Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11

Published April 11, 2011

I recently upgraded from Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9 to version 11. I've got to say that version 11 soars leaps and bounds above version 9.

It's hard to compare and 9 to 11 because they're almost like two entirely different animals. Many moons ago when I purchased Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 9, I spent quite a bit of time training the software.  It had to get used to my voice and the manner in which I speak. I enjoyed using it because it was faster than typing but I also spent quite a bit of time editing.

Transcribing from a Digital Voice Recorder

Since I had the Preferred edition (which is now called the Premium edition) I was able to use NaturallySpeaking to transcribe from a digital voice recorder. Unfortunately, however, transcribing from my digital recorder meant even more editing.

The major problem I had with transcribed recordings is remembering what I said.  If the the transcription occurred real time, I'd know what I just dictated.  But, recording something today and transcribing it tomorrow is another story.  To top it off, transcribing pre-recorded dictation wasn't very  accurate.

NaturallySpeaking 11 Accuracy

I have yet to use the "transcribe recording" feature in NaturallySpeaking version 11, but the real-time transcription is much more accurate out of the box. All I did was install the software, slap on my headphones and started dictating. The accuracy was amazing.

With the old software I had to spend time training it.  With version 11, I don’t think training is necessary. The accuracy is about 98%. And get this, the more I use it the more accurate it will be because of the correction capability.

Editing and Corrections

Editing is a breeze because you can correct the software both verbally and through keyboard input. The software remembers the corrections never to repeat the mistakes again.

It's only been a couple of days since I took the software out of the box, so I cannot give it complete review at this time. But, from what I've experienced so far, I'm pleased. After having voice recognition software version 9 and complaining from day one, Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11 is definitely a winner.

Update 4/27/2011:

Although I like the improved accuracy on Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11, I find the steps that I now have to take to transcribe a recorded dictation a wee bit cumbersome.

In the past, when I transcribed from my Sony digital recorder, all I had to do was connect the Sony recorder to my PC to download the dictation. Next I clicked the Voice Recognition button from within the digital voice editor software program.  It would then open Dragon NaturallySpeaking if it was not already open on my computer.

After opening the software I would confirm my profile and decide whether or not I wanted to transcription to appear in the DragonPad window or different window. NaturallySpeaking would do the rest.

New Process for Digital Recordings

Things have changed a bit in Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 11. Now in order for to transcribe my recorded dictation, I must first convert the dictation into an mp3 format (or other compatible format).  NaturallySpeaking no longer transcribes from the default .dvf format.. Next I had to open NaturallySpeaking and load the appropriate profile. In other words, the profile that I use to dictate directly through NaturallySpeaking is a different profile from the one that recognizes my recorded dictation.

After I load the appropriate profile, I have to navigate to the dictated file.  Then I tell the software whether it should transcribe in DragonPad or other window before it begins transcribing the recorded dictation.

Streamlining the NaurallySpeaking Transcription Process

I tried several times to streamline this process. I did a little research  to see if there was a quicker way to initiate recorded transcription with no luck. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that was as simple as a few clicks as worked with older versions.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a minor annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless. I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

Last Modified: 10 February 2023