Dictation: Vocabulary Not Recognized
  • 4 Minutes to read
  • Dark
    Light

Dictation: Vocabulary Not Recognized

  • Dark
    Light

Article Summary

Issue:

Vocabulary terms have been added to an account or organization, but they are not being recognized in dictations.

confused-man-looking-at-laptop

Vocabulary terms (like names) that are very unique, do not have the necessary pronunciations, or do not have enough statistical representation may need additional help. 

What to do:

1. Add a new vocabulary term and just click Save. 

  • Most of the time this is all that needs to be done. Do not add a Sounds Like pronunciation. The server automatically adds several possible pronunciations for the word or phrase, so most of the time this is all you will need to do.
  • Wait a few minutes to be sure the vocabulary term has been updated in the account.
  • In nVoq.Administrator vocabulary terms are updated in user accounts asynchronously, which means that after modifying terms, user profiles are updated in the background. Voice client users can still perform dictations while vocabulary is being updated on the server, but may need to wait a few minutes for the terms to be updated in user profiles before testing them in dictations to make sure they work.
  • Record several test dictations.
  • Be sure to dictate sentences that include the word in context. Most of the time, the word will work, and you're done!

2. Try is adding a pronunciation (Sounds Like). 

  • If the vocabulary does not return in dictation after step1, add a Sounds Like pronunciation to the term that indicates how you (or your customer) pronounces the word or phrase.
  • This vocabulary term will now only be associated with the ONE pronunciation you add here.
We don't generally recommend adding a Sounds Like pronunciation at the ORGANIZATION level unless everyone in the organization has the same pronunciation. If an organization level term is not working for multiple people you could try adding additional copies of the term with a Sounds Like pronunciation added for each person for whom it is not working. However, it may be better to add SENTENCE MODELING first to help a term appear correctly in transcripts for an organization (see Step 10).
  • Wait a few minutes to be sure the pronunciation has been updated in the account.
  • In nVoq.Administrator vocabulary terms are updated in user accounts asynchronously, which means that after modifying terms, user profiles are updated in the background. Voice client users can still perform dictations while vocabulary is being updated on the server, but may need to wait a few minutes for the terms to be updated in user profiles before testing them in dictations to make sure they work.
  • Record several test dictations.
  • Be sure to use the word in sentences in the context in which it will normally be used.

3. Try is adding an additional copy of the word without a pronunciation (Sounds Like). 

  • If the vocabulary term does not return in dictation after steps 1 and 2, try adding the word to the vocabulary twice to increase the representation of the word.
    • The first instance with a Sounds Like pronunciation will be associated with only the pronunciation added in the Sounds Like field.
    • The second instance will have NO sounds like, so it will be associated with all of the automatic pronunciations added by the server. 
  • Wait a few minutes to be sure the additional term has been updated in the account.
  • In nVoq.Administrator vocabulary terms are updated in user accounts asynchronously, which means that after modifying terms, user profiles are updated in the background. Voice client users can still perform dictations while vocabulary is being updated on the server, but may need to wait a few minutes for the terms to be updated in user profiles before testing them in dictations to make sure they work.
  • Record several test dictations. 
  • Be sure to dictate the term in sentences in a context that they would normally be used.

4. Try adding a sentence model document.

  • If the vocabulary term still does not return in dictation after steps 1-3, try adding a sentence modeling document.
  • The sentence model document should contain at least 10-12 sentences that include the vocabulary term in the context in which it will normally be used.
  • See https://support.nvoq.com/administrator-help-upload-sentence-models for information on adding a sentence modeling document in nVoq.Administrator.
  • Record several test dictations. 
  • Be sure to dictate the term in sentences in a context that they would normally be used.

5. Try adding a substitution (if possible).

  • If the vocabulary term does not return in dictations after steps 1-4, you may be able to add a substitution to fix the incorrect return. Make sure not to substitute something the user might actually dictate. 
  • Add a "Literal" type of substitution in which the Spoken Form is something that is more easily recognized by the dictation engine, and then Written Form is the vocabulary term.
  • Substitutions can be added at the account level for just the person who is having trouble, or at the organization level if an organization vocabulary term does not work for anyone.
  • Record some test dictations. 
  • Be sure to dictate the term in sentences in a context that they would normally be used.

6. Try changing your substitution Spoken Form to something that is more easily recognized, or contact nVoq Support

  • If you've tried steps 1-5 and the term STILL does not return in your dictation, you could try changing the spoken form.
  • If you can't do that, let us know! We'll see what we can do!