This is the third and (those of you who are thoroughly bored with the topic will be pleased to hear) final part of a series of articles looking at the advantages and disadvantages of using voice recognition (VR) software in translation.

In the first part, we took a statistical approach and outlined the speed benefits, whereas in the second part we discussed some minor drawbacks with its use. In this final part, I would like to turn things positive again and look at some additional benefits to using voice recognition in addition to mere speed of transcription.

The first of these is not so much related to English Japanese translation as to general communication. Although VR software is extremely adept at learning your patterns of speech for good recognition, you will still need to enunciate your words clearly, and this in itself is excellent training for public speaking as well as general communication. In the few weeks that I have spent using the software I have become keenly aware how, when I speak, I can “swallow” words at the beginning of sentences as well as articles within the sentence. After using the software for a while you will notice patterns in which words are not being picked up, and this is very instructive.

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I have also found that being forced to speak the sentence, rather than just write it, has helped rid me of a bad habit that I had when translating by starting to translate the sentence before reading the whole sentence. When you are writing the sentence, you can go back and change the beginning quite easily. However, being forced to understand the whole sentence before you start, as you need to do with VR, is a much better way of organizing your ideas and is more efficient. In the same way, that the software gets better at understanding what you are saying, you will also get better at arranging your thoughts for efficient output. Even in the short time I have been using VR software, I have noticed ever increasing returns in terms of its benefits.

In conclusion, if you can get beyond the minor drawbacks of the initial expense, and also adapting your working style to accommodate a quiet environment, I would seriously recommend VR software as a means of increasing your efficiency and Japanese translation performance.

About the Author
Simon Way is a contributing author to SAECULII YK, owner of the Japan Translation Company Tokyo, providers of Japanese certified translation Visit SAECULII for the latest professional case studies, articles and news by Japanese Translation Service

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