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
.