Using Dragon NaturallySpeaking with JAWS using J-Dictate

Learning to Use J-Dictate

The majority of the content from this guide comes from the user manual for J-Dictate. That document can be downloaded by using the link below.
J-Dictate User Guide

Starting J-Dictate

To use Dragon with JAWS, you’ll need both programs installed along with the J-Dictate software. You will also need a headset microphone.
With JAWS running, launch Dragon. When Dragon is fully loaded, JAWS will announce “The computer is ready for you to talk to it”.
Check Microphone Status Alt + Windows + M
Start and stop Dictation Alt + Windows + F11
You can also start dictation by saying “Listen to me” or “Wake up” and you can stop dictation by saying “Go to sleep” or “Stop Listening”.

Dictation Exercise 1 – Starting Dictation

Open Microsoft Word by starting dictation and saying, “Open Word”. Make all the following statements and then explore the document using JAWS.
“This morning comma” (stop dictating)
“I went for a walk in the park full-stop” (stop dictating)
“The sun was shining comma” (stop dictating)
“The birds were singing” (stop dictating)
“And I enjoyed my walk very much full-stop. New-paragraph” (stop dictating and J-Dictate will confirm that a new paragraph has been created.)
“When I reached home comma” (stop dictating)
“I wrote to my friend Mary full-stop.” (stop dictating)
“I wanted to tell her” (stop dictating)
“About all the exciting places” (stop dictating)
“I had recently visited full-stop.” (stop dictating)
How did it go? Did Dragon have any recognition errors? In this example, how did we add punctuation and returns?
Add a period Say “Period” or “Full stop”
Add a comma Say “Comma”
Start on the next line Say “New line”
Start on a new paragraph (go down two lines) Say “New Paragraph”

Dictation Exercise 2 – Using the Correction Box

1. Dictate a sentence including a word which you feel confident the system will not understand.
2. Listen back to the dictation, and when you hear an incorrect word use the command “correct” followed by the misrecognized word. For example, you dictate the phrase “Good morning Terry” and J-Dictate speaks back “Good morning Kerry”. Now use the command “Correct Kerry”.
3. This command invokes the “Correction Box”, and J-Dictate will say “Box Ready”. The “Correction Box” consists of a dialog box with up to a maximum of 9 possible choices which the software thinks the misrecognized word could be.
4. To browse through the list of choices, press the “Tab” Key once and focus will be placed in the List Box. Now, use the “Up/Down Arrow” Keys to review the choices in the list.
5. As you move through the available choices, you will hear each alternative spoken and spelled. This is important so as to understand whether words have been capitalized.
6. When a desired choice has been located, press “Enter”. The selected choice will be placed in the document and you will be returned to where you were prior to activating the correction system.
7. In situations where the word or phrase does not exist in the list of choices, the desired choice can be typed or spelled out using your voice. Press Shift+Tab from the list of choices so that focus is set to the first control in the Dialog box which is an Edit Field. You can spell or type the words or phrase into the Edit Field which is now in focus.
8. You can now if you wish press the JAWS Key+Up Arrow: once to read the current line and twice quickly to spell it.
9. Once spelled out or typed correctly press Enter and the word or phrase will be placed into the document.

Dictation Commands

Say Function
“new line” Press the Enter key once
“new paragraph” Press the Enter key twice, capitalize next word.
“cap” Type with an initial capital
“caps on” Start typing words with initial capitals
“caps off” Stop typing words with initial capitals
“all caps” Type in all uppercase
“all caps on” Start typing words in all uppercase
“all caps off” Stop typing words in all uppercase
“no caps “ Type in all lowercase
“no caps on” Start typing words in all lowercase
“no caps off” Stop typing words in all lowercase
“no space “ Do not put a space before
“no space on” Stop putting spaces between words
“no space off” Start putting spaces between words
“numeral” Enter the next numbers stated as Arabic numerals (1,2,3 …)
“Roman numeral” Enter the next numbers stated as Roman numerals (i, ii, iii …)

Closing J-Dictate

In order to close down Dragon NaturallySpeaking, please do the following:
1. Press Control + Shift + F12 to enter the Dragon NaturallySpeaking menu system.
2. Press “Up Arrow” once.
3. The menu item now in focus is entitled “Exit”. Press “Enter” on this item. Dragon NaturallySpeaking will be closed down and the Speech Files will be successfully saved.

J-Dictate Help

You can open the J-Dictate Help menu by pressing Alt + Windows + H.
This menu allows users to change key settings important to various J-Dictate functions

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