An information resource for consumers, service providers, and administrators in the speech-to-text community, promoting high-quality services and continuing education.

Definitions and Descriptions Legal Aspects of Speech-to-Text Services Guidelines for Assigning Services

Budget Considerations Getting Started Maintaining a Service Program

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Speech-to-Text Services: Definitions and Descriptions

The term speech-to-text services refers to a variety of systems that express in a text format what has been said in classes and meetings.  The text output provides communication access to individuals who cannot hear, or otherwise process auditory information directly.

In addition to communication access in 'real time,' speech-to-text services can also provide permanent notes for use after the class or meeting.  The text is shown to the reader via a computer screen, large-screen projection, TV monitor, etc.

The speech-to-text process is similar to the speech-to-sign language process provided by sign language interpreters.  In the most common situation, the process involves a speaker (such as a class instructor), a person &/or a computer and specialized software, and a device for the reader to view the text in real time (e.g., a laptop computer, TV monitor, LCD projector). 

Speech-to-text services can be divided into 3 broad groups: verbatim stenography-based systems,  laptop-based abbreviation systems, and automatic speech recognition systems.  Click here for a chart showing the relevant characteristics of these 3 types of speech-to-text systems.

Legal Aspects of Speech-to-Text Services

The right to communication access is guaranteed by several federal and state laws.  These include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  The U.S. Department of Justice's interpretive guidance that accompanies the Title II Regulation of ADA explicitly adds "notetakers" and "computer-aided transcription services" to the list of auxiliary aids and services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

You can read details of these federal laws related to communication access and transcribing at these links:  ADA, Section 504, IDEA

Guidelines for Assigning Services

The primary factors to consider when assigning support services, either a sign language interpreter or a speech-to-text service provider, are: student skills, student preferences and experience, availability of service providers, and costs. 

Student Skills:  Does the student use sign language or not? (Not all deaf students know sign language, so text access may be a very good option for them; Many deaf students who do know and use sign language well, prefer text access in some kinds of classes.);Is the student's reading level high enough to learn from text input? (A minimum 4th grade reading level is generally needed); Does the student have study skills for note use?

Student Experiences and Preferences:  What does the student want to use?  Has he or she used the preferred service in the past?  What did he/she like about the service used in the past?  Has the student used other types of speech-to-text services before?  What were pros and cons of the other services in the past?  Is the student willing to try another kind of service for a trial period?

Availability of Local Services:  Are there CART writers in the area?  Are there already-trained TypeWell transcribers or C-Print captioners in the area? What is the skill level of the available service providers?  Do they hold appropriate training credentials?  Are they experienced?  How can you locate potential service providers in your area?

If there are not already-trained service providers, or, if you need to find other, or additional providers, do you want to recruit and train a TypeWell transcriber or C-Print captioner?  (See these links for information related to training:  TypeWell   C-Print).

Are available automatic speech recognition devices able to provide high quality output to meet the class/ student needs?  (See this link for ASR system information.)

Remote Services:  It is not always possible to have the service provider in the same room as the class or meeting.  Services exist that provide remote, real-time speech-to-text services.  In this kind of system, the service provider listens to what is being said via a microphone on the instructor or meeting speaker.  The microphone sends the audio message across a phone line or the internet to the service provider in another place (even another state or country).  The service provider types what is heard and the text is sent across the internet to the reader, back in the classroom or meeting room.  In this system, the words of the person wearing the microphone are clear, but those of others in the room can often not be heard well enough by the service provider.  Thus, this form of remote service can be good for lecture information, but not for access to class discussion or comments.  See this link for information about remote speech-to-text services.

Another form of remote speech-to-text service is needed when the supported student or worker is the one not in the classroom or meeting room.  This is an increasingly popular situation, thanks to internet live video and audio capabilities that have made it possible for students and workers to 'attend' classes and meetings remotely.  In such remote classes, the speech-to-text service provider can be in the classroom or meeting room, hearing the instructor or main speaker, and contributions from others in the room.  This audio information is converted to text by the service provider, and sent over the internet to the student's computer.  Such internet remote service is possible with remote CART,  remote TypeWell, and remote C-Print.

Costs:  The costs involved in providing speech-to-text services vary depending on the system used.   These are some common budget items: salary for the service provider, training for text interpreters (C-Print and TypeWell providers), training of ASR systems, hardware (computer, special mics), software (TypeWell, CPrint, ASR systems).  A full treatment of costs is provided in the next section.

Budget Considerations

Administrators must, of course, consider the costs of any service, even while knowing that cost can never be the primary reason for choosing what services to provide.  There are significant cost differences among the available systems, as well as significant differences in the content of the text produced for the reader.  This section will address the cost differences primarily, but bear in mind that for decision-making purposes, cost must be considered in close conjunction with the output differences.  The first table addresses the most common service scenario, where the consumer, service provider, and speaker (e.g., class instructor) are in the same room.  The second table addresses remote services, where the service provider and/or the consumer are not in the same room as the person who is speaking.

Information provided on the STSN.org website is for informational purposes only.  It is not an endorsement of any product or service.  

In-Same-Room Services
 Service provider, consumer, and speaker are in the same room
(This is the most common service situation.)

  Table Legend:   (F) = frequently   (S)=sometimes

*15 hours of classes a week, for 2 semesters

 **15 hrs/week, for 2 semesters; no pay increases

Information provided on the STSN.org website is for informational purposes only.  It is not an endorsement of any product or service.

Remote Services
 Service provider, consumer, and speaker are NOT in the same room

Table Legend:   (F) = frequently   (S)=sometimes

*15 hours of classes a week, for 2 semesters

 **15 hrs/week, for 2 semesters; no pay increases

Information provided on the STSN.org website is for informational purposes only.  It is not an endorsement of any product or service.

Getting Started
The first step is deciding which service fits the skills and needs of the consumer (student, worker, client, etc.).  The next step is to contact a service provider directly, or to contact a representative of the company that sells the system in which you are interested.  There are links at the bottom of the Services Summary Table for representative and companies in each area.

Using some systems requires you to purchase hardware and/or software.  Check each service for recommended equipment and costs.  Arranging funding for the equipment is a next step.

Some systems require you to recruit and train your own service providers (e.g., TypeWell, C-Print, CaptionMic).  Visit the websites of each of  system for details about trainee skill requirements, time and cost of training, etc.   Links for the various services are at the bottom of the Services Summary Table.

Strategies for recruiting potential service provider trainees include: placing announcements in area newspapers, institution Job Listings, or state employment services; placing announcements on pertinent listservs; contacting area business schools and programs; contacting area interpreter training programs; word of mouth among colleagues at your institution (children and non-working spouses of staff are often an untapped resource).

Educating students and staff about the use of the speech-to-text system is necessary.  Materials for doing this may be available from each service system's representatives.

Maintaining a High Quality Service System

Once you have begun providing speech-to-text services steps should be taken to monitor and maintain a high quality service delivery.  These include:

Information to Instructors and (Student) Consumers:  The supervisor of the support service programs should provide information to all people involved in the service: instructors, students, parents (of pre-college students), work supervisors, etc.  Handouts with information about the service and the role of each participant are especially helpful.  These are similar to the materials used to inform people when an interpreter will be in a classroom.

Support for Service Provider:  Schedule a regular time, at least once a month, to be in contact with the provider about the service.  Open lines of communication about expectations, student and instructor comments, policies, etc. will prevent misunderstandings.  Also, making the provider feel as a welcomed member of the department or service team results in more motivated and satisfied workers.

Appropriate Scheduling:  CART writers can work more successive hours, and more hours in a day, than can text interpreters (i.e., C-Print captionists or TypeWell transcribers).  This is because of the greater mental activity required to produce high quality meaning-for-meaning transcripts than for verbatim transcripts.  The task of a text interpreter is similar mentally and physically to that of a sign language interpreter, and thus scheduling guidelines are the same as for interpreters. 

Equipment Maintenance:  It is good to have a knowledgeable tech person available to care for hardware and software, should problems arise.  Laptops, ASR microphones, linking devices, and other hardware all last longer if preventive maintenance is done regularly.

Monitoring Quality of Output:  The text produced by the service provider, or by the ASR device/software, should be checked for accuracy and completeness, using both quantifiable measures and user report measures.  Strategies for checking content quality should refer to the original message.  Thus, taping a lecture and comparing it to the transcript is a way, albeit time-consuming.  Having the instructor review transcripts occasionally is another method of gauging accuracy and completeness.  For more information on monitoring output text quality, see Professionalism.

Professional Pay for Professional Work:  Recognizing high quality work with a system of wage increases over time does much to retain good personnel.  Developing a method that accomplishes this can be a major contributor to a long-standing, high quality service program.

Consumer Involvement:  Seeking and using input from students and other consumers of speech to text services is a good idea.  Simple consumer surveys are useful for identifying strengths and fixing weaknesses.

Information provided on the STSN.org website is for informational purposes only.  It is not an endorsement of any product or service.

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