RE: Anybody here fluent in both Dvorak & QWERTY?

I have to use QWERTY a little each day, because I work on different computers. I just look at the keys when I have to use it, and use the mouse to drag and use cut and paste (with QWERTY ctrl+c ande ctrl+v. I used to be able to type 80-100 wpm in QWERTY, but I deliberately don't do it now, as DVORAK has become my "native keyboard language". I have to agree with Patrick's recomendation, I think you're better off to stick with DVORAK even if it is inconvenient during school. You might want to just hunt and peck if you have to use QWERTY occasionally, and then you won't lose your DVORAK. If that doesn't work, the other great suggestion to just put your mind in a different mode when you are using QWERTY might work. I had to use 2-3 different keyboards a few years ago, about equally, and that is how I did it (but they were only slightly different). I just thought about that keyboard before I used it. It might work, but I do have trouble now if I try to type
 QWERTY in the dark.

--- On Thu, 2/26/09, Patrick S Horne <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Patrick S Horne <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: [altkeyboards] Anybody here fluent in both Dvorak & QWERTY?
To: [email protected]
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7:16 AM






I use Dvorak but am also proficient in QWERTY. Mind you, I do make some
errors when I have to use QWERTY (against my will), and when I go back to
the superior layout I suffer interference from QWERTY for a few days. But I
can type rapidly and fluidly using both layouts, despite the increased error
rate when I have to switch.

My case is a bit special, however, as I regularly use QWERTY-based input
methods for Chinese and Japanese. They help to keep QWERTY fresh in my mind,
even though I would prefer never to use QWERTY again in my life.

I am not at all surprised that you find it difficult to use both keyboards.
I strongly advise you not to learn QWERTY again. You know that you are using
the superior keyboard layout. Your school should accommodate you rather than
forcing you to use backward technology. Tell them just what you told us:
you've been using Dvorak for your entire adult life, you ordered a
custom-made Dvorak typewriter, you type rapidly and proficiently with
Dvorak, you cannot relearn QWERTY at this point, and you fear that trying to
learn QWERTY would leave you unable to type well with any layout.
Furthermore, Dvorak is ergonomically superior—an important fact for medical
transcriptionists, who do an awful lot of typing. QWERTY would harm your
hands and wrists. Don't hesitate to mention your age, and demand reasonable
accommodations. In this case, all that you want is the option to select the
Dvorak keyboard layout on the computers that you have to use. That trivial
accommodation costs the school almost nothing.

Scott Horne


_____ 

From: altkeyboards@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:altkeyboards@ yahoogroups. com] On
Behalf Of mailorderspam
Sent: 25 février 2009 17:35
To: altkeyboards@ yahoogroups. com
Subject: [altkeyboards] Anybody here fluent in both Dvorak & QWERTY?

I learned QWERTY first, in 8th grade, over 40 years ago, and was
typing about 50 wpm.

Six years later, I abandoned QWERTY and switched to Dvorak,
self-taught, with nothing to help me make the switch other than
modifications I made to a QWERTY typing manual. (This was long before
there was typing software or PCs with software-switchable keyboard
layouts that help with that. Smith Corona made me a dedicated DSK
electric typewriter.)

I found switching to be one of the hardest things I ever did. 
Frankly, I never would have switched if I'd known how hard it would be
*for me*. Every time I stopped concentrating, I'd revert back. It
took me months of daily practice before I recovered my QWERTY speed
and then got faster. Most people seem to be able to be trained to
switch easier than me.

Next fall I'm entering a medical transcription training program where
at times at least it will be very difficult for me to be able to
touch-type in Dvorak. I'm trying to learn to become fluent in both
keyboard layouts, using Ten Thumbs software, so I can use QWERTY when
I absolutely have to, and Dvorak when I can for better speed and less
wear and tear. I started about a month ago.

This is proving to be even harder. Though I practice with both
keyboards daily, as I'm gaining fluency in QWERTY and clearing 40 wpm,
I start making more QWERTY key errors when I switch back to Dvorak,
and my 70 wpm Dvorak speed suffers.

Also, while I can QWERTY 40 wpm plus and gaining, IF I'm typing
prepared text as in typing software, my ability to think and type in
QWERTY as in typing this post is horrific, Dvorak-key error laden and
probably net of 15 wpm... this bodes very poorly for my ability to do
medical transcription in QWERTY, because one has to listen and
transcribe and can't think about the keys he's typing.

I may have to abandon Dvorak and just go QWERTY again to gain speed
and accuracy in QWERTY, but I hate to do that. Any suggestions from
anybody who has fluency in both layouts? I've heard there *are* who
retain fluency in both.

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