One of the issues that is frequently the subject of debate is whether or not to dictate punctuation. My opinion is that, by and large, punctuation should be dictated.
That is particularly the case with apostrophes, commas, and other speech related punctuation that affects the tone, nuance and feel of the writing. Although many typists are extremely competent when it comes to punctuation, that is beside the point. Again, dictation is designed to increase productivity and output, and to minimise inefficiency. The dictation of punctuation will serve you in a number of ways:
- To help articulate your meaning well;
- To ensure that your writing contains useful structure;
- To ensure that there is no confusion or unnecessary amendments required after the product is produced.
Dictating punctuation also has the added advantage that should you not have a secretary for a time (or at all) then you will be able to use a dictation program more efficiently, should that be an option open to you.
To see how this works when it comes to dictating the body of a letter, I have again produced an audio sample of dictation for you so that you can hear how the body of a letter would be dictated on our fictitious file we commenced in the audio sample above.
Source: Tips for Lawyers