Fact · Dictation
Throughout most of the twentieth century, business people recorded voice letters, and a secretary typed them up from the recordings.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“The records were sent to a secretary, who transferred them to paper with a typewriter.”
Dictation Machines, ETHW (IEEE History Center), 2019.
Open the original- What it measures
- The same history entry describes dictation machines as the way business people sent voice letters to a secretary for typing.
- What it does not show
- Describes the general practice, not every office. It gives the workflow that later transcription systems replaced.
Source
Cited on
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeTopic
- Dictation Machines: What They Do and Who Still Uses ThemGuide
- Dictation for Journalists and Content CreatorsGuide
- History of Dictation: From Shorthand to Speech RecognitionGuide
- Can you use a voice recorder for dictation?Question
- How do you dictate a letter?Question
- What does it mean to take dictation?Question
- What is a Dictaphone?Question