在语音识别(voice recognition)的早期，即使你像机器人一样缓慢地说话，你也很幸运能识别出一半的单词。如今，每部智能手机都有某种语音助手(voice assistant)，可以快速为您记笔记或执行诸如打开应用程序之类的任务。
但是，如果您有一台Windows 10计算机，您也可以通过语音控制Windows 10。这不仅仅是一个很酷的功能。它可以成为真正的生产力助推器(productivity booster)，并且对于具有某些残疾的人来说，是控制他们的计算机的有效方法。
控制与听写(Control vs Dictation)
你想用你的声音来控制Windows 10，还是只是想让它写下你说的话？语音控制(Voice control)是与听写不同的功能，一些用户经常混淆这两个概念。如果您想做的只是简单地说话并让计算机写下您所说的话，那么您不必费尽心思来设置语音识别。
例如，Google Docs具有出色的语音听写功能(voice dictation feature)，它利用云的力量将您的语音转换为文本(turn your speech into text)。如果你是 macOS 用户，你甚至可以使用 Apple 的内置系统(built-in system)。
本文是关于语音控制(voice control)，而不是语音听写(voice dictation)。换句话说，我们希望在不使用键盘或鼠标的情况下使用(keyboard or mouse)Windows并完成一般任务。
选择合适的麦克风(Choosing The Right Microphone)
如果你想用你的声音控制Windows 10，你需要让计算机有某种方式来听到你的声音。如果您使用的是笔记本电脑或桌面网络摄像头(desktop webcam)，那么您手头已经有一个基本的麦克风，但这些麦克风并不总是能很好地用于语音识别(voice recognition)。
由于您已经拥有这些麦克风，因此尝试使用它们进行语音控制(voice control)不会有什么坏处，但更好的麦克风类别无疑会让事情变得更好。我们在这里使用Samson Go 麦克风(Samson Go microphone)。
告诉 Windows 使用哪个麦克风(Telling Windows Which Mic To Use)
在您开始给您的计算机下订单之前，您需要指定它应该使用哪个麦克风。由于Windows一次支持多个麦克风，它有时可以选择一个对语音控制(voice control)不是最佳的默认设置。
插入麦克风后（假设它是外部麦克风），很容易选择它作为您的活动录音设备(recording device)。只需右键单击(Just right-click)系统托盘(system tray)中的扬声器图标(speaker icon)。
然后单击打开声音设置(Open Sound Settings)。
在弹出的窗口中，在“输入”下，从下拉列表中选择您希望系统使用的麦克风。(Window)
设置语音识别(Setting Up Speech Recognition)
要开始在 Windows 10 计算机上激活语音识别的过程，请打开“开始”菜单并键入(Start Menu and type) Speech Recognition。然后，打开它。
在出现的新窗口(Window)中，单击Start Speech Recognition。您可能会收到一个警告弹出窗口(warning popup)，指出语音识别(speech recognition)已针对美国英语(US English)使用者进行了优化。只需单击“(Just click)确定”即可关闭它。
接下来，您将看到此向导，它将引导您完成设置过程(setup process)。
接下来，您需要选择您使用的麦克风类型。我们使用的是Samson Go 麦克风(Samson Go mic)，它位于桌面上（或剪辑到屏幕上），因此我们将选择Desktop Microphone。
下一个屏幕将指导您如何设置麦克风。每种麦克风类型都不同，所以我们不会在这里展示。
现在阅读示例文本以帮助Windows校准您的麦克风。
如果计算机足够了解你，你可以点击下一步。
现在您将看到一个选项，让Windows通读您的文档，以了解您的词汇和措辞。您是否愿意这样做取决于您。如果您有包含不相关内容的文档或有隐私问题，请随时禁用此功能。
好的，我们快到了。现在您所要做的就是选择您的激活模式(activation mode)。
基本上，您需要决定是否要通过说出关键字（这意味着它始终在听）或通过键盘快捷键(keyboard shortcut)来打开语音识别。
现在您有机会打印出带有常用命令的参考卡。(reference card)
老实说，大多数人都不需要(t need)这个，因为您可以随时在需要时查找命令，但是如果您正在为残疾或不太精通技术的用户准备计算机，打印出来并放在附近很方便电脑供参考。
最后，在选择是否在启动时运行语音识别后，您可以选择执行教程。如果你没有，你应该！对于那些已经完成教程的人，请跳过它。
当语音识别(speech recognition)运行时，您会在屏幕上看到它。
(Activate speech)使用您选择的激活方法(chosen activation method)激活语音识别，尽管Windows Key + Ctrl无论如何都将用作切换。作为测试，只需在“收听”指示灯亮起的情况下说“开始”菜单。(Start Menu)开始菜单(Start Menu)应立即弹出。更多命令请参考官方参考卡(reference card)。
现在怎么办？(What Now?)
完成基本设置后，您就可以只使用语音来控制计算机了。但是，您可能希望更多地训练Windows，以便语音识别(voice recognition)变得更加准确。您将在第一次用于设置语音识别的(voice recognition)语音识别(speech recognition)设置下找到训练应用程序(training application)。
WINdows拥有的语音样本越多，系统工作得越好。话虽如此，如果您有很多错过或听错的命令，请花几分钟时间来训练您的语音识别系统(voice recognition system)。
Cortana 和第三方选项(Cortana and Third-Party Options)
很高兴Windows 10带有内置的语音识别(speech recognition)应用程序，可以用你的声音控制Windows 10，但是还有更好的选择吗？事实上，桌面语音控制(speech control)是一个相当小众的领域。它通常被归为一种辅助功能(accessibility feature)。因此，没有那么多第三方选项。
有趣的是，Windows 10有一个完全独立的语音激活系统Cortana。作为语音助手(voice assistant)，Cortana并非旨在替代键盘和鼠标(keyboard and mouse)，但两个系统之间存在相当多的重叠。看看Cortana可以做什么，它可能比通用语音识别系统(speech recognition system)更适合您的特定需求。
至于第三方语音控制(voice control)，目前还没有太多。目前最大的名字是Nuance的龙语识别(Dragon Speech Recognition from Nuance)。他们是计算机语音识别(computer speech recognition)的早期先驱，并且可能在该领域的任何公司中拥有最多的经验。如果您有复杂或关键任务的语音识别(speech recognition)需求，这是一个值得探索的选项。(option worth)
How To Control Your Windows 10 PC With Your Voice
In the early dаys of voіcе recognition, you’d be lucky to get half your words recognized, even if yоu spoke slowly like a robot. These days every smartphone has а voice assistant of some sort that can quickly take down notes for you or perform tasks such as opening applications.
However, if you have a Windows 10 computer, you can also control Windows 10 with your voice. This is more than just a cool feature. It can be a real productivity booster and, for people with certain disabilities, an effective way to take control of their computer.
Control vs Dictation
Do you want to control Windows 10 with your voice or do you simply want it to write down what you say? Voice control is a different function from dictation and some users are often confused between the two concepts. If all you want to do is simply talk and have the computer write what you say, you don’t have to go through all of the effort to set up speech recognition.
For example, Google Docs has an excellent voice dictation feature that uses the power of the cloud to turn your speech into text. If you’re a macOS user you can even use Apple’s built-in system.
This article is about voice control, rather than voice dictation. In other words, we want to use Windows and accomplish general tasks without the use of a keyboard or mouse.
Choosing The Right Microphone
If you want to control Windows 10 with your voice, you’ll need to give the computer some way to hear you. If you’re using a laptop or have a desktop webcam, you already have a basic microphone at hand, but these aren’t always going to work well for voice recognition.
Since you’d already have these mics, it can’t hurt to try voice control with them, but a better class of microphone will undoubtedly make things better. We’re using a Samson Go microphone here.
Telling Windows Which Mic To Use
Before you can start giving your computer orders, you need to specify which microphone it should use. Since Windows supports multiple mics at once, it can sometimes choose one as default that’s not optimal for voice control.
Once you have your microphone plugged in (assuming it’s an external microphone) it’s pretty easy to choose it as your active recording device. Just right-click on the speaker icon in the system tray.
Then click Open Sound Settings.
In the Window that pops up,under “input” choose the mic you want the system to use from the dropdown list.
Setting Up Speech Recognition
To start the process of activating speech recognition on your Windows 10 computer, open the Start Menu and type Speech Recognition. Then, open it.
In the new Window that appears, click on Start Speech Recognition. You may get a warning popup that speech recognition is optimized for US English speakers. Just click OK to dismiss this.
Next you’ll see this wizard, which will walk you through the setup process.
Next you need to choose which type of microphone you’re using. We’re using a Samson Go mic, which stands on the desktop (or clips to a screen) so we’ll choose Desktop Microphone.
The next screen will instruct you on how to set up your mic. It differs for each mic type, so we won’t show that here.
Now read the sample text to help Windows calibrate your mic.
If the computer understands you well enough, you can click next..
Now you’ll see an option to let Windows read through your documents, to get a sense of your vocabulary and phrasing. It’s up to you whether you’d like to do it. If you have documents with irrelevant content or have privacy concerns, feel free to disable this.
OK, we’re almost there. Now all you have to do is choose your activation mode.
Basically you need to decide whether you want speech recognition to be switched on by speaking a keyword, which means it’s always listening, or through a keyboard shortcut.
Now you have an opportunity to print out a reference card with common commands.
Honestly, most people won’t need this since you can always look up the commands when you need to, but if you’re preparing the computer for a disabled or less tech-savvy user, this is handy to print out and put up near the computer for reference.
Finally, after choosing whether to run speech recognition at startup, you’re given the option to do the tutorial. If you haven’t, you should! For those who have gone through the tutorial, just skip it.
When speech recognition is running, you’ll see this on your screen.
Activate speech recognition using your chosen activation method, though Windows Key + Ctrl will work as a toggle regardless. As a test, just say Start Menu with the “listening” indicator on. The Start Menu should pop up immediately. Refer to the official reference card for more commands.
What Now?
With the basic setup done, you’re pretty much ready to control your computer using just your voice. You may however want to train Windows more so that voice recognition becomes more accurate. You’ll find the training application under the speech recognition setting you first used to set up voice recognition.
The more voice samples WIndows has, the better the system will work. That being said, if you’re getting a lot of missed or misheard commands, take a few minutes to train up your voice recognition system.
Cortana and Third-Party Options
It’s nice that Windows 10 comes with a built-in speech recognition app to control Windows 10 with your voice, but is there a better alternative? The truth is that desktop speech control is a rather niche area. It’s often relegated to being an accessibility feature. So there aren’t that many third-party options.
Interestingly, Windows 10 has a completely separate voice activated system in the form of Cortana. As a voice assistant, Cortana isn’t designed to be a voice-based replacement for the keyboard and mouse, but there is quite a bit of overlap between the two systems. Have a look at what Cortana can do, it might be better suited to your specific needs than the general-purpose speech recognition system.
As for third-party voice control, there’s not much out there. The biggest name at the moment is Dragon Speech Recognition from Nuance. They were early pioneers of computer speech recognition and probably have the most experience of any company in the field. This is an option worth exploring if you have complex or mission-critical speech recognition needs.
