Speech recognition technology is becoming increasingly more popular for transcribing recordings of important meetings or conversations, controlling different devices and even improving AI technology. It can also increase safety – for example, interacting with a GPS while driving is much easier and more reliable when done through voice communication. It’s become an irreplaceable part of our everyday lives and has been shown to massively improve productivity, especially in business-related areas. The following five-voice recognition programs are the best that technology has to offer.
Dragon Service
Dragon by Nuance offers software for home-based users, as well as different professional versions to accommodate to any line of work. On the first start-up, Dragon makes the user undergo an initial ‘voice training’ process, which is going to help the software adapt to precise word pronunciation and any individual’s accent for maximum accuracy. It can be used for either direct speech-to-text conversion, or as a way to give the computer-specific commands.
There are 8 different professional solutions, focused on a specific profession such as law enforcement, legal individual, professional individual, etc. All of them increase productivity in terms of documentation through Deep Learning technology. Unfortunately, Dragon is exclusive to Windows OS and is going to need a fairly high-end computer to run efficiently due to high RAM and CPU usage. The prices range anywhere from $150 for the home version to $500 for the legal edition.
Audext
Using only the most advanced AI algorithms and machine learning perks, audio to text transcription service Audext.com can automatically transcribe audio to text from the comfort of your web browser. Whether you’re a journalist wanting to transcribe an interview or a student that desperately needs to convert his recorded notes to text format, Audext will deliver 200x quicker than any conventional methods. There’s no more need to sit for countless hours while manually typing out every single word.
Forget about additional time spent on formatting. Audext introduces speaker identification that can easily differentiate between two or more speakers and arrange the text accordingly. All of the most common audio extensions (MP3, WAV, WMV..) are supported. A built-in editor will help you check the end result for errors and fix them in no time if they occur, after which you get the final transcription in the form of a downloadable DOC or TXT file.
A 30-minute free trial upon registration will help reassure you in the quality of Audext’s results. After that, the prices go as low as $7.99 per hour with 6 different subscription options to suit anyone.
Google Docs Voice Typing
This Google-based voice recognition software is very useful for quickly jotting down notes when you’re in a hurry or on the go. Despite its name, Google Docs voice typing also works for Google Slides, with the only prerequisite being that you’re running Google Chrome. For injured or physically impaired users, this is a great alternative to typing.
If an error is made, the cursor can be moved to that exact spot through different voice commands, such as specified word, line or phrase selection. Furthermore, the software can recognize all punctuation phrases and even supports pausing at any moment without having to re-initiate the software. At the moment, there’s only support for English and it does have a bit of an accuracy problem. Still, it’s completely free without any restrictions.
Cortana
Developed by Microsoft, Cortana is a virtual assistant available for Windows 10, Android, iOS and many others. It can be commanded to do different web searches, mark specific events on the calendar and answer numerous questions through the Bing search engine. A wide variety of apps can be connected directly to it, including Spotify, LinkedIn, and Gmail to further spread its research potential.
Cortana can recognize up to 10 different languages. Even though it had somewhat limited functionality at the start, with more than 800 million users having access to it in 2019, the future is looking very bright.
Speechnotes
Another browser-based tool, Speechnotes advertises itself as a speech-enabled notepad that aims to provide a distraction-free environment. Alongside voice typing, users can translate the text to 10+ different languages. There are voice-based commands to insert different punctuation marks, but if you wish to edit/delete certain portion of the text it has to be done manually. The interface is really clean and attractive with large buttons.
The software itself is free and fairly accurate. A finished transcription file can be emailed, sent to Google Drive or downloaded directly from the website. For mobile use, there’s only an Android version without support for iOS. Furthermore, the website only works on the Google Chrome browser. For additional features, a paid version is available at the Chrome Store.
