Voice Writing Education

Voice Writing is a skill used by many highly paid people to earn a comfortable living. A voice writer is trained in business practices, computer applications, and technology. Voice Writing education is available at many accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools.

At voice writing school you will be trained in a type of computer application referred to as Speech Recognition software. Dragon Naturally Speaking, from the Nuance Corporation, is one popular brand of speech recognition tool. You will spend much of your time in school 'training' the software to recognize your voice. You may be trained to speak into a special microphone that captures your voice to the exclusion of ambient noise and also prevents other people in the room from hearing your words. For example, to work as a voice writer in a courtroom, you must have equipment that allows the microphone to pick up your voice while at the same time blocking your voice from distracting anyone else in the courtroom.The microphone may be built into a mask which blocks ambient noise and also reduces your words to a soft murmur to anyone else in the room. Believe it or not, some voice writing school students are disoriented by the mask at first exposure. Feelings of mild claustrophobia may be engendered. Voice Writing Education isn't dangerous, but it can be challenging in unexpected ways!

Training the software requires you to read prepared text into the microphone, then go back and correct any transcription errors made by the software. For example, your voice recognition software might misinterpret your pronunciation of the word "cart" as the word "car" because you trail off at the end of the word and the 't' is not sufficiently audible. After reading the prepared script into the software, a document is generated . You, as the student, double-check the results document against the original script. Any discrepancies can be resolved by isolating the particular word and instructing the software to transcribe it correctly. Modern voice recognition software will track your progress and calculate the percentage of errors against the prepared scripts.

As you learn voice writing you will also brush up on your spelling and grammar skills. While computers can provide some spell-checking and grammar-checking capabilities, the voice writer must also have a grasp of language arts techniques. Some good backgrounds for potential voice writing students are:

• Legal

• Medical

• Secretarial/Administrative Assistant

• Accounting or Bookkeeping

• IRS

• Science

• Music

• Engineering

• Computers/Technology

• Actuarial/Insurance

• Foreign Language

• Sports

• Broadcasting

• Military

• Teaching

• Technical Writing

• Journalism or Editing.

Each school is different, but in general your coursework will be divided into classroom and lab components. Classroom experience may be instructor-led or self-paced. An instructor-led class offers the advantage of having a subject matter expert available at all times. If you have a question, simply raise your hand. The class meets at a specific time and is typically very structured. The other side of the education coin is the self-paced course. Such environments allow each student to progress at their own rate. A self-paced class held in a monitored classroom provides a little of the best from both worlds. You will find yourself assigned to a computer at a specific time, but you won't be obligated to move along at the pace of the instructor. Your voice writing education will probably include both delivery systems.

Many schools also provide opportunities to intern or co-op at real-world companies that employ voice writers. Students may earn a small stipend or they may be expected to work for free. The nature of the business is such that even working for free is an invaluable experience that looks extremely good on a resume. Employers favor applicants with work experience.

A voice writing education may include courses in these topics:

· Introduction to Real Time Voice Writing

· Explanation of the speech-recognition industry

· Specific guidance for mastering a speech-recognition engine for RealTime Voice Writing

· Overview of computer operations

· Development of vocabulary for specific menus

· Voice exercises for improving vocal quality

· Specific maintenance for Voice Writer equipment

· Advanced RealTime Voice Writing

· Advanced computer performance and maintenance

· Techniques for improving accuracy

· Techniques for improving speed

· Office and administrative simulations

Voice Writing education opens a viable career path for detail-oriented students who enjoy working with computers and being involved in fast-paced working environments.