With advances in digital dictation and voice recognition software, transcription machines have finally become sophisticated and convenient enough to have a place in modern businesses without any undue hassle being involved. Before these latest, nineties-pioneered advances, one would have to keep a trained secretary around if you wanted to convert your speech to text without typing it up yourself! And while the secretary has yet to be fully replaced by advances in the industry, there is definitely a place for dictation equipment in a world where everyone is increasingly in the move and everything is increasingly digital.
Such widely known and reputable brands as Sony, Panasonic, and Philips have seen fit to get in on the transcription machine act, and compete heatedly with each other to provide the most robust products for a fairly stable 150-250 dollar price range. The majority of models use either a standard cassette or microcassette format for transcription. However, the digital transcription machine intended for interfacing with one’s computer is also available, for those more high tech in their needs. The two broad types differ slightly in what they provide and how they function, although headphones are standard included gear for both.
The digital machines are essentially computer software with special added equipment for dictation and for exercising control over the transcription process. The controls are often used by means of a discreet foot pedal or simple hand control that can be placed on the floor or next to the keyboard. This makes starting and stopping the transcription process easy and natural, and less clunky or time-consuming than starting up or shutting down an ordinary program on your computer. The installed software is what interprets the sounds and turns them into appropriate text. This software generally takes up fairly little space and has low system requirements, so it can be used without needing to get a high-end computer to run it.
Then there’s the other sort of transcription equipment, based on cassette tapes. These dictation machines utilize a somewhat bulkier main body structure, being about the size of a telephone. Instead of working through your computer, they record directly onto a cassette. Most models are versatile enough to handle more than just direct dictation, and a transcription machine of this type can often do everything from phone conversations to meetings and interviews. While technically rendered somewhat outdated by their digital cousins, the cassette-based machines are still very popular for their durability and ease of use, particularly with people who aren’t entirely comfortable around computers.
Besides the headphones almost always included by default at no significant added charge, other common features between the two types include adjustable recording speeds, pick adjustment controls, quick erase options and accurate rewind abilities. To get a machine of either sort, you’ll need to put down at least a hundred dollars, but it’s money well spent with a time-saving machine so robust and reliable.
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