Smart_Guy
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Guys... many dead horses here!
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foothead
Omnicide now.
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Good day, everyone. I hope all has been going well. It's been quite a while since I was last on here, so I thought that I ought to log in and say hello. I don't expect to be staying for any length of time, but, if anyone wishes to discuss anything with me, I'll do my best to respond over the next few days.
Smart_Guy
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Good to hear from you again, FH.
Let's see... any advice on how to improve my typing speed? Can't get more than 50WPM no matter what!
No really, it's good to hear from you again.
Let's see... any advice on how to improve my typing speed? Can't get more than 50WPM no matter what!
No really, it's good to hear from you again.
foothead
Omnicide now.
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What kind of test are you using in order to make that determination of 50 WPM? I've found that I type around 80 when putting down my own thoughts, but I always fall far short of that speed when attempting to transcribe audio or text. Attempting to interpret and translate somebody else's words just requires too much mental processing to concurrently type with any reasonable speed or accuracy.
Are you experiencing a similar problem, or is it a more physical one?
Are you experiencing a similar problem, or is it a more physical one?
Smart_Guy
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I'm using:
https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test/
https://www.typingtest.com/
The source is a text on the same monitor with no interference from the surroundings of any kind. I can't say I have problems except with C and B (I keep using the left index finger with C and the right index finger with B, which is professionally wrong). I'm looking for ways to apply to my practice. Sometimes I feel no strength in my fingers, specially the pinky, when I press a button, ending with not pressing it. Not sure if that's normal or something in me. This makes typing in Arabic a living hell since there are one extra letter to type with the left pinky and freak'n seven more with the right pinky. Can't reach 40WPM in Arabic.
https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test/
https://www.typingtest.com/
The source is a text on the same monitor with no interference from the surroundings of any kind. I can't say I have problems except with C and B (I keep using the left index finger with C and the right index finger with B, which is professionally wrong). I'm looking for ways to apply to my practice. Sometimes I feel no strength in my fingers, specially the pinky, when I press a button, ending with not pressing it. Not sure if that's normal or something in me. This makes typing in Arabic a living hell since there are one extra letter to type with the left pinky and freak'n seven more with the right pinky. Can't reach 40WPM in Arabic.
foothead
Omnicide now.
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I actually have the opposite problem: I bang the keys entirely too hard. This seems to be a result of typewriter use. I have real problems finding keyboards that accommodate this typing style, especially within the context of laptops.
What kind of keyboard are you using? Perhaps one with a lower activation pressure or and/or a shorter travel might help. A scissor-switch (laptop-style) keyboard is what comes to mind. The ones that feel best, to me, are on Lenovo Thinkpads. The newer generations of MacBooks have the shortest travel I've ever experienced, but this might be exactly what you need. Most manufacturers of higher-end laptops do have a corresponding desktop keyboard available. For example, this is Apple's, and this is Lenovo's. If the one you like most lacks the numpad, a separate one can be purchased for a few dollars. Typing feel on this section of the keyboard is far less important, as you won't be touch-typing on it.
Being that you're attempting to get a job as a professional typist, a keyboard with the pointing stick (like the Thinkpad one above) may be very much worth considering. The benefit of this is that you don't have to take your hands off the homerow in order to move the mouse. After getting used to one myself, everything else has begun to feel incredibly counterintuitive. The laptop I'm typing on now doesn't even have a touchpad, and that's just fine with me.
What kind of keyboard are you using? Perhaps one with a lower activation pressure or and/or a shorter travel might help. A scissor-switch (laptop-style) keyboard is what comes to mind. The ones that feel best, to me, are on Lenovo Thinkpads. The newer generations of MacBooks have the shortest travel I've ever experienced, but this might be exactly what you need. Most manufacturers of higher-end laptops do have a corresponding desktop keyboard available. For example, this is Apple's, and this is Lenovo's. If the one you like most lacks the numpad, a separate one can be purchased for a few dollars. Typing feel on this section of the keyboard is far less important, as you won't be touch-typing on it.
Being that you're attempting to get a job as a professional typist, a keyboard with the pointing stick (like the Thinkpad one above) may be very much worth considering. The benefit of this is that you don't have to take your hands off the homerow in order to move the mouse. After getting used to one myself, everything else has begun to feel incredibly counterintuitive. The laptop I'm typing on now doesn't even have a touchpad, and that's just fine with me.
Smart_Guy
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I'm not looking for lightening speed typing skills really. The job I'm applying for requires 40WPM in English and I already passed the typing test with a humble 48WPM (accuracy was 98% but that's another story). It's called Administrative Assistant II. I wanna improve to promote to Administrative Assistant III if I get this job, which requires 50WPM. Close to my current result but they also want 40WMP for Arabic which feels really difficult to me. And it only makes sense that I need to be able to pass the passing WMP by a good margin to be confidant and certain.
Having that said; i.e. to get employment instead of free lancing, getting a keyboard of my own won't help much. I need to know how to deal with any keyboard they throw at me. Best example is that I couldn't reach the 50WMP I'm capable of in the test since the keyboard they had was mechanical with high reach clicking buttons (if I get the expression right). Dunno what other keyboards I'm gonna face in the future. True I could get some later, but at least I need to be ready to face an anonymous keyboard at the test. But to answer your question, I used many kinds of keyboards that I can't really decide which is my favorite.
What I'm looking for is generic techniques to improve. Some say to not fear making mistakes, but this feels like it's gonna hurt accuracy. Someone told me to not use pinkies if it bothers me and cover it with the second middle finger (if that's its name) since there are just 4 letters in total the pinkies are used for, but Arabic actually has 11 in total so I can't use this trick with Arabic. Any such ideas to share? Do you think getting a keyboard without letter labels to practice is a good idea? It feels that trick are easy to come up with but as we say here, simple consult won't hurt (rough translation of the meaning).
Having that said; i.e. to get employment instead of free lancing, getting a keyboard of my own won't help much. I need to know how to deal with any keyboard they throw at me. Best example is that I couldn't reach the 50WMP I'm capable of in the test since the keyboard they had was mechanical with high reach clicking buttons (if I get the expression right). Dunno what other keyboards I'm gonna face in the future. True I could get some later, but at least I need to be ready to face an anonymous keyboard at the test. But to answer your question, I used many kinds of keyboards that I can't really decide which is my favorite.
What I'm looking for is generic techniques to improve. Some say to not fear making mistakes, but this feels like it's gonna hurt accuracy. Someone told me to not use pinkies if it bothers me and cover it with the second middle finger (if that's its name) since there are just 4 letters in total the pinkies are used for, but Arabic actually has 11 in total so I can't use this trick with Arabic. Any such ideas to share? Do you think getting a keyboard without letter labels to practice is a good idea? It feels that trick are easy to come up with but as we say here, simple consult won't hurt (rough translation of the meaning).
foothead
Omnicide now.
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This is just an idea, but can you acquire a mechanical typewriter to practice on? You won't be able to type as quickly on it, but it will alter your technique in such a way that you seem to have more strength.
Watching myself type, I notice that, rather than simply extending my fingers, I actually lift my entire hand up, lock the finger, then drop the hand back down. This technique comes from typewriter use. It's why I seem so able to violently bang on a keyboard all day without wearing myself out.
Watching myself type, I notice that, rather than simply extending my fingers, I actually lift my entire hand up, lock the finger, then drop the hand back down. This technique comes from typewriter use. It's why I seem so able to violently bang on a keyboard all day without wearing myself out.
Smart_Guy
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Hmm... not sure if we have museums around here to get one (I mean I can't really).
I do change from holding my hands in a fixed middle buttons row position to moving my hands completely up and down, and the other way around from time to time, yeah. But I do it randomly. Probably when I get tired and want to move my hands or if I change the height of the seat. Guess I'll test both positions and see which is more effective.
I do change from holding my hands in a fixed middle buttons row position to moving my hands completely up and down, and the other way around from time to time, yeah. But I do it randomly. Probably when I get tired and want to move my hands or if I change the height of the seat. Guess I'll test both positions and see which is more effective.
