Sony ICD-MS515VTP User Manual
USER’S GUIDE
March 2003. Version 7. Professional, Medical, and Legal, Solution Series, Preferred, Standard, and Essentials editions.
This material may not include some last-minute technical changes and/or revisions to the software. Changes are periodically made to the
information provided here. Future versions of this material will incorporate these changes.
ScanSoft, Inc. has patents or pending patent applications covering the subject matter contained in this document. The furnishing of this
document does not give you any license to such patents. This software is protected under the following patents, among others: 5,027,406;
5,168,548 5,202,952; 5,231,670; 5,388,183; 5,428,707; 5,465,318; 5,526,463; 5,680,511; 5,715,367; 5,754,972; 5,765,132; 5,794,189; 5,799,279;
5,818,423; 5,822,730; 5,850,627; 5,890,181; 5,909,666; 5,915,236; 5,920,836; 5,920,837; 5,949,886; 5,960,394; 5,970,448; 5,970,460; 5,983,179;
6,029,124; 6,058,366; 6,064,959; 6,073,097; 6,088,671; 6,092,043; 6,092,044; 6,101,468; 6,125,342; 6,125,347; 6,138,098; 6,151,575; 6,163,768;
6,167,377; 6,212,498; 6,260,013; 6,292,779; 6,349,282; 6,424,943; and 6,456,972.
No part of this manual or software may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including, without limitation, electronic or mechanical,
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Inc. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 2002-2003 ScanSoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
ScanSoft, the ScanSoft logo, the Dragon logo, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, NaturallySpeaking, NaturallyMobile, RealSpeak, Nothing But
Speech (NBS), Natural Language Technology, Select-and-Say, MouseGrid, and Vocabulary Editor are registered trademarks or trademarks
of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States or other countries. All other names and trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of ScanSoft or
their respective owners. Designations used by third-party manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products may be claimed as
trademarks by those third-parties.
Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
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Microsoft, Outlook, Windows, Windows NT, Visual Basic, and PowerPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
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Dave Barry in Cyberspace, © Copyright 1996 by Dave Barry, published by Crown Publishers.
3001: The Final Odyssey, © Copyright 1997 by Arthur C. Clarke, published by HarperCollins Publishers.
Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook, © Copyright 1996 by United Feature Syndicate, Inc., published by
HarperBusiness, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.
Success Is a Journey: 7 Steps to Achieving Success in the Business of Life, © Copyright 1999 by Jeffrey J. Mayer, published by
McGraw Hill.
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, © Copyright 1972 by Roald Dahl, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., and Penguin
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The Captain of Battery Park, © Copyright 1978 by Eugene Pool, published by Addison-Wesley.
50-A11A-10053
Contents
CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1
About this guide 2
What’s new in Version 7? 3
What should I expect from Dragon NaturallySpeaking? 4
CHAPTER 2 Installation and Training 5
System requirements 5
Plugging in the microphone 6
Installing the software 7
Creating a new user 9
Setting up your microphone 11
Training a new user 13
Adapting to your writing style 15
CHAPTER 3 Starting to Dictate 17
Starting Dragon NaturallySpeaking 17
Turning on the microphone 17
Starting to dictate 18
Getting Help 21
Troubleshooting 22
The DragonBar 23
Using QuickStart 25
CHAPTER 4 Working on your Desktop 27
Programs, documents and folders 27
Switching between open windows 28
Opening and closing menus 28
Selecting buttons, tabs, and options 29
Selecting icons on the desktop 30
Resizing and closing windows 31
Scrolling in windows and list boxes 31
Opening lists and making selections 32
Pressing keyboard keys 32
Moving the mouse pointer and clicking the mouse 36
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Contents
CHAPTER 5 Correcting and Editing 41
Correcting mistakes 41
Selecting text by voice 45
Moving around in a document 48
Copying, cutting, and pasting text 50
Deleting text 50
Spelling as you dictate 52
Playing back your dictation (Preferred and higher) 53
Using text-to-speech 57
CHAPTER 6 Formatting 61
Capitalizing text 61
Formatting text 64
CHAPTER 7 Working with Applications 67
Working with e-mail 67
Working with Microsoft Internet Explorer 70
Working with Microsoft Word 76
Working with Microsoft Excel (Preferred and higher) 80
CHAPTER 8 Dictating Names, Numbers, Punctuation & Special
Characters 83
Dictating numbers 83
Punctuation 91
Dictating hyphenated words 93
Dictating compound words 94
Dictating names 95
Dictating abbreviations and acronyms 96
Dictating e-mail and Web addresses 96
Dictating special characters 97
Switching Recognition Modes 101
CHAPTER 9 Using the Command Browser 103
Supported Applications 103
Starting the Command Browser 104
Finding specific commands 105
Training commands 108
Working with Custom Commands (Preferred and higher) 109
CHAPTER 10 Improving Accuracy 115
The Accuracy Center 115
Tools to improve your acoustics 116
Tools to Manage Commands 118
iv
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Tools to improve your vocabulary 118
Training a word or command 129
Using the Performance Assistant 130
CHAPTER 11 Managing Users 131
Creating a new user 131
Opening a user 132
Renaming a user 133
Deleting a user 133
Backing up and restoring a user 134
Importing and exporting users 136
CHAPTER 12 Using Portable Recorders (Preferred and higher) 137
Installing recorder software 138
Creating a user adapted to your recorded speech 140
Dictating into your recorder 144
Transcribing recorded dictation 145
Correcting mistakes 151
Using the Dragon NaturallyMobile recorder as a microphone 151
CHAPTER 13 Automate Your Work (Preferred and higher) 153
Viewing and editing commands 154
Creating new commands 154
Deleting custom commands 159
Importing and exporting commands 160
Changing the command group and availability 160
CHAPTER 14 Customizing Dragon NaturallySpeaking 161
Correction options 161
Startup/Shutdown options 163
View options 165
Hot key options 166
Miscellaneous options 169
Formatting options 170
APPENDIX Commands List 173
INDEX 207
Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
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CHAPTER
D
1
Introduction
ragon NaturallySpeaking lets you talk to your computer instead of typing. As
you talk, your words are transcribed onto your screen and into your documents
or e-mail messages.
Talking to a computer while it types what you say is called dictating. You can dictate
into Microsoft
organizers, and virtually any other program in which you normally type.
You can use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to:
■ Compose letters, memos, and send e-mail messages. You can cut and paste
inside your documents as well as revise and format text. Just think about what
you want to say, and then say it into the microphone.
■ Enter data into forms or spreadsheets. Most people can dictate numbers faster
than they can type. Using Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional or higher
editions, you can create custom voice commands to let you move from field to
field on your form by voice.
■ Work on the Web. You can search the Web, access information, and navigate
Web pages by speaking URLs and links.
■ Start programs and open menus.
■ Use handheld recorders to dictate while you are away from your computer.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking can then transcribe what you said. (Available in
Preferred and higher editions.)
®
Word, Corel® WordPerfect®, e-mail programs, personal information
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Introduction
About this guide
This guide covers all editions of Dragon NaturallySpeakingNaturallySpeaking. This
includes:
■ Essentials
■ Standard
■ Preferred
■ Professional
■ Professional Solution Series
Most of the information presented in this guide is applicable to all the editions.
Differences between the editions is noted in the text.
Conventions used in this guide
1 This guide contains many examples of words and phrases you can say when
using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. These examples appear in italics with
quotation marks, for example: “Format That Bold.”
2 Some procedures also include sample text for you to dictate. Sample text
appears in a different typeface, with punctuation in square brackets. For
example:
US/Canada: When talking to a computer [comma] try to say every word clearly
without trailing off at the end of a sentence [period]
Other Dialects: When talking to a computer [comma] try to say every word
clearly without trailing off at the end of a sentence [full stop]
3 This guide applies to the five English dialects that ship with Dragon
NaturallySpeaking:
■ US English
■ UK English
■ Australian English
■ Indian English
■ Southeast Asian English
US English uses US spelling, punctuation, and time and currency formats. We
recommend US English for Canadian users since this dialect formats numbers
(including times, telephone numbers, and currency) in North American formats.
All other dialects use UK spelling, punctuation, and time and currency formats
(some number settings depend on your Windows Regional Settings). Where
2
Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
1
Introduction
multiple dialects are used in dictation examples, those dialects appear in a
different font style. For example:
You can also correct a longer phrase by saying “Correct [text] Through [text]” (
Canada
) or “Correct [text] To [text]” (Other Dialects).
4 This guide uses US spelling and punctuation for consistency.
5 This guide also includes tips and notes to help you use the software more
effectively. Tips and notes appear like this:
TIP
If you pause correctly, but Dragon NaturallySpeaking still types a command as dictation, you
can force it to recognize what you say as a command by holding down the CTRL key.
NOTE
a number. If you dictate words, the results will be unpredictable. However, you can still navigate
menus and switch between programs by voice when Numbers Mode is on.
With Numbers Mode on, Dragon NaturallySpeaking tries to interpret everything you say as
What’s new in Version 7?
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 7 includes the following new features:
■ New Performance Center
The Performance Center guides you through troubleshooting and performance
optimization to be sure you're getting the most out of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking.
■ Improved Command Browser
The new Command Browser gives you more flexibility when creating and
managing your custom commands. The Command Browser is available in all
editions, but functionality varies by edition.
■ Improved Text and Graphics Commands (Available only in Professional and
higher editions)
Text and Graphics commands can now optionally match text to the font of the
document you're creating or include special formatting and bitmaps, allowing
you maximum flexibility.
■ Support for Additional Input Devices
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 7 now supports certified Pocket PC devices
as well as additional digital handheld recorders, array microphones and cordless
microphones.
■ RealSpeak V2 (Available only in Preferred and higher editions)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 7 now includes ScanSoft's RealSpeak V2.
■ Full Support for More Applications:
■ Outlook Express: Dragon NaturallySpeaking automatically learns the
contact names in your Outlook Express address book. (Available only in
Standard and higher editions)
US/
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1
Introduction
■ AOL 6, 7 and 8: Full Natural Language Command support.
■ WordPerfect 10: Full compatibility and Natural Language Command
support (Available only in Standard and higher editions)
■ Microsoft Excel (Available only in Preferred and higher editions)
■ Microsoft Access (Available only in Preferred and higher editions)
■ Natural Punctuation (Available only in Standard and higher editions)
You can have Dragon NaturallySpeaking automatically insert periods and
commas in dictated text.
■ Support for network installations and maintenance (Available only in
Professional and higher editions)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is available with an MSI file for network
installations, and has been certified for SMS and Active Directory Services
environments. (Available only in Professional and higher editions)
■ Ability to automatically launch NaturallySpeaking at system startup time.
■ Vocabulary Optimizer (Available only in Standard and higher editions)
The Vocabulary Optimizer examines e-mail and documents to analyze sentence
structure and word use frequency, and then adjusts the recognition engine to
match your writing patterns.
What should I expect from Dragon NaturallySpeaking?
One reason to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking is to do your writing more quickly;
creating letters, reports, and other documents by voice. Another is to reduce the
stress associated with keyboarding. Or maybe you just like the idea of being able to
lean back in your chair, put your feet up on the desk, and still get work done.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is good for all these reasons, but making it work well
requires some effort from you. Dragon NaturallySpeaking learns about your voice
and pronunciation as you use it. When you use words the program doesn’t know, it
will misrecognize them. By correcting your mistakes, you help Dragon
NaturallySpeaking
Do I still need my keyboard and mouse?
Although you can use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to do almost everything on your
computer by voice, some things are still easier to do by mouse or keyboard.
If using a mouse and keyboard is an option for you, try experimenting with using
your voice and using your hands for different tasks, to see what works best. If using a
mouse and keyboard is not an option, see “Working on your Desktop” on page 27.
4
improve its ability to recognize your way of speaking.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
CHAPTER
T
2
Installation and Training
his chapter describes how to install, set up, and train Dragon Naturally
Speaking.
System requirements
To run Dragon NaturallySpeaking, your system must meet the following
requirements:
■ Intel
■
■ 300 MB free hard disk space for a typical installation; 700 MB for a full
■ Microsoft
■ 16-bit Creative
■ Microsoft
■ CD-ROM drive (8x or faster) required for installation.
■ ScanSoft-approved noise-canceling headset microphone (included)
■ Speakers - optional for playback of recorded speech and text-to-speech
®
Pentium® III 500MHz or greater (or equivalent AMDTM processor)
NOTE
500MHz.
128 MB RAM for Essentials, Standard, and Preferred editions
256 MB RAM for Professional edition and Solution series.
installation.
Pack 6 or higher, Windows
set to 16bit, 11KHz for Audio Recording
www.microsoft.com.
features. (Available only in Preferred and higher editions)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking will not install on machine with a processor of less than
®
Windows® ME, Windows® 98SE, Windows® NT 4.0 with Service
®
Labs Sound Blaster®, or compatible sound card capable of and
®
Internet Explorer® 5 or higher (free download available at
®
2000, or Windows® XP.
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Installation and Training
Multiple users on one computer
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is licensed on a “per individual” basis. You are
permitted to install the software on more than one computer (for example, on
a desktop and a laptop computer, or on a work computer and a home
computer), although you may not use the software concurrently on more than
one computer, and you are permitted to create multiple voice profiles, so long
as each voice profile is for you. If someone else desires to create or use another
voice profile, however, that person must purchase a separate license for
Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Volume license agreements are available.
Plugging in the microphone
To use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, you will need to plug in your microphone.
1 Insert the microphone plug into the MIC input jack of your sound card.
Microphones and sound cards vary, but the microphone jack is usually red and
has a picture of a microphone. If your sound card does not have a MIC jack, use
the LINE IN jack.
If you are not sure how to plug in your microphone, consult the documentation
that came with your computer. Note the following:
Also, if you have a USB or array microphone (supported in Preferred and higher
editions), follow the instructions that came with it instead of this description.
2 Insert the headphone plug into the LINE OUT jack on your sound card. If your
sound card does not have a LINE OUT jack, use the SPEAKER or
HEADPHONE jack.
NOTE
recorded speech instead of your headphones.
6
If you already have speakers for your computer, you can also use these to playback
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Installation and Training
Installing the software
Before installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking:
■ Close all open applications.
■ Turn off or disable any antivirus software; installation can sometimes trigger a
false virus report.
NOTE
Windows
or use the software after installation. This also applies for an upgrade installation.
You must have Administrator rights to install or uninstall Dragon NaturallySpeaking on
NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Administrator rights are not required to create a user
Upgrading from a previous version
Upgrading from Version 5:
You can upgrade your English users from any edition of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Version 5 to Version 7. The installation automatically
migrates your english Version 5 user files and vocabularies to Version 7. If
you upgraded from:
■ Version 5 English, the Version 5 English software will no longer be
functional.
■ A non-English or multilingual Version 5, the software will remain fully
functional, but the english Version 5 users will no longer be available in
Version 5. Your non-English users files will not be upgraded and will
still be available.
Upgrading from Version 6:
You can upgrade from any edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Version 6
to Version 7. When upgrading from Version 6, you can choose to
automatically migrate your V6 user files and vocabularies to Version 7. Once
V7 is installed, Version 6 will no longer be functional.
To install Dragon NaturallySpeaking:
1 Insert the Dragon NaturallySpeaking CD into your CD-ROM drive.
If the installation does not start automatically, use the Windows Explorer to
find and double-click setup.exe on your CD-ROM drive.
Follow the on-screen instructions during installation.
2 Provide your customer information, including the serial number supplied with
your NaturallySpeaking installation information.
3 Choose your destination location. If there are no previous version of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking on your system, the default directory is:
Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
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Installation and Training
C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\NaturallySpeaking
If you have Version 5 or 6 on your system, Version 7 will install to the previous
version’s directory.
4 Choose your Setup Type (Preferred and higher editions)
Most users in the US should choose “Typical Installation” and click Next. This
installs Dragon NaturallySpeaking with the US (American) English user files.
To install non-US English user files, choose “Custom Installation” and follow
the instructions below. Pick Custom Installation if you want to have more control
over which components to install.
NOTE
Custom installation, you can install them later by running the Setup program again and choosing
Modify.
If you decide not to install some Dragon NaturallySpeaking components by selecting a
Installing non-US user files (Preferred and higher)
To install user files for UK (British) English, Australian English,
Indian English, or Southeast Asian English, choose “Custom
Installation” from the setup screen and click Next.
Select the user file for the dialect you want and click Next to
continue installation.
The user files for each region contain both spellings and
pronunciations specific to that region. All users who wish to dictate
US English spellings—including users with accents—should install
the US (American) English user files.
8
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Installation and Training
5 (Upgrade only) If you are upgrading from Version 5 or 6, the Version 7
installation prompts you to upgrade your users. You may be prompted later to
re-train some of your existing users.
6 Continue following the on-screen instructions. The setup program will copy
the files for Dragon NaturallySpeaking to your computer.
7 When prompted, make sure to register your copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
Once registered, we can notify you of product updates and other offers.
8 At the end of the installation, you can enable the Dragon NaturallySpeaking
QuickStart option. By enabling Quickstart, NaturallySpeaking launches at
system startup time and adds the NaturallySpeaking Quickstart icon to the
Windows task bar. For more information on the QuickStart option, see “Using
QuickStart” on page 25.
9 Click Finish to complete the installation. The program may ask you to reboot
your computer.
Creating a new user
When you launch the software for the first time, the New User Wizard starts and
leads you through creating a new user. For example:
NOTE
you upgraded multiple users, NaturallySpeaking displays the Open User dialog box.
If you upgraded a single user from a previous version, NaturallySpeaking loads that user. If
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Installation and Training
Creating a user
1 To create a user, you must type a name in the Your Name field. The software
automatically picks the best speech model and vocabulary settings for your
system. For more information, see “About vocabularies and languages” below.
2 Select your dictation source. If you are using a USB microphone or another type
of input device, choose the appropriate option from the “Dictation source”
drop-down list.
3 Click Next to continue.
About vocabularies and languages
Languages
Some editions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 7 let you to create and train
users in multiple languages. If you have purchased an edition with support for more
than one language, you can add additional languages by choosing "Custom Install"
during Setup. For Professional and higher editions, if you didn't select additional
languages during Setup, you can also select an additional language when you create a
new user. In this instance, you will need the Dragon NaturallySpeaking CD to
install the language files before you can create the user.
Vocabular y
Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses a vocabulary to recognize words correctly based not
only on the sound of the words, but on their context.
The Vocabulary list is available only if your edition and language let you choose
among different types of vocabularies. Check the list to see the available choices.
Vocabular y size
When you create a set of user files, Dragon NaturallySpeaking recommends the
vocabulary that best fits your computer's speed and memory. For most users, this
recommendation should be followed.
Depending on your edition, you may see an Advanced button. Experienced users
may want to click the Advanced button to specify a different vocabulary size:
■ Medium: for computers with 128 MB of RAM.
■ Large: for computers with more than 256 MB of RAM.
■ Empty Dictation: a vocabulary with a language model but without any words.
Empty Dictation is designed for experienced users or re-sellers who want to
create highly specialized vocabularies. (Professional and higher editions)
10
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Installation and Training
Speech Model
Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses the speech model to adapt to your voice during
training. When you create a set of user files, Dragon NaturallySpeaking
recommends the speech model that best fits your computer's speed and memory.
Depending on your edition, you may see an Advanced button. Experienced users
can use the Advanced dialog box to choose between different speech models. See
the online help for more information.
Setting up your microphone
Click Next to have the New User Wizard lead you through setting up your
microphone.
Positioning your microphone
The New User Wizard first explains how to position your microphone:
Once you have correctly positioned the microphone, click Next to continue.
Position the microphone
Positioning the microphone is important. If the microphone is out of place, Dragon
NaturallySpeaking may not be able to hear you clearly and may make more
mistakes.
Consistent position is also important. Make sure that you position the microphone
the same way each time you use Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
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Installation and Training
Using a headset microphone
■ Position the microphone about a half-inch (approximately the width of your
thumb) from your mouth and a little off to the side. The microphone should not
touch your mouth, but it can be almost touching your lips.
■ If you need to move the microphone out of the way, you can lift the "boom" up
and over your head, rather than bending it out of position or removing the
headset.
Using a handheld microphone (Preferred and higher)
■ Hold the microphone one to three inches from your mouth and a little off to the
side.
■ If the volume display on the DragonBar turns red, try holding the microphone
slightly farther from your mouth.
Using an array microphone (Professional and higher)
■ Position the array between 18 and 30 inches from and pointed at your mouth.
■ Avoid blocking the path between your mouth and the array, for example by
holding a book or paper in front of your face.
■ Avoid having any source of noise or signal other than your voice directly facing
the array within at least 15 feet.
Check your volume
When the “Adjust Your Microphone: Volume Check” screen appears, click the
“Start Volume Check” button and then read aloud the text displayed in the box.
When the program beeps to indicate it has finished checking the volume, click Next.
Sound quality check
When the “Adjust Your Microphone: Quality Check” screen appears, click “Start
Quality Check” and then read aloud the text displayed in the box.
The program beeps when it has finished evaluating the sound quality of your
system. If Dragon NaturallySpeaking displays “PASSED,” click the Next button to
continue.
12
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Installation and Training
Training a new user
You must now train Dragon NaturallySpeaking to recognize your voice.
NOTE
(Preferred and higher)” on page 137.
A yellow arrow shows you where to start reading. To take breaks while you're
training the program, click Pause.
To advance through the first two screens, you must say the sentences without
pausing. For the rest of the screens, it's okay to pause in the middle of a
sentence.
For more information on training a mobile user, see “Using Portable Recorders
When the words change color, it means the computer has heard and recognized
them. If you keep reading the same words, and the computer still doesn't get it,
just click Skip. Otherwise, click Next to continue.
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Installation and Training
Choose a text to read aloud and click OK.
You only need to read for about five minutes to train NaturallySpeaking to
recognize your voice.
14
You can take breaks during this training by clicking Pause. Don't worry if you
make mistakes or laugh. You should try to read exactly what you see on the
screen, but it's okay if you read something incorrectly. The computer will either
ignore the mistake or display the yellow arrow so you read the text again.
The progress bar shows how much text you have left to dictate.
NOTE
During training, dictating punctuation is not necessary.
When you’ve read enough, the New User Wizard displays a congratulations
message. When you click OK, NaturallySpeaking starts adapting to your voice.
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Installation and Training
Adapting to your writing style
After adapting to your voice, the New User Wizard prompts you to adapt Dragon
NaturallySpeaking to your writing style.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking can analyze your writing style to increase your overall
recognition accuracy during dictation. This tool scans documents in your My
Documents directory. These documents include Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect,
text and rich text files (.rtf).
Adapting to your writing style can add 5 to 30 minutes to user training. Make sure
all other programs are closed when you run this step.
NOTE
this part of User creation, select "Skip this step" rather than Cancel.
Click Start to continue. While scanning your system, the New User Wizard displays
its status. When NaturallySpeaking is done adapting to your writing style, click
Next.
You are now ready to dictate.
Though we recommend that you run this part of the New User Wizard, if you plan to skip
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Installation and Training
16
Dragon NaturallySpeaking User’s Guide
CHAPTER
N
3
Starting to Dictate
ow that you’ve installed your software and completed training, you’re ready to
dictate your first sentence.
Starting Dragon NaturallySpeaking
If Dragon NaturallySpeaking is not already running, you can start it by:
■ Double-clicking the Dragon NaturallySpeaking icon:
■ Selecting Programs>Dragon NaturallySpeaking from the Start menu.
■ Right-clicking the QuickStart taskbar tray icon and selecting Start
NaturallySpeaking, if the QuickStart option is enabled. For more information
on using the QuickStart option, see “Using QuickStart” on page 25.
Turning on the microphone
Before you can dictate, you need to turn on the microphone. You turn on the
microphone by:
■ Clicking the microphone icon on the DragonBar. You can click this icon again
to turn it off.
Microphone
■ Pressing the plus (+) key on the numeric keypad to turn the microphone on,
and then press it again to turn the microphone off.
■ Clicking the microphone icon in the Windows task bar.
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Starting to Dictate
The button and the volume meter on the DragonBar change to show if the
microphone is off or on.
Shows that the microphone is off
Shows that the microphone is on
NOTE
Once the microphone is off, you cannot turn it on again by voice.
Sleeping and waking up
To make Dragon NaturallySpeaking stop listening temporarily:
1 Say "Go to Sleep" or "Stop Listening."
Dragon NaturallySpeaking ignores everything except the "Wake Up" or "Listen
To Me" commands.
2 To reactivate the microphone, say "Wake Up" or "Listen To Me."
You can also press the numeric (+) key to turn on the microphone.
Starting to dictate
To begin dictating, start a word processor (such as Microsoft® Word or Corel®
WordPerfect
the start of the new document.
DragonPad
You can use the DragonPad, a simple word processor included with
Dragon NaturallySpeaking. To open the DragonPad, from the Tools
menu on the DragonBar, click DragonPad.
®
) and begin a new document. Make sure your text insertion point is at
18
TIP
Remember to click in the window you want to talk to before you speak.
Start talking. As you talk, text displays in the Results box while Dragon
NaturallySpeaking figures out what you said. The Results box is a small yellow
window that appears on-screen as you dictate. For example:
The words in the Results box may change as the program considers different
interpretations of what it heard.
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Starting to Dictate
The Results box displays a line that changes from yellow to green as you speak,
indicating the volume of your dictation.
NOTE
displays a bold blue border.
When Dragon NaturallySpeaking recognizes what you said as a command, the Results box
You can also anchor the Results box permanently in one place. From the Tools
menu of the DragonBar, click Options, then click the View tab and enable the
Anchor option.
Don’t worry about mistakes at this point; Dragon NaturallySpeaking improves as
you use it.
Using Natural Punctuation
Dragon NaturallySpeaking can automatically add periods and commas at the
appropriate places in your dictation without you having to explicitly speak that
punctuation. The Natural Punctuation feature can be useful in helping you get
used to dictation by focusing on what you are saying rather than how your speech is
punctuated.
Natural Punctuation inserts only periods and commas. You have to dictate other
punctuation marks. Even with Natural Punctuation turned on, you can still dictate
periods and commas. As you become more adept at dictation and want more control
over where punctuation appears, you may want to explicitly dictate all your
punctuation.
NOTE
"autopunctuation off" or by selecting Options from the Tools menu of the DragonBar and clicking
"Automatically add commas and periods" on the Formatting tab.
You can turn Natural Punctuation on and off by voice by saying "autopunctuation on" and
For more information on Natural Punctuation see “Using Natural Punctuation” on
page 91.
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Dictating punctuation
You can dictate punctuation at any time while you are using Dragon
NaturallySpeaking, even when Natural Punctuation is enabled.
Use the following list as a guide to dictating the most common punctuation marks.
(For a complete list of punctuation, see page 194.)
TO ENTER SAY (US/Canada) SAY (Other Dialects)
, comma comma
. period full stop
! exclamation point or
exclamation mark
? question mark question mark
- hyphen hyphen
: colon colon
Starting new lines and paragraph
While you are dictating, you can use the following commands to duplicate the action
of pressing the Enter key once (to add a new line) or twice (to add a new paragraph).
exclamation mark
TO SAY
Add a new line "New Line"
Add a new paragraph "New Paragraph"
Saying "New Paragraph" presses the Enter key twice and capitalizes the next word you dictate.
Tips for dictating text
■ To erase the last thing you said, say "Scratch That."
■ You can repeat "Scratch That" to undo a sequence of phrases.
■ To undo the effects of a command, say "Undo That." If “Undo That” fails to
undo an action, try repeating the command until you completely undo the
operation.
■ To stop a recognition in progress (and turn the microphone off), click the small
red button inside the Results box.
■ You can change the very last phrase you spoke by saying "Bold That," "Cap
That," "Correct That," and so on; you do not have to select the text first.
■ To remove a trailing space after a word, you can say "Delete Previous
Character."
■ You can create a spoken form for words you prefer not to say aloud. For
example, you can create a command that types "Snookums" whenever you say
"Mary's nickname."
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Starting to Dictate
■ To clear (deselect) your last selection, say "Unselect That."
For information on correcting any mistakes, see Chapter 5, “Correcting and
Editing.”
Printing and saving your dictated text
Printing
From the File menu of your word processor, use the mouse to choose Print. Or say
“Click File,” pause, and say “Print.” You can also simply say, “Print Document” or
“Print File” if the Natural Language Commands are enabled. See “Startup/
Shutdown options” on page 163. Also see “Using the Command Browser” on page
103.
Saving
From the File menu, choose Save. You can also say “Click File” and then say “Save.”
Remember, you have to pause between the “Click File” and the “Save” commands
to have Dragon NaturallySpeaking recognize them as two separate commands. If
the Natural Language Commands have been enabled, you can say “Save Document.”
Getting Help
To access the online Help for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, click the Help menu on
the DragonBar and choose Help Topics. Alternately, you can say “Give Me Help.”
You can print individual Help topics with the Print button in the Help window. To
open the online Help links, just say their names. The links will be displayed next to
the application window and will give you examples of the most common commands
that work in the application you are currently using.
“What Can I Say?”
Saying “What Can I Say?” will bring up the Sample Commands window. The
Sample Command window displays a small selection of useful commands that
Dragon NaturallySpeaking recognizes for the current context, whether it is a
particular program you are using or the Windows desktop.
Additional commands are also summarized in the Commands List Appendix on
page 173.
To open the Sample Command Window
Choose Sample Commands from the Help menu on the DragonBar or say “What can
I say”. The Sample Commands window opens, displaying a selection of commands
next to the window you are working in.
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The contents of the
Sample Commands
window change
depending upon what
application is currently
active.
For example, when you
switch between Microsoft
Word and Microsoft
Outlook, the contents of
the Sample Commands
window changes
accordingly
If you want to see additional commands that are available to you, click Command
Browser at the top of the Sample Commands window. The Command Browser is
described in more detail on page 103.
Notes
■ A list of Global commands (available everywhere) appears if there are no sample
commands available for a specific program.
■ Commands marked with an asterisk (*) are available only if the Enable Natural
Language Commands check box is selected on the Startup/Shutdown tab of the
Options dialog box.
Tut ori al
To start the Tutorial, choose Tutorial from the Help menu on the DragonBar. The
Tutorial includes a number of lessons covering the basics of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking.
Troubleshooting
If you are having problems using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, or if you are getting
unexpected results, please refer to the “Resolving Problems” and “Tips” section of
the online help.
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Starting to Dictate
The DragonBar
The DragonBar gives you access to Dragon NaturallySpeaking functions and
features.
Change
position
Microphone Menus Status Ex
The Sound menu and the Extras toolbar is available only in Preferred and higher
editions.
Microphone button and volume display
When the microphone is on, the Volume Display shows the sound level. Yellow
means silence or that your speaking too softly, green means you are speaking at a
proper level, and red means you are speaking to loudly.
Volume display
Extras toolbar (Preferred and higher edition)
If present in your edition, you can click the Extras button on the far right of the
DragonBar to open the Extras toolbar. The Extras toolbar displays buttons for handheld recorder transcription and playing back your dictation.
Start Playback Skip ForwardStop Playback
Correction
Fast Playback Skip Back Transcribe
Correction
Clicking the Correction button opens the Correction menu to teach the computer
what you said. See chapter 4, “Correcting and Editing.”
Transcribe
Use this button to transcribe your speech from a handheld recorder. See chapter 15,
“Using Portable Recorders (Preferred and higher).”
Start Playback, Fast Playback, and Stop Playback
When you select text and click the Start Playback button, you hear a recording of
your dictation. A yellow arrow displays on your screen during playback, following
what you said. Click the Fast Playback button to play the recording at a faster
speed. Click the Start Playback button to return to a normal speed. Click the Stop
Playback button to stop the recorded speech playback.
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Skip Back and Skip Forward
Use these buttons to skip backward or forward one utterance. To Dragon
NaturallySpeaking, an utterance is a group of words said together without pausing.
The Extras menu items can be displayed in the main DragonBar. See “View
options” on page 165.
Changing the DragonBar position
To change the position of the DragonBar, click the Dragon icon at the far left of the
DragonBar. A menu displays which lets you move the DragonBar as follows:
SELECT... TO...
Docked to Top mode (default) lock the DragonBar to the top of the screen
Docked to Bottom mode lock the DragonBar to the bottom of the screen
Floating mode freely position the DragonBar
Cling mode make the DragonBar appear just above the window
Tray Icon Only mode hide the DragonBar completely and only display
into which you are dictating.
the Microphone icon in the Windows task bar.
NOTE
hidden DragonBar reappear, right-click on the small microphone in the lower right corner of the screen.
From the menu that appears, click Restore Previous DragonBar Mode.
You can also hide the DragonBar by saying “Switch to Tray Icon Only Mode.” To make a
Controlling Dragon NaturallySpeaking with voice commands
You can operate Dragon NaturallySpeaking with voice commands. For example, to
show the Extras toolbar, say “Show Extras Bar.” For a list of other voice commands
that control Dragon NaturallySpeaking, see “Controlling the DragonBar” in the
Appendix, page 174.
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