Tags
Dragon, Ergonomics, Home office, Mice, Microphones, Monitor, Mouse, Office, Office equipment, Repetitive strain injury, RSI, Speech recognition, Technology, Tools, translator, Wrists
In the present-day translation community there is a huge emphasis on various types of software, such as CAT tools, translation management software, speech recognition software and pdf conversion tools, to name but a few. Yet I think we sometimes forget about the hardware side of our armoury, even though this can be just as essential for an effective, ergonomic workplace.
Mikes
I use Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition software, as many of you know. I’ve extolled its virtues many a time in posts like Taming the Dragon and Good Things come in Threes: Part 1. The reason I invested in Dragon in the first place was because I was suffering from severe repetitive strain injury, or RSI, initially caused by shifting a silly amount of topsoil in the garden, but leaving me with a real problem when it came to typing, a translator’s stock-in-trade. I’d tried adapting my workspace with a new chair, adjusting the height of my screen, adding a footrest, and so on, but nothing really worked until I rediscovered the art of dictating via Dragon.
The microphone that comes with Dragon is a flimsy thing, however, and I soon ended up buying a lightweight Logitech headset that fits behind, rather than on top of your head. This was all well and good for a while, but they are also quite insubstantial and I found I lost the sound in one ear after a while, very annoying for Skype calls! I graduated to a wireless Plantronics headset (Audio 995) and loved the fact that neither I nor the dogs got tangled up in the wires and I could move around to some extent as I dictated. However, it was quite heavy and I found it hurt my ears after wearing for any length of time. You do have to remember to charge it at frequent intervals too – nothing worse than having a long translation to dictate and your headphones running out of battery… When it too bit the dust nearly two years later (the adjustable headband snapped and had to be taped back together – not ideal!), I decided to go for a tabletop microphone instead on a colleague’s recommendation.
This time I opted for the Samson Meteor USB, a neat little microphone some 6″ tall when assembled, although it folds to half the size and fits in a neat little travel pouch should you need to take it walk-about. It was a similar price to the wireless headset, but with no discomfort issues and you don’t have that feeling of being cocooned from reality that you have when wearing earphones. Of course, if you work in a noisy open-plan office or a busy environment, you might be happy to drown out background noise, but, working alone at home, my pressing need was for an accurate microphone, not earphones. Some of the table-top mikes I looked at were huge and definitely didn’t fit in with my desktop set-up, whereas the Samson resembles a funky chrome pocket rocket – rather sweet, in fact! I tend to sit it just behind my keyboard and it picks up my dictated speech extremely accurately. It has a long cable connected to the USB adapter, so I just move it out of the way if I’m not dictating. Another bonus of not wearing a headset is that you don’t have to remember to unplug your headphones when you’re not using them – the number of Skype calls I’ve missed as the sound went through the headphones rather than the computer speakers….
Mice
Although I dictate a lot of my translations, I still use my keyboard and mouse as well, such as when I’m translating fiddly tables, word lists or PowerPoint files that don’t lend themselves to dictating. Before I discovered Dragon I’d invested in an ergonomic wireless keyboard and mouse, and whilst they helped my wrist to some extent, they clearly weren’t the whole answer. The mouse was a Microsoft Laser 6000 and it served me well until last year, when it suddenly gave up the ghost. Back to the drawing board: that particular model was no longer available, so I opted for a Microsoft Sculpt Comfort keyboard and mouse set, allegedly with an ergonomic design to encourage natural hand and wrist postures. Big mistake: I’d had to revert to a basic mini laptop mouse while waiting for the new one to be delivered and in the space of just a few days, my wrist was already suffering. The arrival of the new so-called ergonomic devices did nothing to help either. I persevered for a week or so, but ended up sending them back as I was in so much pain, even though I was still dictating a lot of the time!
Fortunately, a friend I’d met on one of my Spanish yoga holidays had happened to post a link on Facebook to a revolutionary new mouse that had cured her RSI problems. This was the Anker 2.4G wireless vertical ergonomic optical mouse, a funny-looking piece of kit that encourages a neutral handshake position for your hand, rather than the unnatural, slightly twisted pose required by traditional flat mice. It’s also extremely reasonably-priced, so definitely worth a punt if you’re struggling. It took me a while to get used to it, probably because I’d done so much damage using the wrong mice for a couple of weeks, but I’m now absolutely converted. The handshake position does feel completely natural and the shape f the mouse itself is extremely comfortable for my smallish hands. It’s amazing how something as fundamental as a mouse can cause so many problems if you get it wrong…
Monitors
My final essential piece of extra kit has to be my second monitor; I certainly don’t think I could work without two monitors now. I know of one colleague who even has three! It’s so useful to have your reference material, e-mails and source file on one screen, while you have your active document/CAT tool open on your main monitor. On the odd occasion that I find myself working in the kitchen or en route with just my laptop, I really miss that extra screen space – and of course it means you don’t have to print out reference material as you can have it in front of you on the other monitor instead. When I had to replace my second screen recently (it’s obviously been a poor run for computer equipment this past twelve months!), I found that all the monitors are widescreen nowadays, so ended up going for a much bigger model than I’d anticipated. Once again, the first one I ordered, an Asus 18.5″ monitor, didn’t live up to its billing and I ended up returning it and going for a slightly bigger Asus model, 21.5″ with a resolution much closer to that of my main monitor. The difference between the two was so marked otherwise that it would have driven me mad every time I glanced between the two. Motto: try and match the resolutions so you can move seamlessly from one to the other.
What tools/hardware do you regard as indispensable – and well worth the time and effort getting right?
Thank you for sharing your experience, Claire. This page from the knowbrainer site might also be helpful as it provides a comprehensive guide to microphones of all kinds http://shop.knowbrainer.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=46 and afaik is the most comprehensive page of its kind (happy to be corrected if there is a better one!).
Thanks, David. The Knowbrainer site is certainly very useful. Sometimes there seems to be so much choice, it’s hard to know where to turn. I just thought I’d share what works for me 🙂
Hi Claire
I was really interested to hear about your experiences as I’m in the process of reviewing my office ergonomics (new chair ordered from a local back specialist, mulling over the merits of footrests, forearm supports, smaller keyboards etc). Like you, RSI spurred me on to try Dragon and it made a huge difference to my comfort levels. This has always been more important to me than the productivity advantages although I’m very glad of those too. I’ve never thought of switching from headphones to a microphone but I might give that a try as I find that the more I can move around while working the better.
The one piece of kit I wouldn’t be without however is my Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet and pen. I’ve been using one to navigate around the computer screen for about ten years now and it has enabled me to dispense with a mouse pretty much altogether. This has been a godsend as after half an hour with a regular mouse I can feel all the old wrist, shoulder and neck pain returning and I’ve never got on with the ergonomic ones.
That’s interesting, Cathy, I haven’t come across that before – I’ll have to investigate as you never know when the RSI will return for whatever reason. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’ve had a second monitor since … forever? Certainly before 2000. Shortly afterward I got my first ergonomic keyboard, probably the the single best investment in the field of ergonomics. It was a Microsoft Natural, built like a tank but eventually it became erratic. It was replaced by a succession of Natural Elites which I also liked a great deal, but they’re now obsolete. I’m now on my second Natural Ergonomic 4000 which is good but has couple of disappointments that require workarounds. Most other so-called ergo keyboards simply don’t provide enough wrist rotation.
Then for a couple of years I was working on AutoCAD drawings and using the mouse a lot, when my wrist started hurting. A search for low-cost alternatives led me to the Wow-Pen Joy. The build quality isn’t great on the Wow-Pen Joy isn’t great and they don’t last (and getting worse) and it took some getting used to, but it fits my hand and I have no discomfort at all. It looks a lot like the Ankar model you mention on this page, so I’ll try that next.
Last year I had a Microsoft Sculpt but it just made my hand hurt in different places. Then the wireless dongle got crushed by accident and my first reaction was, relief that I couldn’t use it any more. I also tried a Sharkk ergo mouse, but it was too thin and had to be gripped too firmly, so it went back to the dealer.
Since I started using these products, my hands simply don’t hurt even after long days on the machine. So I haven’t seriously looked into Dragon. But it’s a good option. When that happens, I already have a nice desktop microphone, given to me by a relative who wasn’t using it. It’s a Audio‑Technica AT2020 USB mike, and costs about USD 150. But there are lots of other options, by no means is this the only or best one.
In fact, that’s true about all these products. What works for other people might not suit you at all. My recommendation is to keep up to date and experiment with different solutions. If necessary, send them back and keep trying.
That’s very true, Steven – I agree that what suits one person might not suit others, but it’s good to hear about potential solutions. Dragon has been great for me, but then I dictated when I worked in-house years ago so in a way it was like coming home. It certainly doesn’t suit everyone either, as it’s almost a halfway house between translating and interpreting. The basic model is so reasonably priced, though, that it’s worth experimenting with if you do have RSI, as it can be a life-changer.
25 years ago when I started freelancing I bought a decent chair on wheels – one up from a typist chair as it has arms. To that I added a wedge from a shop recommended by a physiotherapist and I sit on that. It makes me sit up straight and not slumped in a curve. I also place my monitors at least 6 inches higher than the surface of the desk. One is on a special table made for the purpose, the other is perched on an upended plastic carton.
Over the years I’ve had a number of,keyboards and mice but now could not manage without an ergonomic one. As for headsets I also love the Plantronics that you used. I don’t have to wear it all day like you did, but I can see that it could get uncomfortable if worn for too long (I wear mine for an hour or two while I run a webinar or chat to someone on Skype.
I still have the same chair so it was a good investment.
I agree that a good chair is important, Lucy. I used to have my main monitor on a stand, but changed it when a friend’s husband, who happened to be head of the Health & Safety Executive in Scotland, looked at my office set-up when I was struggling with RSI (pre-Dragon!) and said my screen should be level with my gaze so my neck wasn’t tilting up or down to any great extent. So I ditched the stand and haven’t missed it since – but then I did try Dragon soon after, so I can’t just put it down to that. I used to get neck/backache, but I think that was in my pre-yoga days. The key is finding what suits you, or keep trying different combinations until you find one that works….