the software will have problems recognizing your speech. You don’t want your communication to be limited by how healthy you are physically – you should be able to make yourself understood no matter what.
Background noise
To make the most of a voice recognition software, you need a quiet environment. Voice recognition does not operate well if there are lots of background noises. They may not have the ability to differentiate between your speech and the people talking in the background or any other type of noise.
This will ultimately lead to transcription errors and mix-ups. This will be a major problem if you work in a busy office or a noisy place. Wearing noise cancellation headsets and microphones will help reduce the effects of background noises on the software, but still can’t protect against all errors of this sort.
You should consider developing your touch typing ability if you want to be able to communicate clearly at all times. Voice transcription can save you some time, and is an effective tool for many circumstances. But touch typing can be used at any time of day, in any location, with any vocal variation from “the norm.” Below are some benefits of touch typing.
Benefits of touch typing
Touch typing can improve your accuracy. Because you will have typed the words yourself while watching the screen, you won’t have to double-check whether or not your transcription service actually caught what you said. Even better, you won’t forget what you were originally trying to say. This will save you time in the long run, and give you confidence in your ideas.
Typing your work using touch typing can also improve your productivity and organization. One issue with voice recognition software is that your ideas come out too quickly to be organized. They are jumbled together and separating the ideas takes a lot of time, and often results in lost content. With typing, you are forced to focus on one thing at a time, which allows you to get more done and do a better job on what you complete.
Conclusion
Voice recognition has its advantages and disadvantages. While voice recognition is a good alternative to typing, it cannot replace it. It’s very important to learn how to touch type to avoid relying on voice recognition software, or running into situations where you can’t communicate. Touch typing has several advantages that will enable you to move up the ladder, wherever you are in life.
