Voice-to-Text Converter

Many reasons may compel you not to use your keyboard to compose text. Maybe you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, or you find it easier to record your class lectures or thesis interviews. Eventually, you will need to convert the recorded audio into text, and the best way to go about this is by using a voice to text converter.

While voice to text converter was initially only applicable to desktops, the creation of mobile gadgets and development of easy-to-reach apps means that transcription is possible on a smartphone or tablet.

Voice to text converter apps have become increasingly valuable for users in a range of environments including college/university students. This is not the least as technology has matured to the point where errors in transcriptions are reasonably rare, with some voice to text converters rightly boasting 99.9 % accuracy rates for clear audio.

This article takes a close look into voice to text converters and how you can use them to save time on your thesis project.

Common Questions about Voice to text converter

Definition: Voice to text Converter

A voice to text converter is a type of speech recognition technology that turns spoken word into written form. It also can recognize and understand human speech to carry out a user’s command on a computer.

How does a Voice to Text Converter work?

A voice to text converter is programmed to translate the analog waves of a person’s voice into digital format by digitizing the audio: the better the sampling and precision rate, the better the quality.

To convert voice to on-screen text or perform computer commands, a computer needs to undergo different complicated steps. When a person speaks, they produce vibrations in the air. A voice to text converter translates the analog waves into digital data, which the computer can comprehend. To do so, it samples the audio by taking accurate measurements of the waves at frequent intervals.

Eventually, the system filters the sampled audio to eliminate unwanted noise, and at times to separate it into several frequency bands. Moreover, it normalizes the sound or adjusts it to have a constant volume level. In addition to that, it might also need to be aligned temporarily. Humans do not always talk at the same speed; hence the audio needs to be adjusted to correspond with the rate of the template audio samples stored already in the computer’s memory.

After that, the signal is separated into small segments as small as several hundredths of a second, or thousandths when it comes to plosive consonant sounds (e.g. “p” and “t”). The system then matches those segments to suitable phonemes in the appropriate language. Phonemes are the smallest elements of languages. For instance, the English language has approximately 40 phonemes.

The next step appears simple, but it’s the hardest to achieve and is the focus of most research in speech recognition. The program assesses phonemes in the context of other related phonemes. It then runs the contextual phoneme plot via an advanced statistical model and contrasts them to a big library of words, phrases, and sentences that are known. From here, the program determines what the speaker was probably trying to say and either output it in text form or performs a computer command.

Benefits of a Voice to text converter

Many benefits come with using a voice to text converter for an interview transcript, such as:

Save time

The average human being types at a speed of about 38-40 words a minute, which equates to roughly 2,400 words per hour. By replacing this traditional method of data input with a mobile voice to text converter app to talk into, you will be able to speed up this process by almost four times, an average of 150 words a minute. As a result, you will have saved time, and be able to do other more important things.

Get a high quality transcript

Speaking directly into a voice to text converter application that can translate your speech into text for you can drastically enhance the accuracy of your transcripts. For an average typist, around eight out of 100 words are misspelled and need to be corrected. By eliminating the need to make corrections, you will have more freedom to concentrate on the task at hand.

Stress-free transcription

By getting rid of the computer distractions and using a voice to text converter app, you will find that your general concentration will be improved too. Not only is it easier to focus on the subject you are talking about, but your hands will also be free for you to do mindless chores, exercise, explore nature, and much more.

How to use a Voice to text converter for your thesis

As a college/university student, you will find it better to use a voice to text converter for your thesis interviews as all the information for your interview will be well-maintained. But how do you use one?

Once you have collected the audio for your thesis, all you need to do is to upload the data into a voice to text application on your computer or smartphone. The system will recognize words in the audio and then type them out.

However, it is essential to note that there are many differences in the quality of voice to text converters. Not all systems are equally good at identifying words. Some programs are also active in a particular language, but not as well-equipped in another. You will have to do some research to find the most suitable voice to text converter for your case, but most programs have 95 % accuracy.

It is also worth noting that audio quality places a significant role in determining the quality of transcripts you will get after using a voice to text converter. During the interview, ensure everything is audible.

Most voice to text converters have a secure online editor that lets you check the text and make the necessary adjustments. Moreover, in the writing displayed, a distinction is made between the different speakers, and you can also highlight yourself very quickly. The time is also availed for every text piece, and you can utilize the search function to locate words.