DATE=8/6/98
TYPE=ENGLISH PROGRAMS FEATURE
NUMBER=7-30270
TITLE=VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
BYLINE=DAN NOBLE
TELEPHONE=619-1014
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=SWANEY
CONTENT=
(TELEPHONE QUALITY INSERTS AVAILABLE FROM AUDIO SERVICES)
INTRO: TODAY, MOST PEOPLE ENTER AND RETRIEVE INFORMATION FROM
THEIR COMPUTERS BY TYPING ON A KEYBOARD. BUT, IN RECENT
YEARS, WE'VE SEEN THE INTRODUCTION OF WHAT'S CALLED
VOICE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY. INSTEAD OF KEYING IN
WORDS, THE COMPUTER RECOGNIZES HUMAN SPEECH. DAN NOBLE
HAS DETAILED.
TEXT: VOICE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY IS THE ABILITY OF A
COMPUTER TO TAKE THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE, DIGITIZE IT
INTO A LANGUAGE OR A COMMAND THAT IT UNDERSTANDS, AND
THEN BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO IT. SPEECH CAN BE TURNED
INTO TEXT -- TO BE VIEWED ON A SCREEN -- OR TURNED INTO
A COMMAND -- LIKE TELLING THE COMPUTER TO OPEN A FILE,
OR TO DIRECT A COMPUTERIZED ELEVATOR, FOR INSTANCE, TO
TAKE YOU TO THE BUILDING'S NINTH FLOOR.
TAPE: CUT ONE -- VIA VOICE EXCERPT (0:07)
"THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON VOICE OF AMERICA. THE
VIAVOICE TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE WORK AND
LIVE...."
TEXT: ...THIS IS WHAT VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE, PRODUCED
USING IBM'S RECENTLY INTRODUCED VIAVOICE (PRON: VEE-AH
VOICE) 98 SYSTEM, SOUNDS LIKE...
TAPE: CUT TWO -- VIA VOICE EXCERPT (0:22)
"...IMAGINE SPEAKING COMMANDS TO SET THE TIME ON YOUR
VCR, OR SPEAK WHAT FLOOR, OR WHAT ITEM YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR, AND THE ELEVATOR TAKES YOU TO THE RIGHT FLOOR.
(///OPT///) INSTEAD OF STOPPING TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS,
TELL YOUR GLOBAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
AND IT PROVIDES YOU WITH SPOKEN DIRECTIONS, EVERY STEP
OF THE WAY. THE FUTURE NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD." (///END
OPT///)
SEGUES TO:
TAPE: JOE ORLANDO (0:03)
"IT'S REALLY DESIGNED, FRANKLY, FOR EVERYBODY AND EVERY
NEED."
TEXT: THIS IS JOE ORLANDO, AN IBM MANAGER INVOLVED WITH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NEW GENERATION OF VOICE RECOGNITION
SOFTWARE.
TAPE: CUT THREE -- JOE ORLANDO (0:23)
"WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE IN THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN
YEARS IS THAT IT IS PERVASIVE EVERYWHERE: IN ELEVATORS,
IN HANDHELD DEVICES, IN APPLIANCES, IN CARS. WHAT'S
AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW IS DICTATION. THAT'S FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE PRODUCTIVITY-ORIENTED, WHO ARE TRYING TO DO MORE
WORK, FASTER, WITHOUT HAVING TO WORK WITH THEIR KEYBOARD
OR MOUSE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS THAT MAKE
IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO TYPE OR USE A COMPUTER."
TEXT: THE VIAVOICE SYSTEM USES A MICROPHONE, ATTACHED TO A
PERSONAL COMPUTER, TO ENTER VOICE COMMANDS. AGAIN,
IBM'S JOE ORLANDO.
TAPE: CUT FOUR -- JOE ORLANDO (0:29)
"WHAT IS HAPPENS IS THAT THE MICROPHONE HAS TO BE SET UP
SO THAT IT STARTS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR LANGUAGE. YOU CAN
READ TWO SENTENCES AND YOU ARE ALREADY ABOUT 85%
ACCURATE. WE SUGGEST THAT YOU READ SEVERAL LITTLE
STORIES THAT YOU PUT IN THERE SO THAT THE SYSTEM GETS
USED TO YOUR INFLECTIONS, YOUR INTONATIONS, AND EVEN
YOUR ACCENT. BECAUSE, WE ALL SAY WORDS LIKE 'FAR', AND
'DAUGHTER', VERY DIFFERENTLY. AFTER IT GETS TO KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE DOING, THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU CAN PUT THE
CURSOR SOMEWHERE IN A SPREAD SHEET, OR A PRESENTATION,
OR INTO A WORD PROCESSOR AND BEGIN TO DICTATE TEXT."
TEXT: THE TEXT, AS SEEN ON THE SCREEN, CAN ALSO BE TRANSLATED
FROM TEXT TO SPEECH.
TAPE: CUT FIVE -- JOE ORLANDO (0:09(
"THAT'S THE ABILITY FOR THE SOFTWARE TO TAKE THINGS LIKE
E-MAILS, OR WEB PAGES, OR OTHER DOCUMENTS, AND HAVE IT
READ BACK TO YOU. I HAVE IT, FOR EXAMPLE, TO LISTEN TO
MY E-MAILS WHILE I'M COMMUTING BETWEEN HERE AND HOME."
TEXT: JOE ORLANDO SAYS THAT VERSIONS OF THE VIAVOICE SPEECH
RECOGNITION SYSTEM ARE AVAILABLE IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN
ENGLISH.
TAPE: CUT SIX -- JOE ORLANDO (0:15)
"IT IS AVAILABLE IN OVER NINE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. WE
HAVE THEM IN CHINESE, WE HAVE THEM IN JAPANESE, AND WE
HAVE EVEN A VERSION IN ARABIC. WE'RE WORKING ON
PORTUGUESE FOR SOUTH AMERICA AND WE ARE ALSO WORKING
WITH PARTNERS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO DICTATE IN
ENGLISH AND HAVE THAT TEXT COME UP IN SOME OTHER
LANGUAGE."
TEXT: COMPUTERS ARE NOW BEING USED AROUND THE WORLD.
PROGRAMS LIKE IBM'S VIAVOICE PROGRAM WILL MAKE IT
POSSIBLE FOR EVEN HIGH-TECH NOVICES TO BE ABLE TO
COMMUNICATE BETTER USING THE NEW MEDIUM.
06-Aug-98 12:58 PM EDT (1658 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
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