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Pixel 4's real-time transcription is tested against the world's fastest-talking woman

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By Alan Friedman

Updated: Oct 24, 2019, 2:28 AM

The Google Pixel 4 not only has a new interface for Google Assistant, but it also is able to handle questions and tasks for the digital helper on-device. That makes Assistant on the Pixel 4 faster to respond. Also handling things on-device is a very useful and new Google app called Recorder. Not only does it record audio, but it will also transcribe audio in real-time. And it does all this without using an internet connection. Yes, the Recorder app will record audio and take real-time transcription even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

To check the accuracy of the AI-driven real-time transcription feature found in the Recorder app, the Wall Street Journal tested it against a courtroom stenographer named Anita Trombetta, who can type 260 words per minute on her stenographer machine. Recorder was also pitted against Fran Capo, who is one of the fastest talkers in the world, and four random people with different accents. Those going up against the Recorder app read the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy from Hamlet, an article from the Wall Street Journal and a part of Google's privacy policy.

The results? Recorder held its own against the courtroom stenographer. However, it didn't do too well when Ms. Capo, who is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest talking female (11 words per second) recited a rendition of The Three Little Pigs as a warmup. When Capo read from the prepared material, Google's transcription technology was better with a few missed words (but the stenographer also missed a few words, noted the video). Lastly, the real-time transcription feature on the Recorder app went up against four random people from New Zealand, Ireland, Jamaica and Germany.

The Journal's Joanna Stern, who conducted the test, said that the transcription feature was "damn impressive." For those with an iOS or Android device other than the Pixel 4, Stern points out that Otter, available in the App Store and Google Play Store, does the same thing although not as well as Google's app.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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