Converting Speech to Text in Windows 7

Speech to text recognition has become the latest craze in computer software. Many software programs on the market promise to help you to develop documents simply by speaking the text that you would like entered. However, many people do not know that if they have Windows 7, their computer already has the capability to convert speech to text.

To get started with using the speech to text function on Windows 7, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Windows Start Menu and select Control Panel.
2. Click Ease of Access.
3. Click Start Speech Recognition.
4. Click on the power up button that displays the microphone. The status should change from Sleeping to Listening.
Once the status has changed to listening, you should be able to open a Word document and begin dictating text. However, if you have a strong regional or foreign accent, the computer may have difficulty recognizing your voice. If this is the case, right-click on the top left corner of the speech recognition screen and select Improve Speech Recognition. The computer will then lead you through several exercises to help it better recognize your voice.

The speech to text technology is an excellent time saver once you grow accustomed to it. This program will work seamlessly with Microsoft Word. However, it will not necessarily work with other programs on your PC. It will not, for instance, work with Lightscribe to create labels for Lightscribe CDs, or help you create labels for Printable DVDs, nor will it work to execute commands such as saving files or opening programs.

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