Written, Spoken Words
Tech Tip
by Timothy Penhallegon Like many other recent graduates of law school, I had not dictated a single word before I began my law practice. I had the requisite boring keyboarding class in middle school and learned to type very well in college and law school. But, I still speak faster than I type and have found voice recording and transcription useful in my practice. New technology has made voice recording and transcription more accurate and more affordable than in the past, and attorneys looking to produce documents should consider some of these options. Possibly the most convenient of the new voice recording technologies are smartphone applications. One application for the iPhone is Recorder by Retronym ($0.99 on iTunes). Recorder can record through iPhone microphones as well as outgoing telephone calls, and the recordings can be easily emailed. For Android smartphones, the Rehearsal Assistant application by urbanSTEW is recording freeware. Both programs give users the convenience of using their telephones as sound recorders. But, the programs use telephone battery charge and the recordings can go above 1MB per minute, which can quickly exhaust data transfer plans if they are wirelessly transferred. Also, file formatting may be an issue and should be examined before using either program. This is a good option for people who want to carry as few accessories as possible, but still want the convenience of recording calls and conversations. Another convenient and novel approach to voice recording is the “smart pen.” Smart pens use digital technology to perform functions beyond laying ink lines on paper. Livescribe offers two versions of the smart pen that record voice while you write. The Pulse smartpen (about $185 from Amazon.com) not only records voice, but also uses an infrared camera to record what is written on special gridded paper. The pen can play back voice recordings in synch with the writings on the page, and has available voice transcription software. There are also existing transcription technologies that have been upgraded and expanded. The Dragon software package by Nuance transcribes recorded words and controls computer functions by voice. Nuance offers a great number of different transcription software packages, including applications for the iPhone and iPad, but the full software suite tailored to the law practice can cost upwards of $1,000.00. In addition to the high cost, the user has to “teach” the computer to recognize particular words, and may require the user to change their diction to be accurately transcribed. Technological advancements have improved dedicated portable recording devices, too. Current quality digital recorders contain high memory capacity, software interfaces, and rechargeable batteries. Sony offers a line of digital recorders packaged with Dragon software for voice recognition that can automatically create document files from recorded conversations. Dedicated digital recorders have the advantage of being small and lightweight, and they do not devour battery charge necessary for emergency telephone calls. There are many options available to mechanically turn the recorded word into the written word. Because the new software and hardware technologies are available to both large and small budgets, dictation may be a way to increase productivity in your firm, even if you took a middle school keyboarding class. A 2009 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law Tim Penhallegon is an associate at the Watson Law Firm, P.A., in Springdale. He can be contacted at 479-750-7717, or at tim@watsonlaw.arcoxmail.com. Tim entered the law profession after serving seven years as a helicopter crew chief in the Air Force. His practice includes family law and litigation. 7