Glossary
Dictation foot pedal
A dictation foot pedal is a footswitch that controls playback of a recording, so a typist can start, pause and rewind audio without using their hands. It is the traditional control for transcribing dictation.
Updated October 16, 20266 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called transcription foot pedal, foot control.
A dictation foot pedal is a switch you press with your foot to control a recording while you type. It starts and pauses playback and rewinds, so your hands stay on the keyboard. It is also called a transcription foot pedal or a foot control.
Typists have used foot pedals since the first dictation machines
From the earliest dictation machines, typists transcribed recordings on playback machines with foot pedals. The pedals controlled the speed of the recording and let the typist reverse and repeat a passage as needed 1. The pedal does not record anything. It controls playback of audio that is stored on the machine or in a file.
That design is why the pedal is a transcription tool rather than a dictation tool. The author speaks, the typist listens and types, and the pedal lets the typist move back and forth through the audio without lifting their hands.
Modern pedals control playback with small foot movements
Philips describes its foot control as letting you start, pause, rewind and fast-forward audio files with only a slight movement of the foot tip 2. That is the manufacturer's description of ergonomics. It is not a measured typing result, so treat it as a product claim.
Pedal layouts differ by product. The table below compares two documented examples.
| Product | Foot control layout | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philips PocketMemo DPM6700 set | Start, pause, rewind and fast-forward | Controlled with a slight movement of the foot tip 2 | Philips product page |
| OM System AS-2700 kit | Three pedals | Hands-free control with three pedals 3 | OM System product page |
The AS-2700 foot switch is HID keyboard compatible and can be customized with a free Windows configuration tool 4. The kit is no longer sold as a bundled product, although its software and accessories are still sold separately 5. Other pedal designs have different numbers of switches, so check the layout before you buy.
Troubleshooting a pedal that is not detected
Philips's troubleshooting for its SpeechMike SMP4000 recommends a specific order when the computer cannot detect the foot control. Disconnect the foot control and the docking station, reconnect the foot control to the docking station first, and then connect the docking station to the computer 6. That order is specific to that product, so check your own device's manual if it differs.
Why the pedal matters for typing
A pedal keeps both hands on the keyboard while you move through a recording. For a typist working through long audio, that is the reason the control exists. It has no role in live dictation. When you speak into an app and the words appear as you talk, you do not need a pedal. A button that starts and stops listening does a similar job, and it is covered by the push-to-talk entry.
To compare live dictation with recorded transcription, read our guide to dictation versus typing, and see the dictation machines guide for how pedals fit into the older hardware.
Related terms
- Dictaphone: the machine that the earliest pedals controlled.
- Digital dictation: the file-based workflow that pedals now usually control.
- Dictation: speaking so that your words are written as you say them.
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeThe topic this term belongs to
- Automatic punctuationAutomatic punctuation is when speech software infers commas, periods and question marks from your speech and inserts them without a spoken command. It can be switched on or off, and it works only in supported languages.
- DictaphoneA Dictaphone is a machine that records a speaker's voice so that another person can play it back and type it later. The name began as a brand, and it became the everyday word for dictation machines.
- DictationDictation is speaking your words so that software writes them as text, usually into the app that has the cursor. Phones and computers now include it, and people also call it voice dictation or voice typing.
- Digital dictationDigital dictation is recording speech as digital audio, then sending the file to a typist or to speech recognition software for transcription. It replaced tape with files that can be encrypted, uploaded or routed for processing.
- Filler wordsFiller words are sounds and words such as um, uh, like and you know that speakers produce while they plan what to say next, without adding content. Many dictation tools can remove them automatically, and research on transcripts found they can be deleted without compromising meaning.
- HomophoneA homophone is a word pronounced the same as another word but different in meaning, spelling or both, such as to, too and two. Dictation software has to choose the right spelling from context, so homophones are one of the most common errors in dictated text.
- Noise-canceling microphoneA noise-canceling microphone is designed to filter ambient noise, so it picks up mainly the speaker's voice. It can help dictation in noisy rooms, but it does not remove all noise, and it is different from the active noise cancellation in headphones.
- Oral compositionOral composition is working out and shaping a text by speaking it, whether to a dictation tool, to a recorder or silently in thought. Research on letters finds that planning takes most of the time, however the text is produced, so speaking mainly changes how the words get onto the page.
- Push-to-talkPush-to-talk is a dictation mode in which you hold a key while you speak and release it to stop, so the software writes only the speech made while the key is down. Some tools also offer tap-to-start and tap-to-stop.
- ShorthandShorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases the speed of writing compared with longhand. Trained writers used it to take dictation before recording machines, and it still underpins court reporting.
- Spoken punctuationSpoken punctuation is saying the name of a punctuation mark, such as comma or question mark, so that dictation software writes that mark into the text. It is the manual alternative to automatic punctuation.
- Voice commandA voice command is a spoken instruction that the software carries out, such as delete or stop listening, rather than writing the words as text. Dictation tools must separate commands from dictated words, and the rules differ by product.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeTopic
- Legal Transcription: The Job, Formats and PayGuide
- Dictation Machines: What They Do and Who Still Uses ThemGuide
- Transcription Jobs: Pay, Skills and Getting StartedGuide
- History of Dictation: From Shorthand to Speech RecognitionGuide
- Do you need a foot pedal for legal or medical transcription?Question
- How do you fix a dictation foot pedal that is not working?Question
- What is a Dictaphone?Question
- What is a dictation foot pedal?Question
- What is the best microphone for medical dictation?Question
- DictaphoneGlossary
- Digital dictationGlossary
- Transcription foot pedalGlossary