April 29, 2025

Traditional transcription methods like dictation devices and foot pedals can be time-consuming and costly, but modern voice-to-text solutions offer a streamlined alternative. Many of these tools are built into products that lawyers already use, making them easily accessible and highly effective. While most lawyers are familiar with options like Dragon Naturally Speaking, the high price tag may be a deterrent. What are some options built into common operating systems and software?

Microsoft 365

Dictate

Dictate is a feature in Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. It can be found in the software versions and the browser versions of the apps. Dictate lets you talk to your computer and converts your words to text. The button is in the Home tab in the Voice group in the Ribbon. You will need a microphone, either a headset, earbuds, or use the built-in microphone in your device. Then click on the Dictate button in the Ribbon and start talking. Magically, your words appear. The processing of speech to text is done in the Microsoft cloud. It keeps up well if you talk fast, but may lag a bit. Like other dictation tools, you can use voice commands, like “full stop”, “new paragraph”, or “delete last 5 words”. Here is the full list of voice commands.

There are pros and cons to Dictate. You will need to set up your microphone if you have never used your microphone on your computer before. It’s pretty good about recognizing if you have an external device though one issue that might come up is if you switch to different headsets or use different microphones you may have to go back and figure out which one it’s trying to recognize. Once you start dictating you can toggle dictate on and off with a click of the button.

In Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, you can turn on auto-punctuation in the settings. It does a rather respectable job, and you will not have to use as many voice commands to add periods and new paragraphs. When you turn on Dictate in Word click on the gear icon to toggle on and off Auto Punctuate. This feature is especially useful for people who have not used dictation before and are not used to using voice commands. Of course, you will need to make corrections to your document, as dictation is not perfect.

If you are used to dictating into a handheld device, you can dictate directly into the apps for Word and Outlook. Tools built into Teams and other video conferencing tools will also transcribe a recorded meeting.

Transcribe

Transcribe is available on MS Word for Microsoft 365 subscribers. The Transcribe button is in the drop-down option in the Dictate button in the Ribbon. You take an audio file, whether a recording of an online seminar, voice notes you make on your phone, recording from a deposition or even use Transcribe to do the recording, and upload it from your computer with the Transcribe tools. For instance, if you record a Zoom meeting you can download the audio file and then upload it into Transcribe in Word online. Transcribe identifies (or tries to) different voices and labels them as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc. Depending on the length of the recording it may take quite a while for the Transcription to finish. There is a 200MB limit for an uploaded file, and 300 transcription upload minutes per month. While the recording formats that Transcribe works with are listed as .MP4 .M4A .MP3 and .WAV, Office Watch discovered other formats may work including .AAC and .M4B.

Once Transcribe has finished you will see a Transcribe pane that lets you edit the transcription before you add it to a document. You can change the speaker’s name and the text in the editing pane. If you have a question about the text of the transcription you can click on the “play” button for each speaker section to hear what was said and make corrections. Then at the bottom of the Transcription pane you can add all or just some of the transcription to the document.

Transcription recordings are saved in MS OneDrive. If you add all the transcription to a document and then go back to make edits it will pull the audio file back from OneDrive. A link to the full transcription is inserted at the top of the document. If you open the Word document that you have added the transcription to in the Word software the link to the recording in OneDrive will still appear. You can download the recording.

Microsoft has an excellent tutorial on Transcribe and Office Watch offers a tutorial as well as some trouble shooting suggestions.

Windows 11

Dictate in MS 365 is not like Dragon Naturally Speaking. You can’t tell your entire system what to do (open Outlook, new email, etc.). Cortana in Windows 10 was retired in spring of 2023. Now, in Windows 11 you have Voice Access. This feature lets you control your PC and write text. You can use voice commands to open and switch between apps and read and draft emails. First you will want to set up voice access and learn more about it. Like any voice command system there is a command list. Until you are used to the commands you will want to keep this list handy.

In addition to Voice Access, Windows 11 comes with two other voice-based tools that can be found in System Settings – Accessibility – Speech. One is Windows Speech Recognition, which is being phased out and Voice Access will be the alternative. The other is Voice Typing. Voice Typing is available by pressing the Window key + H. Voice Typing lets you add text anywhere on your computer, including applications from Notepad to OneNote as well as search engines, cloud applications, and anywhere you can add text. Simply put your cursor in a text field and enable Voice Typing. Like Dictate in Word and Outlook, and Voice Access, your experience will be better if you learn the voice typing commands and punctuation commands.

MacOS

If you are using Microsoft 365 on a Mac, the dictation features in Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint are available. Of course, Apple products running MacOS have dictation tools as well. Depending on which version of the operating system you have the language support and additional dictation features vary. If you want to enter text and control your Mac by speaking commands you can use Voice Control. If you just want to dictate where you put your cursor in a text field you can use Dictate Text by pressing the Microphone key on your keyboard or choose Edit – Start Dictation. As with Windows, Dictation works better if you know the commands.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

Voice-to-text tools have made significant advancements, but they still come with certain limitations that users should be aware of in dictation and transcription:

Background Noise: One of the most challenging aspects of speech-to-text conversion is dealing with background noise. It can significantly affect the accuracy of the transcription, making it difficult for the software to distinguish between the speaker’s voice and other sounds. If you can use a headset with a noise canceling microphone or another more sophisticated microphone than that onboard your laptop you will likely have a better outcome.

Accents and Dialects: Different accents and dialects can pose a challenge for speech recognition software. Technology may struggle to accurately transcribe speech from individuals with strong accents or those who speak in regional dialects.

Multiple Voices: When there are multiple voices in a recording, it can be difficult for the software to accurately transcribe the conversation. This is especially true if the voices overlap or if there is a lot of background noise.

Clipping or Distortion: Poor audio quality, such as clipping or distortion, can reduce the effectiveness of speech-to-text tools. Ensuring high-quality recordings is essential for accurate transcription.

Accuracy: While speech-to-text technology has improved, it is not always 100% accurate. Factors such as speech clarity, pronunciation, and the quality of the recording can impact the accuracy of the transcription.

Context Understanding: Speech-to-text tools may struggle with understanding the context of the conversation. This can lead to errors in transcription, especially when dealing with homophones or words that sound similar but have different meanings.

Understanding these limitations can help users make the most of voice-to-text tools while being aware of their potential shortcomings.

AI and Speech to Text Tools

Some additional tools and technologies can improve speech recognition and dictation:

Whisper – Open AI’s automatic speech recognition system. It handles accents, dialects, and noisy environments particularly well. The technology is built into tools like FridayGPT, an AI Copilot for Mac that gives instant access to ChatGPT, voice-to-text and quick AI actions. It is also built into Microsoft Azure Speech, but currently only for transcriptions and not live dictation.

Sonix – Fast, accurate transcription with automated subtitling in 53 languages. Transcribes both audio and visual content into text, AI analysis, and more. It uses advanced algorithms to adapt to different speech patterns and pronunciations, making it a reliable tool for users with strong regional accents.

Rev – With a focus on law firms, Rev transforms conversations into searchable transcripts. Available on desktop or mobile, you can capture conversations and dictation in real time to produce searchable text, with AI to help extract action items, key details, and more.

Speechmatics: This tool is specifically designed to understand and transcribe speech from a wide range of accents and dialects. It delivers sub-second transcription with breakthrough accuracy, making it a top choice for users who need reliable and fast transcription services. You can go to this page to try it out, it is very fast and accurate. Speechmatics also has agents, API’s, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

BoldVoice: For those looking to improve their pronunciation and reduce the impact of their accent on transcription accuracy, BoldVoice offers AI-powered pronunciation training. This tool provides real-time feedback and personalized exercises to help users refine their speech patterns.

Conclusion

Voice-to-text solutions offer numerous benefits for lawyers, including time savings, reduced costs, and improved productivity. By adopting these technologies, legal professionals can streamline their workflow and focus more on their core responsibilities.