Any freeware for transcribing lecture notes?

I recorded my lectures into .mp3 format. Now, I want a software which can transcribe the lectures I recorded automatically into written text. So, I don't have to type it out manually. Is this possible?

Anyone knows of a freeware which can perform transcription? Free ones please.

 

I doubt you're going to find something so specialized as freeware. There is a shareware program ($20.10 to register) called "Wave to Text" that CLAIMS to do what you're asking, but you should keep in mind that speech recognition software still has trouble with a single voice that it has been TRAINED to recognize, so don't expect this to work too well:
http://www.topshareware.com/Wave-To-Text-download-4950.htm


EDIT: You'll need to convert your .MP3s to WAV files first, obviously.

 

Yes, even the best voice recognition software needs considerable amount of training and noise free (clear) audio to work properly. Therefore, I highly doubt that you could get them work with your recoded lectures without any training...

 

I've actually been wrestling with Vista's speech recognition software for the last few hours. Even after a LOT of training it still has a LOT of trouble. And that's in a quiet environment with a clear voice.

 

If you are a student listening to the lectures, it's much better to be doing it manually. You will listen to it a few times, and the ultimate point is to learn the material.

 

I agree with Orev here. The act of transcribing will help you learn the material much better than reading over a transcription that someone or something else gives you. Nothing helps retention more than active involvement in the process.

Even if all you do is use those MP3s to help you flesh out your notes, rather than doing a direct transcription, your knowledge of the material will be greatly enhanced by active involvement.

 

hmm.. ok. great advice from u guys.

thanks! i'll stick with manual note-taking from the recorded audios then!

or.. maybe, wait till the transcribing technology matures...

 

How long are you planning on being a student? I don't foresee speech recognition maturing much faster than it has been maturing. Dragon Naturally Speaking has been around for at least a decade now, and it still takes heavy training to get it to recognize a clear, well-dictioned voice, so you'll be waiting a while for that technology maturation.