Speak Clearly—the Dragon Dictation iPhone App is Listening

Whether the user wants to text while driving or say an e-mail message, the Dragon Dictation iPhone app is sure to exceed expectations. It started as a computer program years ago and has the remarkable distinction of remaining relevant throughout the frequent improvements in technology. This app manages to succeed because it does only one thing, but it does it well.

Transcribing Speech

Dragon Dictation is basically a way to transcribe the spoken word into writing. It can be used while driving or to speed up the typing process for slower than average typists. Unlike the computer version of this program, Dragon Dictation is able to do a little more than just type speech. It can also follow commands for opening up a web browser and using specific apps.

Sending Text through Other Programs

Obviously, typing out a message matters very little if the message cannot actually be sent to someone. With this in mind, the designers of the Dragon Dictation iPhone app made sure that users could actually send someone the typed message. All they need to do is click on one of the shortcut buttons and the message can be sent through e-mail, Facebook or a similar site.

Accuracy

Compared to many of the transcription apps out there, Dragon Dictation is extremely accurate at transcribing the exact words that someone says. It also is fairly speedy to use.  To make sure that the app can hear the words, the app uses indicator bars to show the quality of the sound. After speaking the message, the user simply needs to press “Done”, for Dragon Dictation to stop transcribing. At this point, words or phrases can be revised or deleted from the screen. In general, the user will not need to revise the message too often. Dragon Dictation uses software that has effectively maintained 98-99% accuracy for years. Accuracy is what they excel at.

Dealing with Homonyms

The most difficult part about using a transcription program is when homonyms are spoken. A homonym is essentially a word like “blue” and “blew.” They sound the same or similar, and they are unintelligible to a software program. Dragon Dictation manages to work around this problem by using extremely clever programming. Basically, Dragon Dictation will look at the words that surround the homonym. Using the surrounding words, it will make an educated guess about which word is actually required. In case Dragon Dictation chose wrongly, the program is designed to let the user click on the word and the alternative homonym will appear.

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