Word Dictate - keeps typing 'what'

Anonymous
2020-01-23T08:42:55+00:00

Hi, I just started using the dictate function in Word and its great. However when I pause for too long it types 'What' and if i'm not careful i miss it and it stays in my text. I have tried several times and there is no background noise and I am not breathing heavy or saying anything? It will often type 'what' also before the dictate function times out and turns off. 

edit - it is now also typing 'hello' and 'heehee'. I think its possessed!! 

The function commands such as hyphen, open parenthesis etc do not work either. comma, full stop do. Also is there a way to lengthen the time out function as I find it too short?

Any suggestions or anyone else having this problem?

Thankyou

H

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2020-06-04T17:16:46+00:00

Thanks @Rohn007 for pointing this out - I have just e-mailed Emily Tran to let her know. She is the person from Microsoft working to fix this.

When we were last in contact she hadn't been able to see the 'hello' problem in action. This might be why.

I think most of us would like to continue using the dictate function - it just needs a bit of perseverance to get there, and collaboration with Microsoft to help them.

Onwards and upwards!

A fix has been deployed to 100% of Dictation users - please let us know if you still see the issue.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-06-05T01:47:50+00:00

    From my days at Microsoft, I can tell you there are a lot of nice, competent, and innovative people. I can imagine a lot of software engineers and architects pulling their hair out. These days, I'm writing a book on my experiences and how I was treated in various environments. A lot of what's happened is due to a strong push toward making the culture of the company very polished and charismatic from a sales and marketing perspective. However, most innovators are not well-accepted by the charismatic folks, which leads to a divide. MS definitely has what it takes and the people to do the job, but the politics of the company stifle the path of innovation to the user. And, opportunities are missed.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-06-05T01:12:16+00:00

    Hi Rob:

    .

    Sounds like "not invented here" syndrome. Some shops (or managers) are very insular. If they didn't think of it, or it wasn't invented in-house, then they won't consider it. 

    .

    It's unfortunate, but hard to fight from the outside. To a certain degree, MS also has this attitude. They have opened up a little, with the "feedback" system, but even Feedback is 99.99999999% one-way, us to them, with effectively zero insight to their decision making process.

    .

    All we can do is try, hope for the best, and be amazed when a suggestion is acted on and shows up on our desktop (it has happened a couple of times).

    .

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-06-04T23:16:50+00:00

    That is unfortunate. Many developers are resistant to letting individuals help them. But if you are still interested in trying, see if you can interest a recognized group to make the offer to Dragon.  I don't know is there is anyone who represents / helps autistic people in general. The specific example I can suggest is the CNIB, Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Is there an equivalent group for people with autism?

    I'm a retired software engineer with lots of Fortune 500's on my resume, including Microsoft (I was with MCS during 1999 to 2000.) I made the folks at Dragon aware of the general effects on some of their users and I let them know I'm very qualified to do meaningful testing. They were very clear about their strategies and direction. They didn't say anything like "we don't care about people like you," but they did say many factors were considered and a decision was made. Dragon has a technology relationship with Apple and I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple fully acquire Dragon and possible the umbrella, Nuance.  

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-06-04T21:54:17+00:00

    A bit of a stuff around, but good advice, nonetheless. Thanks.

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