Training
Before Dragon NaturallySpeaking is usable it must be trained. The initial training session takes approximately five minutes. During that time, you are asked to read a number of paragraphs in order to teach the computer how you speak. Because no two people sound exactly alike, Dragon NaturallySpeaking has to learn the nuances of your voice.

Unfortunately, training doesn’t insure the software will accurately translate your speech. Additional correction steps are required to assist the software in its task including: 1) Quick Correct list; and 2) “Correction” dialog box. Both mechanisms assist the software to better recognize speech by correcting errors as they appear.

Although NaturallySpeaking recognizes individual words, its real power is in its ability to recognize phrases. In fact, it’s the ability to recognize phrases that allows the software to choose the correct word from many similarly sounding words. To this end, the software includes a Vocabulary Builder, which analyzes your existing documents for the software to predict what words you are saying based on previous writings.

Accuracy
Once you understand the most important thing to do when using Dragon NaturallySpeaking is to speak clearly and in phrases or complete sentences, the accuracy of the program dramatically increases.

The Legal Edition includes a 250,000-word vocabulary with specialized legal terms, Latin and French law phrases, court names and abbreviations. Because context is extraordinarily important for NaturallySpeaking, its accuracy is directly tied to the type of training performed and the vocabulary file selected. For example, I found the program did an excellent job when dictating formal letters, but did an average job when dictating personal letters. The higher error rate when dictating personal letters is understandably tied to the fact the program setting was expecting formal business/legal jargon, rather than informal speech.

[Before Training — 7 errors]
To talk to programs using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, unique [you need] to speak and to [into] the microphone making [that came] with your software. It’s very important that the microphone being [be in] just the right position, so that Dragon NaturallySpeaking can hear you out [loud] and clear. Whenever you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, starred [start] by making sure here [your] microphone is in the right position.

After a few hours of thorough training there were no errors when dictating the above message.

Compatibility/Usability
When Dragon NaturallySpeaking first loads, it opens a program called DragonPad, which is a scaled down word processor similar to Windows’ WordPad. While DragonPad will allow a user to dictate and offers simple formating capabilities, it doesn’t provide many of the feature-rich capabilities of Corel WordPerfect or Microsoft Word.

The first program I tested Dragon NaturallySpeaking on was Microsoft Office XP. The most notable difference between using the software with a program such as Office XP versus DragonPad was the responsiveness of the speech recognition engine. While accuracy was not affected, it took longer for the text to appear on screen after the phrase was spoken.

The second program I tested was Corel WordPerfect 2000. The software does its job well, however, I did experience an anomaly when I said the number 12. Rather than typing the number 12, the font size pull-down menu (which was currently set to a 12 point font) appeared. Apparently, the software interpreted my speech as a command to change the font size.
You can navigate through Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer using voice commands.

The only major problem I encountered with the software was when I attempted to load Matthew Bender Authority, a 16-bit application using the Folio engine. With NaturallySpeaking loaded, Matthew Bender Authority would not load.
The software doesn’t play very well with some 16-bit applications.

SpeechDocs Filler
The SpeechDocs Filler program that comes with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal Edition promises the ability to search free form text collections offline, regardless of size. In reality, it’s a voice-enabled document management system (DMS), without some of the financier features lawyers are used to in a DMS.

It’s unlikely a law firm already using a document management system would replace its system with SpeechDocs Filler. However, lawyers or firms without document management systems in place might find SpeechDocs Filler valuable.

Mobile Feature
One of the nice capabilities of the software is its ability to accept input from mobile recording devices, such as tape recorders or the Sony Memory Stick IC Recorder. Because the quality of sound is often different than speaking directly into the microphone that comes with the program, a user is required to create a separate user profile when a mobile recorder is used, such as L&H-certified handheld digital recorders.

NaturallySpeaking recommends, however, that in order to increase accuracy the user speak into the included headset microphone rather than talking into the built-in microphone of the user’s recorder.

Installation is accomplished by the now standard install shield wizard. The program installed without a hitch on every computer with every operating system I installed it on. I would recommend at least a Pentium II 350 MHz computer system with a good quality sound card, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) microphone (which bypasses the sound card).

Training
Setting up your microphone and speaker takes less than two minutes.

The initial training, where the software adapts to your voice by “listening” as you read one of five stories, takes less than 10 minutes. For most people on most computers this is all the formal training necessary. Training is the process by which the software associates the sounds you make with the words it expects to hear.

Accuracy
Good training greatly increases the accuracy of the software. Bad training has the opposite effect. Try to speak in complete sentences, or at least phrases. Speed isn’t the issue. If you speak clearly, you can speak as quickly as you like. The software relies on the natural rhythm and sound of your speech. If you say “innocent” when the software expects to hear the word “guilty,” the software will type the word guilty every time you say the word “innocent.”

This isn’t to say the software will always give you 100 percent accuracy after the training. If you say a word that isn’t in the software’s vocabulary, or more likely, if you say a word in the software’s vocabulary differently from how the computer expects to hear it, the software will not accurately recognize your speech.

For the software to learn your speech, you must detect the mistake, and correct it in a particular manner. This all can be done by voice command, but there will be times when it’s simply easier to use the keyboard.

Two distinct features are useful in the correction process.

First, the software can play back your speech to help you remember exactly what you said. With the play feature, you hear what you said, not what the program typed.

The software also has an extremely useful text-to-speech capability. This feature will read what the software typed in a British computer voice.

The default speed of this British reader is too fast for my taste. You can slow him down by changing the software’s text-to-speech options.

NatuallySpeaking transcribes exactly what you say even if it makes no sense in English or uses nonexistent or inappropriate words. The most common omissions are the small connecting words such as “the,” “it,” “and,” etc. Often, these words are not properly enunciated in ordinary speech. A good secretary would fill in these words whether you say them are not, but the software will not. Subjectively, Version 5 is slightly more accurate than Version 4.

Compatibility/Usability
Version 5 comes with DragonPad and works flawlessly with all significant commands in Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. You can speak into many other programs with various degrees of significant commands enabled or disabled. You will have no trouble dictating into Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express. In fact, I was able to dictate into every program I tried. All of the directional and formatting commands also appear to work in these other programs. What most frequently failed was the ability to open the correction dialog box with the voice command. Of course, you can always dictate into DragonPad, Word or WordPerfect and then cut and paste the text into most other programs.

SpeechDocs Filler
SpeechDocs Filler, which comes with the Legal Edition of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 5.0 is a voice-enabled document assembly/document search program. If you have no document assembly or text search program, or if using oral queries to search your documents sounds appealing, this is a nice addition to the program.

Mobile Feature
Dragon NaturallySpeaking’s main benefit to lawyers who can type is the ability to transcribe when typing is inconvenient or impossible. Dictation from exhibits or a transcript is a prime example. You can handle the documents and type without having to put the documents down. A great convenience of the program is the ability to transcribe dictation taken on a sound recorder when no keyboard is available. Dragon Systems makes such a recorder, but virtually any recorder that can transfer a wave file to your computer will work. The mobile recording software is included in the package. In order to use it, you must create a new user for your recorder. When you create a new user, select the appropriate type of connection for your recorder.

Training for the new user is done on the recorder. Once the recorder dictation is transferred to the computer and recognized, it can be corrected completely with voice commands just like dictation through a microphone connected to the computer. If you are a proficient typist, this is the best use of the Dragon NatuallySpeaking. If you don’t type well, or if you are disabled, the software is even more useful.

The Legal Edition of the software contains a vocabulary enhanced to include legal terms. This means that the software is more likely to recognize a legal term the first time you use it.

Even without the legal vocabulary, the software can learn legal terms just like it can learn any other word. You also can control your computer with voice commands, and create custom voice commands.

All in all, Version 5 is an extremely useful program.  

FOR THE RECORD

FEATURES

1. Training
Quick, good training, but not a perfect guarantee.

2. Accuracy
Depends largely on context of use.

3. Compatibility/Usability
Respectable, but not perfect.

4. SpeechDocs Filler
Offers some value.

5. Mobile Feature
A nice addition.

JUDGMENT

Pros
Dragon NaturallySpeaking does an impressive job of translating speech into text. It’s accuracy hovers in the 98 to 99 percentile range.

Cons
The Legal Edition comes with a relatively steep price tag, and is apparently incompatible with some 16-bit applications. The processing and memory requirements of the program also require a user to have a relatively powerful system.

Verdict
3.5 out of 4«s I highly recommend Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

FEATURES

1. Training
Low impact and fast.

2. Accuracy
Limited only by your own speech patterns.

3. Compatibility/Usability
Flawless.

4. SpeechDocs Filler
A nice addition.

5. Mobile Feature
A great convenience.

JUDGMENT

Pros
Dragon NaturallySpeaking allows you to “type” when there is no keyboard in sight.

Cons
The pop-up help note covers the text in the
correction dialogue box.

Verdict
4 out of 4«s A useful program for typing with your hands full, or dictating for voice recognition.

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Updated 02/12/02
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