Nuance VIAVOICE 10-PERSONAL EDITION User Manual

IBM®ViaVoice®for Windows
Personal Edition

User’s Guide

Release 10

®

IBM

IBM®ViaVoice®for Windows
Personal Edition

User’s Guide

Release 10

®

IBM

Note

Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the information in Appendix C,
“Notices” on page 103.

First Edition (August 2002)

This edition applies to version 1, release 10, modification 0 of IBM ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition US English
(program number 5724-C96) and to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new
editions.

Readers may address comments on this publication to: IBM Austria, Department 00/558, Lassallestrasse 1, A-1020
Vienna, Austria. If you prefer to send your comments by fax, use the following number: Your international access
code+43+1+211456177.Youmayalso send comments on this publication as an electronic mail (e-mail) to the
following user ID: [e-mail]

When you send information to IBM, you grant IBM a nonexclusive right to use or distribute the information in any
way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to you.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee:

If you have purchased this product directly from IBM or an IBM Authorized Business Partner and are not completely
satisfied, you may return the entire undamaged product for a refund within 30 days. In the United States, you can
return unopened product to your place of purchase, or opened and undamaged product directly to us for a refund.
Product purchased from IBM Direct (800-426-2255) or IBM PSG Sales (800-426-7235) should be returned directly to
them.

To receive your refund directly from us, you will need to first obtain a Return Authorization Form. The form is
available by calling #1-800-825-5263, e-mail: [e-mail] or by writing to us: IBM Voice Systems Returns -3rd
Floor, 8051 Congress Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33487.

Send the Return Authorization Form, your dated original sales receipt and the ViaVoice product box and its contents
back to us at the above address. We must have the Return Authorization Form in order to process the refund. The
refund includes purchase price and taxes, but not shipping costs. IBM is not responsible for lost mail.

In Canada, you can return unopened product to your place of purchase or call #1-800-825-5263 and request to speak
with someone in the Rebates and Returns Department.

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 1998, 2002. All rights reserved.

US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract
with IBM Corp.

Contents

Welcome to ViaVoice .........v

Conventions in this book .......vii

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system . 1

Installing the ViaVoice software ......2

Setting up your microphone and audio system 6

Creating a voice model.........8

Analyzing your voice .........10

Analyzing your documents .......12

Troubleshooting setup problems .....13

Unable to install ViaVoice ......13

Problems with audio setup ......13

Poor recognition .........14

Chapter 2. The magic of dictating with

ViaVoice .............17

Practice dictating ..........18

Finding recognition errors .......19

Correcting errors ..........20

Try re-dictating your text before correction 20

Correcting misrecognized words ....20

Removing inserted words ......21

Correcting capitalization errors.....21

Next steps after correction .......21

Analyzing My Documents .......22

Troubleshooting dictation problems ....23

Chapter 3. Introducing VoiceCenter . . . 25

VoiceCenter components ........26

ViaVoice menu ...........28

Chapter 4. Dictating into SpeakPad . . . 31

SpeakPad menus and buttons ......32

General hints and tips.........34

Dictating numbers in the US English version

of ViaVoice ............35

Currency ............35

Dates .............35

Decimals ............35

Ordinals ............35

Long numbers ..........35

Timeofday...........35

Dictating numbers in number mode ....35

Spelling words in spell mode ......36

Saying commands while dictating.....36

Inline dictation commands ......36

"Scratch that" command .......36

Text-editing commands .......37

Bullet lists............37

Commands recognized as text .....37

Dictating e-mail user IDs and URLs ....39

Transferring your dictation to another

application ............40

Saving your dictation in SpeakPad ....41

Saving a speech session .......41

Saving your dictation as text .....41

Finding new words in your document . . . 42

Chapter 5. Dictating into Microsoft Word 43

Installing Word Program Support .....43

Try your first dictation into Word .....44

ViaVoice menus and buttons in Word . . . 45

Using natural commands .......47

General hints and tips.........48

Dictating numbers in the US English version

of ViaVoice ............49

Currency ............49

Dates .............49

Decimals ............50

Ordinals ............50

Long numbers ..........50

Timeofday...........50

Dictating numbers in number mode ....50

Spelling words in spell mode ......50

Saying commands while dictating.....51

Inline dictation commands ......51

"Scratch that" command .......51

Text-editing commands .......51

Bullet lists............52

Commands recognized as text .....52

Dictating e-mail user IDs and URLs ....54

Saving your dictation .........55

Saving a speech session .......55

Saving your dictation as text .....55

Finding new words in your document . . . 56

Chapter 6. Correcting your dictation . . . 57

Using the Correction window ......58

Correcting by voice .........60

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2002 iii

Correcting words by typing .......61

Delayed correction ..........62

Delegated correction .........63

Chapter 7. What Can I Say ......65

Views..............66

Interacting with What Can I Say .....67

Expanding or collapsing a view ....67

Commands with words in angle brackets 67

Changing views..........67

Creating notes for What Can I Say . . . 68

Printing the commands in a view ....68

Using an Attention word with commands . . 68

Training a command .........69

Chapter 8. Using the Internet......71

InternetExplorer..........71

Chapter9.CustomizingViaVoice....73

Changing VoiceCenter’s appearance ....73

Appearance tab ..........73

General tab ...........74

Taskbar tab ...........74

Docked tab ...........74

Agent tab ............74

Floating tab ...........74

Changing the microphone’s startup state . . 75

Creating additional voice models .....76

Selecting a vocabulary or topic ......76

Adding a user ...........78

Making a user name the current user . . . 78

Backing up and restoring user data ....79

Deleting a user name or voice model....79

Setting dictation options ........80

Changing the appearance of the Correction

window .............82

Enabling command sets ........83

Setting Text-To-Speech options ......84

Adjusting recognition sensitivity .....85

Chapter 10. Creating macros......87

Creating a dictation macro .......87

Chapter 11. Getting help .......89

Information Central .........89

Getting context-sensitive help ......90

Question Button Help ........90

What’s This Help .........90

Printing help ............90

Using Teach Me commands .......90

How do I troubleshoot a problem? ....91

Appendix A. Getting technical support . . 93

Frequently Asked Questions Database . . . 93
Information required before you contact
Support

Microphone
Related services.

Appendix B. Frequently used commands in

dictation .............97

Formatting and spacing ........97

Punctuation in dictation ........97

Symbols and characters in dictation ....98

Symbols and characters in number mode . . 99
Symbols and characters in spell mode . . . 99

Appendix C. Notices ........103

Trademarks ............104

Other attributions ..........105

Glossary ............107

Index .............109

for Use Pack users

support......... 94

..........9

......94

4

iv ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Welcome to ViaVoice

IBM ViaVoice will change the way you use your computer. You can now
dictate text and control your computer by voice.

Imagine yourself sitting at your computer, composing a letter to a friend. Say
"Dictate to SpeakPad". ViaVoice’s word processor opens, and you dictate the
letter using normal speech. You can do this with ViaVoice—you talk, it types!
The computer translates your words and phrases into actions that carry out
commands or create text. Imagine the simplicity of working at your computer
just by speaking. With ViaVoice, say goodbye to the drudgery of typing.

ViaVoice is probably not like any software you have ever used! To get the
most from ViaVoice and become a great user—even if you have already used
a speech-recognition product—we recommend that you go through this book
following these sign posts.

Install the software and set up your speech system. Start by
following the instructions in Chapter 1 to install ViaVoice and prepare
your sound system so that ViaVoice can understand you. You must set

up your speech system as described in Chapter 1 before you can
work satisfactorily with ViaVoice.

Get comfortable by practicing dictation. Having installed ViaVoice

and set up your speech system, you will then probably want to
practice dictating. Chapter 2 shows you how to dictate into SpeakPad.
We recommend that you practice with the material in this chapter, and
become comfortable speaking to SpeakPad, before exploring other
parts of ViaVoice.

Learn how to use the VoiceCenter. Once you are comfortable with
speaking to your computer, familiarize yourself with VoiceCenter, the
heart of your speech system. VoiceCenter controls your spoken
interactions with your computer. Chapter 3 describes the functions
available through VoiceCenter.

Once you have mastered the material in the first three chapters, explore the
other ViaVoice functions to become even more productive:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2002 v

v Use SpeakPad, described in Chapter 4, to dictate your documents and

letters. A word of advice: make sure you’ve gone through Chapter 2,
mentioned above, before turning to this chapter.

®

v Do you prefer using Microsoft

Word? Chapter 5 gives you the complete

picture on dictating into Word 97, Word 2000, or Word 2002.

v Your dictation is not finished until you have corrected the recognition errors

in the text. Correcting these errors is one of the most important ways to
help ViaVoice learn what you say. Do not close your dictation sessions until
you have corrected them as described in Chapter 6.

v What do you want to do? You can see all the commands for controlling

your computer in the What Can I Say window, described in Chapter 7. If
you are primarily interested in dictating documents rather than speaking
commands, you can skip this chapter.

v Once you are comfortable with your system, personalize ViaVoice.

Chapter 9 describes the features for extending the usefulness of your system
and gives you suggestions for tailoring it for your needs.

v ViaVoice is loaded with information like online help and printable online

material. Chapter 11 describes all the information available at your
fingertips.

v Appendix A contains the details for getting support when things go wrong.

You can find more information about ViaVoice on the Internet, and the
Technical Support Center is as close as a telephone call or an e-mail. Look
at this appendix when you need answers to your questions.

vi ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Conventions in this book

Please note the following textual and graphical conventions used in this book.

Commands and words that you say to
your computer are shown in bold within
double quotation marks.

Some multiple-word commands are shown
as joined words or hyphenated words.

Spelling a word is shown with a hyphen
separating each letter in the word.

The names of buttons, fields and check
boxes appear in bold.

A series of items that you click with the
mouse to start a function appear in bold
and are separated by angle brackets. In
this example, the first item to click is the
Start button, and the last is the function to
open VoiceCenter.

This symbol identifies information that is
particularly important.

In addition, navigation and some
commands are available only when
ViaVoice is installed on Windows 98
Second Edition, Windows Me, or Windows
XP Home Edition. This symbol alerts you
to information about this limitation.

Say "Capitalize this".
Say "What Can I Say for Desktop".

NEWPARAGRAPH
NEWLINE
NO-SPACE

Dictate "r-e-c-o-g-n-i-t-i-o-n".

Click OK to accept the name in the User
Name field.

Select Start > Programs > IBM ViaVoice >
VoiceCenter.

Woodrow, the ViaVoice agent, points out a
helpful hint or tip.

Welcome to ViaVoice vii

viii ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system

This chapter describes how to install ViaVoice on your computer and then set
up your sound system. You should allow 30–45 minutes to complete the
procedures in this chapter:

v Install ViaVoice from the CD-ROM that comes in your package.
v Set up your audio system. The User Wizard will assist you!
v Record a story and let ViaVoice create a model of your voice.
v Optionally, if you already have documents that reflect the style and words

(lexicon) that you plan to dictate, you can have ViaVoice analyze those
documents.

The computer on which you will set up your speech system should be in the location where
you plan to dictate. During setup, background noises should be like those you will hear
during future dictation sessions. If there is unusual background noise (for example, street
repairs being done outside an open window) or if you plan to dictate in a noisy location
which is now quiet, wait until the acoustics return to normal before setting up your speech
system.

First check the following points before installing this program.

1. Refer to the side of the box to ensure your computer meets the minimum

requirements for installing this program.

2. If you are installing ViaVoice over an existing IBM speech product or have

IBM speech products in more than one language, read the information in
the Readme file on the ViaVoice distribution CD before installing ViaVoice.

3. Ensure that the disk drive where you plan to install ViaVoice has not been

compressed with disk-compression utilities.

4. If you are installing on Windows XP, your user ID must have

administrator authority.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2002 1

Installing the ViaVoice software

1. Insert the ViaVoice CD in your CD-ROM drive to start the installation

program. If it does not start automatically, do the following:

a. Click Start > Run from the Windows taskbar.
b. Type d:\setup (where d is your CD-ROM drive).
c. Click OK.

2. Follow the instructions on the screen.

During installation you will see the following windows. (This section does not
show all windows you will see.)

User Information—Type your name and company name, if appropriate. Click
Next when you have finished.

2 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Installation Options—Select the Installation Options. To clear an option, click

on the tick mark in the box.

Select to install ViaVoice support for Microsoft Word 97 or above. This option
is only available if you have Microsoft Word 97 or above installed on your
computer. This option includes support for dictation into Word and natural
commands

1

for Word. If you choose not to install this support now, you can

install it later.

®

Adobe

Acrobat®Reader—If Adobe Acrobat Reader is not already installed

on your computer, you can select this option to have ViaVoice automatically
start the Adobe Acrobat Reader installation program. Adobe Acrobat Reader
enables you to view the ViaVoice Command Reference and this book.

We recommend that you leave a tick mark next to Run product registration
so that we can send you important information about future upgrades and
options as they become available.

Click Next when you have finished.

1. Natural commands are commands that use a flexible, natural speaking style like "Make the next paragraph bold"
and "Select from here to the top".

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system

3

Product Registration—If you chose to register your software now, you will

see this window at the end of installation.

Type all registration information and follow the on-screen instructions.

4 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Setup Complete—This window indicates that you have successfully installed

the software.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system 5

Setting up your microphone and audio system

Woodrow appears if you placed VoiceCenter in your StartUp folder. If
Woodrow does not appear, start VoiceCenter by clicking Start > Programs >
IBM ViaVoice VoiceCenter.

Woodrow gives you a short presentation. (To skip this presentation, right-click
on Woodrow and then select Hide.) Then, the Audio Setup Wizard starts to
help you set up the microphone and audio system so you can get started with
ViaVoice.

The name in the User Name field is probably the one you typed earlier. Leave
it as it is, or type a name by which you want ViaVoice to know you. As you
use ViaVoice, words you add and other enhancements you make go into your
personal speech files. These files are associated with your user name.

You can use any name that contains the letters a to z in both uppercase and
lowercase as well as numbers, but it must not contain typographic symbols
(like " or /).

If other people will use your speech system, add their user names later but
before they start ViaVoice for themselves. (“Adding a user” on page 78
describes how to do this.) People using your speech system must have their
own user names. 'Sharing' your user name with others will corrupt your
personal speech files and cause recognition problems.

For now, ignore the other three fields and click Next.

6 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Audio Setup Wizard—This wizard presents several windows to help you set

up your microphone. We recommend that you use the microphone that comes
with ViaVoice until you are thoroughly comfortable with your speech system.

1. If you have not already done so, remove the microphone and its

equipment from the package:

v The microphone itself
v One or more plugs and USB adapters

2

v Warranty and other material from the manufacturer.
The Audio Setup Wizard will prompt you to identify the type of

microphone and components you have.

2. With the microphone on, complete all audio tests that the Audio Setup

Wizard presents to you.

At the window shown below, for example, click Start and then read aloud the
text inside the box. Speak the text clearly in your normal voice, pausing
naturally between phrases or after punctuation marks. (Imagine you are
speaking to someone for whom English is not the native language.) After you
have read the sentences, ViaVoice will display the quality of your audio.
Should ViaVoice find that the audio quality is poor, click Fixing Poor Audio
Quality to learn how to take corrective action.

2. If you are using a USB microphone and do not have the USB port installed, the Windows program for adding this
new hardware begins. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the USB device driver. After installing the new
hardware and restarting your computer, run VoiceCenter and complete the Audio Setup Wizard.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system

7

During these tests, the Audio Setup Wizard might display information
windows or even start your Web browser to display a ViaVoice-related Web
page. Use the information proposed by the wizard to solve any difficulty you
might encounter during Audio Setup. ViaVoice needs these tests to be
completed successfully to set up your system properly.

If you have difficulty completing any test successfully in the Audio Setup
Wizard, see “Troubleshooting setup problems” on page 13.

Creating a voice model

You must give ViaVoice a sample of your voice so that it can understand you.
The User Wizard makes it easy for you to do this.

When you see this window, click Start, then read aloud the text in the box,
speaking in a normal style. As ViaVoice recognizes you, some text will become
gray. In the window below, the first sentence and all but the last word of the
next sentence have been recognized. If ViaVoice does not recognize what you
say, simply say the text again until it is grayed.

8 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

When you have finished reading this text aloud, ViaVoice displays the
Analyzing My Voice window. Here you can choose what to do next.

Record my voice

This is the recommended choice. Recording your voice requires about
10 to 30 minutes and significantly increases the recognition accuracy
of ViaVoice.

I prefer to do this later

If you select this option, the User Wizard presents the Analyze My
Documents panel. (See “Analyzing your documents” on page 12 for
details.) However, your speech recognition accuracy might not be
optimal. To improve your recognition accuracy you can relaunch the
User Wizard at any time by selecting Tools > Analyze My Voice from
the ViaVoice menu.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system 9

Analyzing your voice

After selecting Record my voice and clicking Next, ViaVoice displays the
Choosing a Story window. Select the story that you want to read aloud for
analyzing your voice. If the story you want has two Parts, select Part 1 first.
Read the story aloud using your normal speaking voice.

When ViaVoice has enough recorded data, you will see the Story Finished
window. Click Analyze to have ViaVoice create your voice model. However, if
you have a strong regional accent, we recommend that you click Continue
Reading so that you can record more sentences, giving ViaVoice more data for
analysis. Doing everything you can to give ViaVoice as much information
about your voice as possible is one of the best ways to ensure excellent
recognition accuracy.

10 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

You see this window after clicking Analyze.

Wait until ViaVoice has fully processed your recording before turning off your
computer or working with other processing-intensive programs.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system 11

Analyzing your documents

You can get a head start on dictation by having ViaVoice analyze your
existing document files.

ViaVoice can analyze Word document files (DOC), Rich Text Format files
(RTF), text files (TXT) and HTML document files (HTM, HTML).

The User Wizard displays this window so that you can make these files
available for analysis:

When ViaVoice analyzes your files, it identifies words that are not in its base
vocabulary. You can then select which words you want added to your personal
vocabulary. (Your personal vocabulary contains new words that ViaVoice finds
in your dictated documents.) ViaVoice also updates its information with your
personal writing style so that, when you dictate in that style, it will
understand you better.

For now, select the middle or bottom option, then click Next.

Once a voice model has been created, you can go on to the next chapter,
where you will begin dictating with SpeakPad, the speech-enabled word
processor in ViaVoice. We recommend that you start with SpeakPad, which is
easy to use.

12 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Troubleshooting setup problems

Before you can obtain satisfactory results with ViaVoice, you must install the
ViaVoice software, set up your microphone and audio system properly and
create a model of your voice. The procedures for doing these successfully
were described above. If you are unable to solve a setup problem, look for it
in this section and carry out the suggested corrective action. If you are still
unable to solve the problem, contact Technical Support as described in
Appendix A, “Getting technical support” on page 93.

Unable to install ViaVoice

U Your computer must meet the hardware and software requirements

listed on the side panel of your ViaVoice package. Refer to your
computer’s documentation to ensure that the type and speed of your
processor are sufficient for ViaVoice. Also ensure that the drive on
which you want to install ViaVoice has sufficient free disk space.

U During software installation, you should completely and accurately

provide data at every window and click Next when prompted to do
so. In windows where the Next button was inactive, did you type
data or select with the mouse until the button became active and
clickable? Dismissing windows instead of continuing with Next,or
clicking a button to cancel or exit, prevents the installation program
from completing successfully.

U If you are installing on Windows XP, your user ID must have

administrator authority.

Problems with audio setup

U The Audio Setup Wizard configures your sound system. You must

complete Audio Setup successfully. To do so, the microphone must be
plugged into your sound card or USB adapter and port correctly. The
Audio Setup Wizard shows you how to do these properly.

U Your sound card must be fully compliant with the specification on the

ViaVoice package, and the latest device driver for your sound card
should be installed on your computer. Check the sound-card
information at our Web site at http://www.ibm.com/viavoice/support,
and contact your sound-card manufacturer to obtain the latest device
driver. If you have more than one sound card, there should be no
address conflict between the sound cards. ViaVoice must use the
sound card to which you attach the microphone. You can see whether
a conflict exists by looking at Start > Settings > Control Panel >

System > Device Manager. (Windows XP: Click on Start > Control
Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System > Hardware >
Device Manager.) A sound card showing a yellow exclamation mark

has an address in conflict with another device on your computer.
Look in Windows help for instructions on resolving this conflict.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system 13

U Use the microphone supplied with ViaVoice. If you want to use a

different microphone, it must be one listed at
http://www.ibm.com/viavoice/support on the Internet. You can also
see a list of supported microphones during Audio Setup. When setting
up your microphone, select Other microphone as the type of
microphone you are using, then click the Other microphones button
to see the list of supported microphones.

U Ensure that no special effects are set in Windows. These settings,

which can prevent the sound card from working with ViaVoice, are
found in Advanced Settings in the Device Manager for your sound
card. Effects like full-duplex, 3-D sound and reverb should be turned
off when using ViaVoice.

U Is your computer set up to record sound? If you are unsure, test your

system by doing this:

1. Click Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound

Recorder.

2. Try to record your voice and play it back with the Sound Recorder.

If you cannot hear your recording, contact your computer or
sound card manufacturer. If the Sound Recorder is working but
Audio Setup still fails, you might need to update the device driver
for your sound card.

The sound you hear should be free of hiss or other noise.

U Make sure that settings like volume control are set. Check boxes for

muting audio components in Windows should not be ticked. Search
for Windows Audio Settings in Windows help to see how to adjust
sound settings. Multiple mixers can cause problems.

Poor recognition

U Speak at a normal pace, not too fast, not too slowly. Don’t clip or slur

words, or elongate or exaggerate their pronunciation. Do not run
words together, but avoid overemphasizing them. At first you might
tend to speak quickly. Be patient and slow down a bit.

U Make sure you wear your microphone headset correctly and in the

same way each time you speak. The white dot next to the microphone
under the foam pad must face your mouth. Do not remove the foam
pad from the microphone when speaking; this pad acts as a
windshield. Do not position the microphone directly in front of your
mouth where it will capture breathing noises; instead, position it to
either side of your mouth, about 2 cm away from your mouth. When
speaking, do not change the position of the microphone boom or
touch the foam pad or boom. Do not allow the microphone to touch
your face or hair.

14 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

U Say only the words shown to you for the tests. Should you talk to

someone while the microphone is on, ViaVoice will capture your
conversation and not recognize your words as part of the story.
Hesitation noises like 'um' or 'uh', coughing and 'slips of the tongue'
are picked up as words.

U If a word can be pronounced more than one way—like 'thuh' and

'thee' for the word the—try both pronunciations.

U Are you actually saying all words correctly? For example, do not

misread this as the. Do not skip any words.

U If you are speaking in a room with a lot of unusual background noise,

wait until the noise subsides before reading the story.

Chapter 1. Setting up your speech system 15

16 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Chapter 2. The magic of dictating with ViaVoice

Congratulations! You have successfully set up your speech system and are
now ready to practice dictation with SpeakPad, the speech-enabled word
processor in ViaVoice.

We should first establish a few guidelines to help you get started.

v If you have not used speech recognition before, relax! Talking to

your computer is fun and easy. Get a glass of water and follow
along with us in this chapter.

v ViaVoice understands when you speak clearly and in a normal,

natural manner. For some people, getting comfortable with speech
recognition takes time and practice. So, please be patient and try
not to be self-conscious! Talking to your computer is almost as
easy as talking on the telephone, and the more you use your
speech system, the more comfortable you’ll become.

v As you work through this chapter, consider everything you do as

practice—we sincerely want you to become a great ViaVoice user!
This is your chance to play with the technology and learn how to
make ViaVoice serve you.

v Work through the material in this chapter until you obtain

satisfactory results and feel comfortable speaking to your
computer.

Take your time and just follow the instructions.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2002 17

Practice dictating

1. If VoiceCenter is not on your screen, start it by clicking Start > Programs >

2. Click the ViaVoice menu button on the far left side of the VoiceCenter,

3. Dictate this text by speaking clearly in your normal speaking voice:

The new ViaVoice has arrived EXCLAMATION POINT NEWPARAGRAPH

It contains many new features PERIOD NEWPARAGRAPH

Our new User Wizard makes it easy to get started PERIOD NEWPARAGRAPH

We hope you enjoy using the new ViaVoice PERIOD MICROPHONE-OFF

4. The text appears in the SpeakPad window. It should look like this:

IBM ViaVoice VoiceCenter.

then select Dictate To and click SpeakPad.
SpeakPad opens. The microphone button changes and turns green. Your

microphone is on, and SpeakPad is ready to recognize your speech.

Congratulations, you have successfully dictated for the first time!

This being your first dictation, your text probably contains some recognition
errors. Your next step is to learn how to identify these errors, so please go to
the next section.

18 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition

Finding recognition errors

After dictating a paragraph or so of text, you should correct any recognition
errors you find in it. Recognition errors are words that ViaVoice understood in

error for the words you said. Several types of recognition errors can occur:

Type of error Examples Causes

A single word is
recognized as some
other word

A single word is
recognized as two or
more words

A word that you did not
say is inserted in the text

Two or more adjacent
words are recognized as
one word

A word is not capitalized
correctly

A command is
recognized as text

You said a, but ViaVoice
displayed the.

You said their, but ViaVoice
displayed there.

You said oversubscribed but got
over subside.

You said for branch staff but got
for a branch staff.

You said that this but got that’s.

You started a sentence with
Their but ViaVoice did not
capitalize it.

You said MICROPHONE OFF
but got the words microphone
off.

v You didn’t say the word clearly.
v The word you said is not in ViaVoice’s

base vocabulary or your personal
vocabulary.

v The context of the word caused ViaVoice

to guess incorrectly.

v You paused between syllables in a word.
v You didn’t say the word clearly.
v The word is not in ViaVoice’s base

vocabulary or your personal vocabulary.

v The microphone picked up background

noise or breathing noises.

v You ran the words together or spoke them

too quickly.

v You slurred the pronunciation of the

words.

v ViaVoice guessed the wrong form of the

word.

v You did not pause before and after saying

the command.

v ViaVoice did not interpret your words as a

command.

Recognition errors happen. Saying words that ViaVoice does not know,
making slips of the tongue, and the occasional bad guess by ViaVoice lead to
errors. By correcting recognition errors, you teach ViaVoice more about the
words you use. The more it knows, the fewer errors ViaVoice will make.

Next you will correct the recognition errors in your practice dictation.

Chapter 2. The magic of dictating with ViaVoice 19

Correcting errors

Correcting recognition errors is easy! Just go through these instructions and
correct any errors you find in your practice dictation. See “Troubleshooting
dictation problems” on page 23 if you have recurring problems while
practicing.

Try re-dictating your text before correction

Before correcting the recognition errors, read your text to see if you’re happy
with it. Ignore the errors for the time being. If you want to change a word,
phrase or sentence, simply select the word by left-clicking with the mouse, or
select multiple words by swiping them with the mouse. Then re-dictate what
you want.

Correcting misrecognized words

1. Turn on your microphone if it is off.

2. Open the Correction window by saying "Show Correction window" or by

3. Using your mouse pointer as a visual guide, go through your dictation,

4. Select a misrecognized word by left-clicking with the mouse. This

5. If the correct word appears in the Correction window, say "Pick <n>",

6. If the correct word is not in the Correction window, re-dictate it. If this

pressing F2. Reposition the window with your mouse pointer if it is
obscuring your dictated text.

word by word and line by line, as a proofreader would, to find any errors.

highlights the entire word. To select a series of words, swipe them with
the mouse. The entire series of words should now be highlighted.

where <n> is the number of the correct word.

3

does not correct the error, say "Scratch that" and try re-dictating again. If
that works, then you are done with this error and can proceed to the next
one. If the error persists, say "Scratch that" again, click on the
word-display field in the Correction window, and type the correct word in
the field. Say "Correct" or press Enter to insert the typed word into your
text.

3. By default, the Correction window shows a list of up to five alternate words. These are words that sound like the
word you actually said. You can increase or decrease the number of alternate words in the list from ViaVoice
Options. Go there by clicking the ViaVoice menu button then selecting User Options > ViaVoice Options. ViaVoice
Options is displayed. Click the Correction tab if it is not on top. At that tab select the number you want from the
drop-down list in Maximum number of alternate words. See “Changing the appearance of the Correction
window” on page 82 for more information.

20 ViaVoice for Windows Personal Edition