Speech-to-text software can help you take part in conversations if you’re deaf or have hearing loss.
You can use a tablet or iPad as a speech-to-text device. The microphone in your tablet will pick up the conversation and show you a transcript of what’s being said in real time.
To get a more accurate transcription, place your tablet near the speaker or use an external microphone.
Step 1: Download a speech-to-text app
There are lots of speech-to-text apps to choose from. Many of them are free.
Most apps will let you change things like the text size to meet your needs.
You could try:
- Google Live Transcribe if you have an Android tablet
- NALscribe if you have an iPad
Check the Apple App Store or Google Play if you want to try other apps.
Step 2: Lock your device to the speech-to-text app
Locking your device means it will only show you the speech-to-text app.
This can make it easier to use, especially if you’re not confident with technology. It means you cannot accidentally switch to other apps.
You can unlock your device at any time if you need to use another app, like email or web browsing.
To lock or unlock your device:
- on an Android tablet, use app pinning
- on an iPad, use Guided Access
Step 3: Get the best results from your device
Speech-to-text software is getting better all the time, but it sometimes works less well in noisy environments.
To make the transcription more accurate, try:
- placing your tablet as close as possible to the person who’s speaking, and away from other noise sources
- asking the person speaking to speak clearly in the direction of the tablet
- adding custom words or phrases to your app – for example, names or places that it might not recognise
Using a microphone to improve transcription quality
You can connect your tablet to an external wireless microphone to improve the accuracy.
To use the microphone, you may need to plug a small receiver unit into your tablet.
The person speaking will need to clip the microphone to their clothes, as close to their mouth as possible.
The microphone will transmit what they’re saying to your tablet.