User manual NUANCE DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING PROFESSIONAL 6

USER'S GUIDE By Dan Newman For details on ScanSoft Application Solutions Partners near you, please visit: www.ScanSoft.com/NaturallySpeaking/locator/ Learn more about speech recognition at: Training and Customization Professional training and customization services from a ScanSoft-certified Applications Solutions Partner can help you achieve the maximum return on your investment. If you would like to unleash the full potential of Dragon NaturallySpeaking® software, please contact one of our Partners for training, customization, and more. ScanSoft Application Solution Partners are the best in the industry; distinguished by their expertise, experience, and commitment to providing top-level services for Dragon NaturallySpeaking® speech recognition products. For details on ScanSoft Application Solutions Partners near you, please visit: www.ScanSoft.com/NaturallySpeaking/locator/ or call 800-443-7077 About the Author Dan Newman is president of Say I Can, Inc., a leading reseller of speech-recognition products and training services. A computer expert and skilled teacher, Dan is the author of several books about speech recognition, including Talk to Your Computer and The Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Guide. Dan has written for many publications, including PC Magazine and Speech Technology, and has appeared on the PBS television show Computer Chronicles. He recently created his first instructional video presentation, Dragon NaturallySpeaking® 6 Video Guide, which helps people use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® speech-recognition software most effectively. Dan's Video Guide is a CD-ROM-based video presentation that runs on your computer and is designed for both new and experienced users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking® software. In the Video Guide, Dan guides you visually through key Dragon NaturallySpeaking® version 6 topics and skills, demonstrating expert techniques and insider secrets. He shows you how to fix mistakes quickly, automate tedious tasks, browse the Web hands-free, boost accuracy, and more. You can see the complete list of topics covered and download free sample video lessons at www.sayican.com. In addition to the Video Guide, Say I Can offers many other speech- recognition products and services. Their innovative "Web Training" service provides live one-on-one training over the Internet, allowing you to conveniently learn how to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® software from an expert. Other items available include digital recorders, specialty microphones, and volume licenses of Dragon NaturallySpeaking® software. For more information, please call 1-877-Say-I-Can or visit www.sayican.com. This is a screen shot of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking® 6 Video Guide. For more information, please visit the Say I Can Web site at www.sayican.com. May 2002. Version 6.1 Professional, Medical, Legal, and Public Safety Solution and Preferred editions. This publication may not include some last-minute technical changes and/or revisions to the software. Changes are periodically made to the information described here. Future versions of this manual will incorporate these changes. ScanSoft, Inc., may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter in this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to such patents. The software is subject to one or more of the following U.S. patents, among others: 5,027,406; 5,202,952; 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; 5,909,666; 5,915,236; 5,920,836; 5,949,886; 5,960,394; 6,064,959; 6,088,671; 6,092,043; 6,092,044; 6,101,468; 6,151,575; 6,163,768; 6,167,377; 6,212,498. No part of this manual or software may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including, without limitation, electronic or mechanical, such as photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written consent of ScanSoft, Inc. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2002 ScanSoft, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions copyright © 1999­2001 Dan Newman. All rights reserved. Used with permission. ScanSoft, the ScanSoft logo, L&H, the L&H logo, the Dragon logo, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, NaturallySpeaking, NaturallyMobile, RealSpeak, Nothing But Speech "NBS," Natural Language Technology, Select-and-Say, BestMatch, MouseGrid, and Vocabulary Editor are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. All other names and trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of ScanSoft or their respective owners. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and where ScanSoft is aware of the trademark, the designation is printed with a trademark (TM) or registered trademark (®) symbol. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation. Lotus and Lotus Notes are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Microsoft, Outlook, Windows, Windows NT, Visual Basic, and PowerPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Netscape and Netscape Navigator are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. Say I Can and the Say I Can logo are trademarks of Say I Can, Inc. Voice It, the Voice It logo, and Voice It Link are trademarks or registered trademarks of VXI Corporation. AMD is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. America Online is a registered trademark of America Online, Inc., a division of AOL Time Warner. QUALCOMM and Eudora Pro are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM, Incorporated. Yahoo! is a registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. 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 Books. The Captain of Battery Park, © Copyright 1978 by Eugene Pool, published by Addison-Wesley. 120-D144-61 Contents CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 About this guide 2 What's new in version 6? 3 What should I expect from Dragon NaturallySpeaking? 7 Installing and Training 9 System requirements 9 Plug in the microphone 10 Plug in the speakers 11 Install the software 11 Create a new user 15 Audio Setup 18 New user training 21 Training problems and solutions 24 Starting to Dictate 27 Turning the microphone on and off 30 Sleeping and waking up 30 Online Help 31 The DragonBar 32 Correcting and Editing 37 The Correction menu 38 Selecting text by voice 41 Moving around in a document 45 Copying, cutting, and pasting text 47 Copying text to other programs 48 Deleting text 48 Keyboard editing shortcuts 51 Spelling as you dictate 52 Formatting 55 Capitalizing text 56 Formatting text 58 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide v Contents CHAPTER 6 Numbers and Punctuation 63 Dictating numbers 63 Punctuation 71 Dictating hyphenated words 72 Dictating compound words 73 Dictating names 74 Dictating abbreviations and acronyms 75 Dictating e-mail and Web addresses 76 Dictating special characters 77 Modes 82 Using E-Mail and Microsoft Internet Explorer Working with e-mail 85 Working with Microsoft Internet Explorer 89 Using Natural Language Commands 97 Available Natural Language Commands 97 The Sample Commands window 98 The Command Browser 98 Sample Commands 100 Hands-Free Computing 103 Starting programs 104 Opening documents and folders 105 Switching between open windows 105 Copying text to other programs 106 Opening and closing menus 107 Selecting buttons, tabs, and options 108 Selecting icons on the desktop 109 Resizing and closing windows 110 Scrolling in windows and list boxes 111 Pressing keyboard keys 111 Activating commands by saying key names 115 Moving the mouse pointer and clicking the mouse Hands-free tips 123 Automate Your Work 125 Viewing or editing commands 126 Searching commands 127 Creating new commands 128 Deleting custom commands 134 Renaming custom commands 135 85 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 117 CHAPTER 10 vi Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide Contents Exporting commands 136 Importing commands 137 Creating Macro Recorder Commands 138 Some useful commands 139 CHAPTER 11 Workflow 141 Dictate first, correct later 141 Ways to correct your dictation 144 Speaking and Dictating Composing 156 153 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 Improving Accuracy 161 The Accuracy Center 162 Tools to improve your vocabulary 166 The ideal system for best accuracy 179 Some practical ways to improve accuracy 180 Healthy Computing 185 Ergonomics and posture 185 Maintaining good vocal health 186 Using a Handheld Recorder 189 Installing recorder software 190 Creating a user adapted to your recorded speech 191 Dictating into your recorder 195 Transcribing recorded dictation 197 Correcting mistakes 203 Using the Dragon NaturallyMobile recorder as a microphone 204 Better accuracy with a recorder 204 Customizing Dragon NaturallySpeaking 207 The Options dialog box 207 Troubleshooting 221 Testing your sound system 221 Other problems and solutions 223 Commands List 263 227 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 APPENDIX INDEX Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide vii CHAPTER 1 Introduction W s s elcome to Dragon NaturallySpeaking®--the software that lets you talk to your computer instead of typing. As you speak, your words appear swiftly on-screen just as if you had typed them. You can talk ("dictate") into many programs, including Microsoft® Word, Corel® WordPerfect®, e-mail programs, personal information organizers, and more. For example, you can use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® to: Compose letters, memos, and e-mail messages. 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 enable you to 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. s You can also move text around within your document ("cut and paste"), revise and format text, and control your computer by voice. You can start programs, open menus, and send e-mails by voice. After you become comfortable talking to your computer, you may want to take the convenience of dictating a step further by using a handheld recorder with Dragon NaturallySpeaking®. With a handheld recorder, you can dictate while away from your computer. When you return to your computer, Dragon NaturallySpeaking® will type out ("transcribe") what you said. Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction About this guide This guide provides detailed information that will help you get the most out of using Dragon NaturallySpeaking®. It will help you get up and running with the software, show you how to dictate, edit, and format your text, and discuss the best ways to work for maximum efficiency and accuracy. While this guide presents all the important features of Dragon NaturallySpeaking®, it is not intended to be a complete reference to each feature and function. More extensive information about using Dragon NaturallySpeaking® is available in the program's online Help. This guide covers the Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Preferred edition and the following Solution Series products: s s s s Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Professional Solutions Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Medical Solutions Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Legal Solutions Dragon NaturallySpeaking® Public Safety Solutions Most of the information presented in this guide is applicable to all these editions. When information applies to certain editions only, this is noted. 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." 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] 2 3 This guide applies to the five English dialects that ship with Dragon NaturallySpeaking®: 2 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide CHAPTER 1 Introduction s s s s s 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 multiple dialects are used in dictation examples, those dialects appear in a different font style. For example: s You can also correct a longer phrase by saying "Correct [text] Through [text]" (US/Canada) or "Correct [text] To [text]" (Other Dialects). This guide uses US spelling and punctuation for consistency. 4 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 With Numbers Mode on, Dragon NaturallySpeaking® tries to interpret everything you say as 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. What's new in version 6? Dragon NaturallySpeaking® version 6 brings together the best ScanSoftTM and Dragon NaturallySpeaking® speech-recognition and text-to-speech technology to create more accurate, powerful, and userfriendly speech-recognition software. In addition to assisting users to operate a computer hands-free, the software contains many new features and general improvements. Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Tools for greater accuracy Accuracy Center The Accuracy Center offers one-stop shopping for all the tools available to improve recognition accuracy: audio settings, additional training, adding words to the vocabulary, and the new Acoustic Optimizer can all be found in this central location. See page 162. The Accuracy Assistant, which is part of the Accuracy Center, guides the user in selecting the right tool for improving accuracy. See page 162. Acoustic Optimizer After you have used Dragon NaturallySpeaking® for a while and some recognition errors may have occurred, the Acoustic Optimizer is a tool that lets Dragon NaturallySpeaking® process all the recorded data it has collected during training and while corrections have been made. It learns from this data in one sweep, which is much more powerful than gradual adaptation from each correction. Start the optimizer before you leave for a meeting and come back to improved recognition. See page 163. Add contact names and vocabulary Add the contact names from your address book to your vocabulary file. You can also scan your sent e-mail to teach Dragon NaturallySpeaking® the words you use. See page 170. Nothing But Speech ("NBS")TM The Nothing But Speech technology filters out some of the fillers between dictation, such as "uhms" and "ahs," to help avoid insertion of unwanted words. Easier to use Faster, easier correction A new, streamlined correction interface makes it easier than ever to proofread and correct your work. The improved Correction menu is now available wherever you can select text by voice. See page 38. Correct whichever way you want--by voice, by mouse and keyboard, or using any combination of these. Dragon NaturallySpeaking® will still learn from your corrections, even if you just type them over the words you've selected. 4 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide CHAPTER 1 Introduction The new correction workflow lets you dictate your entire document and then quickly move along and correct phrase by phrase as needed. See "Ways to correct your dictation" on page 144. Find commands easily with Sample Commands and Command Browser Can't remember a command? A Sample Commands window displays voice commands for the most popular applications alongside your work. See "Sample Commands" on page 100. The new Command Browser lets you search for commands by application, making it easy to find what you need. It also allows you to train or modify your commands. See "The Command Browser" on page 98. Create your own commands Create custom commands (macros) quickly and easily. Depending on your edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking®, a variety of macro creation tools are available to let you be more productive. Text and Graphics commands Create a letter closing and include your signature as a bitmap. You can add this to any document with one simple voice command. This is just one example of how Text and Graphics commands let you automate common tasks. (Available in Preferred and higher editions.) See "Automate Your Work" on page 125. Macro Recorder If you repeat the same action frequently, you can use the Macro Recorder to record your mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes, then recall the action at any time with a voice command. (Available in Professional Solutions and higher editions.) See "Automate Your Work" on page 125. Step-by-Step commands By creating voice commands one step at a time, you can automate more complicated tasks even if you are not a programmer. For example, with a single voice command you can turn the microphone off, open an application, type text and commands in the application, then turn the microphone on again. (Available in Professional Solutions and higher editions.) See "Automate Your Work" on page 125. Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 5 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Advanced Scripting commands Use Microsoft® Visual Basic®-compatible scripting to build complicated macros and even voice-enable applications. This is the full-fledged macro tool for programmers. (Available in Professional Solutions and higher editions.) See "Automate Your Work" on page 125. More powerful and versatile Easily edit by voice in more applications Select-and-Say® functionality, which enables you to make text changes easily by voice, is now available in the Open and Save dialogs in many applications, in the Windows® Find dialog box, and in many other places. Award-winning ScanSoftTM RealSpeakTM text-to-speech engine Let the computer read text to you, such as an incoming e-mail, in the most human-sounding voice available. See page 151. More extensive mouse control commands You can now control the mouse by voice in a variety of ways, for example, by simply saying "Move Mouse Upper Left." See page 121. Natural Language Commands In addition to the commands that worked in version 5, you can now also use Natural Language Commands in your favorite programs. There is no need to learn a specific command--Natural Language Commands let you say what you want in many different ways and still get the software to do just the right thing. See "Using Natural Language Commands" on page 97. Dictate now, correct later Save a recording of your dictation session so that you or an assistant can proofread and revise your work later. This feature works in Microsoft® Word, Corel® WordPerfect®, and the DragonPad. (Available in Professional Solutions and higher editions.) See page 143. Improved hands-free capabilities Improvements in the user interface of version 6 make it possible to complete almost every task by voice, for users who prefer to work handsfree. See "Hands-Free Computing" on page 103. 6 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide CHAPTER 1 Introduction What should I expect from Dragon NaturallySpeaking? One reason to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking® is to create letters, reports, and other documents by voice. Another is to speed up routine tasks, such as entering data, launching applications, sending e-mail, filling in forms, and working on the Web. Or maybe you need or prefer to work on the computer with little or no use of your hands. 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. To get the best results, you'll need to correct the mistakes so that the program can learn from its mistakes and improve its ability to recognize your way of speaking. 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. Feel free to use a combination of voice, mouse, and keyboard to get your work done--experiment to find methods that work best for you. If using a mouse and keyboard is not an option, pay special attention to "Hands-Free Computing." on page 103. Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 7 CHAPTER 2 Installing and Training I f you haven't yet set up Dragon NaturallySpeaking®, this chapter will guide you through each step of the process, from plugging in the microphone to training the computer to recognize your voice. It also covers dictating your first sentence and explains the Dragon NaturallySpeaking® controls, buttons, and menus that appear on-screen as you work. System requirements The recommended system requirements needed to run Dragon NaturallySpeaking® properly are: s s s s s s s s s Intel® Pentium® II 400 MHz processor (or equivalent AMDTM processor)* 128 MB RAM 300 MB free hard disk space Microsoft® Windows® XP, Millennium, 2000, 98, or Windows® NT® 4.0 (with SP-6 or greater) Creative® Labs Sound Blaster® 16 or equivalent sound card supporting 16-bit recording Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 5 or higher (free download available at www.microsoft.com CD-ROM drive (required for installation) ScanSoft-approved noise-canceling headset microphone (included) Speakers (required for playback of recorded speech and text-tospeech features) Dragon NaturallySpeaking® 6 has been optimized for a variety of popular processors, including the Intel® Pentium® 4, Pentium® III, Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 9 CHAPTER 2 Installing and Training Pentium® II, Pentium® with MMXTM, Intel Celeron®, AMDTM K6®-2, AMDTM K6-III with 3DNow!TM, AMDTM AthlonTM, and more. *For optimal performance, in combination with other applications running on your system, a 500 MHz processor or faster and 256 MB RAM are recommended. Plug in the microphone Here's how to set up your regular (non-USB) microphone. (If you have a USB microphone, follow the instructions that came with it instead of this description.) Find the microphone plug at the end of the wire attached to the microphone. If the wire ends in just one plug, that is the microphone plug. If the wire ends in two plugs, one is the microphone plug and the other is for the speaker in the microphone's earpiece. Check the instructions included with your microphone to figure out which is which. The microphone plug sometimes has a small picture of a microphone imprinted in the plastic base of the plug. If the two plugs are different colors, the brightly colored one is usually the microphone plug. Next, find the microphone jack in the sound card of your computer. On desktop computers, this small, round opening is almost always on the back of your computer. There will be one, two, or three similar-sized jacks next to it (all are part of your computer's sound hardware). Each jack should be labeled with words (MIC, LINE IN, SPKR) or pictures. Choose the jack with the word MIC or the picture of a microphone. The labels can be difficult to spot. They may be engraved into the metal plate the jacks are set into or imprinted on the plastic case of the computer. (On many computers the microphone jack has a red circle around it.) On laptops, the microphone jack may be on the side or front instead of the back of the computer. 10 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide CHAPTER 2 Installing and Training Plug in the speakers If you hear chimes or other sounds when Microsoft® Windows® starts up, your speakers are already plugged in correctly. If Windows® is silent, find the sound card jack labeled SPKR (or imprinted with a picture of a speaker), and plug in the speakers. This step is not necessary for laptops, which have internal speakers. If your microphone has a speaker plug, you can listen to the computer's sound through the earphone on your headset microphone. If you'd rather hear the computer's sounds through your speakers than the earphone, simply leave the speaker plug unplugged. Install the software Before installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking®, close all open applications. Also, turn off or disable any antivirus software that is running. Sometimes installation can trigger a false virus report. NOTE To install or uninstall Dragon NaturallySpeaking® on Windows® NT® and Windows® 2000, you must have Administrator rights. After a user has been created, however, Administrator rights are not required to use the software after installation. This also applies for an upgrade installation. Installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking® is similar to installing other Windows® applications. Insert the Dragon NaturallySpeaking® CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. In most cases, the installation program will start automatically. NOTE If the installation does not start automatically on your computer, follow these steps: From the Windows® Start menu, choose Run. The Run dialog box will open. Type E:\setup.exe and click OK. (If your CD-ROM drive is not drive E, use the correct CD-ROM drive letter.) Follow the on-screen instructions during installation. If you have an operating system with any English dialect other than US English, you Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide 11 CHAPTER 2 Installing and Training will need the product CD key number (located on a sticker on the CD-ROM sleeve) in order to complete the installation. Upgrading from version 5: s Upgrading from English version 5 editions: If you are upgrading from any edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking® version 5 to version 6, your user files and vocabularies will migrate automatically to version 6. After the upgrade, version 5 will no longer be functional. NOTE: For non-English or multilingual users of version 5: Installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking® version 6 will disable all user files, including non-English language user files. Multilingual editions of version 5 will no longer be available after you upgrade to this English version 6 of Dragon NaturallySpeaking®. s 12 Dragon NaturallySpeaking User's Guide