Is it possible to be ambikeyboardrous?

Question

I switched to the dvorak keyboard layout about a year ago. I now use dvorak full-time at work and at home.

Recently, I went on vacation to Peru and found myself in quite a conundrum. Internet cafes were qwerty-only (and Spanish qwerty, at that). I was stuck with a hunt-and-peck routine that grew old fairly quickly.

That said, is it possible to be "fluent" in both qwerty and dvorak at the same time? If not, are there any good solutions to the situation I found myself in?

Demitasse

I have done the same. I now only use dvorak at home and work. What I found is that now that I've been using dvorak for some time I'm starting to "re-learn" qwerty for those moments I need qwerty. I'll never be "fast" on qwerty but it's enough to get me by in situations like you had. The guy that turned me on to dvorak could type efficiently on both qwerty (65-70 wpm) and dvorak (100+ wpm). – Proust

I can do both QUERTY (well, QUERTZ in my case) and Dvorak (well, my own edit of a German one) really fast. It's just a matter of practice. – Rockoon

Is it possible to master two different typing keyboard layouts?, Learning multiple keyboard layouts, Storing two keyboard layouts in your brain at once: It’s possible – Stultify

Answer 1

Web

For your situation of being at a public computer that you cannot switch the keyboard layout on, you can go to this website: http://www.dvzine.org/type/DVconverter.html

Use this to translate your typing and then use copy paste. I found this very useful when I was out of the country and had to write a bunch of emails at public computers.

USB Drive

Put this Dvorak Utility on your USB drive.

Run this app and it will put a icon in the system tray on windows. This icon will switch the computer between the two keyboard layouts and it works. (If you have tried switching back and forth from dvorak to qwerty you will know what I mean. Windows does the worst job of this one bit of functionality.)

Nalor

Google translate now has the option for dvorak also your example use flashes lol. – Neodymium

Answer 2

I've never used a public computer, but carry a keyboard and(/or, if you are good enough) just change the settings on the machine.

There's a special place in hell for people that change keyboard mappings on public computers.

Ko

Only if they don't change them back when they're done. In Windows XP, at least, it's easy enough. – Serve

This answered made be laugh but then I was sad when it's not a real answer yet it has gotten 10 votes. No offense but why the UP voting? It should technically be down voted for not being an answer. – Proust

@BobbyCannon - this answer was left in the days before question comments - in the before times, the long long ago. (2008) – Ko

@Kyralessa but people often forgot to do that. Many times when I lent my PC for some other people they switch the layout and never switch back when returning to me – Stultify

Answer 3

Very possible. Although I became sadly mono-keyboarded after learning Dvorak, my wife is equally speedy at both. She recommends learning the other layout slowly, with frequent breaks to reacquaint with the previous layout.

DVAssist on a USB stick should make it easy to switch layouts on random computers. I

Glary

Answer 4

Yes, it is very possible. Just remember to use Qwerty every once in a while. I've been leaning Dvorak myself for about 2 weeks, and I'm up to 75wpm average. I use Qwerty every day for a bit, but most of the time I'm using Dvorak. My Qwerty speed is still averaging around 100wpm.

I also learnt the Korean Dubeolshik layout several years ago, and I average about 100wpm on that too.

Learning different keyboard layouts is much easier than learning multiple languages. And people still manage to remember their native tongue! So if you ever knew Qwerty, with a good bit of practice you should be able to get back up to speed on that fairly quickly.

Upbuild

This should be part of the actual answer IMO. – Cadmarr

Answer 5

That said, is it possible to be "fluent" in both qwerty and dvorak at the same time? If not, are there any good solutions to the situation I found myself in?

I've switched to Dvorak a few years ago and I've been fluent in qwerty and dvorak most of the time since (only slightly slower in qwerty than I used to be; much faster than I used to be when I use dvorak instead).

I found that the only part where switching back and forth was really hard was the beginning: I needed a few months until dvorak felt natural enough so that switching back and forth wouldn't confuse me (and hurt the learning curve). After a few months, switching back and forth was a little awkward, but quickly became entirely natural after I got used to it (school computers and a few games didn't easily let me change to dvorak, so it was nice to be able to work either way). So I think if you practice this a bit, it should be fine :)

Incidentally, once I was comfortable with both layouts, learning other layouts was extremely easy in comparison to learning dvorak. It took me only a few hours until I felt more comfortable typing Japanese characters (Hiragana direct input) than I did spelling them out, even though I had to learn it by hitting all keys and seeing what produced which character. It felt a bit like it did with languages -- once you knew two well, learning other similar languages is a lot easier than it was for the second :)

Crowther

I'm ambikeyboardous as well, but the hardest part was coming to grips with the fact that Dvorak isn't going to magically improve your typing speed. I average about 120 wpm on both layouts now, and the only way to improve is going to be deliberate practice. – Silversmith

Answer 6

FWIW, I did finally find solution to the situation. I had my travel buddy (who is still stuck in the qwerty stone age) type while I dictated. That was a 10x speed improvement over my hunting-and-pecking. And much easier, too.

Demitasse

This answer brought me great joy, both for its unexpectedness, and then for my imagining it being carried out. – Ocean

Answer 7

I'm ambidkeyboardwhatever, but in two different languages, so that helps with the muscle memory that someone mentioned. I use a Qwerty in English and Azerty in French. My colleagues curse every time they try to use my computer!

I looked briefly at learning Dvorak, but that would only be able to replace Qwerty, because it doesn't have the accented characters.

Having said all that, whatever keyboard layout you choose, the most important thing is to learn to touch-type!

Kazak

There do exist Dvorak variants for French, but it seems they're not very popular. – Tetrahedral

Answer 8

Myself, I type 40wpm Dvorak versus 80wpm QWERTY, which roughly correlates with how often I use these layouts. It takes me about a minute of typing to fully make the switchover.

My sister has managed to train herself to type QWERTY on full-size keyboards but Dvorak on the miniature keyboard on her ASUS Eee, and has no trouble switching between two keyboards at will. She does have major problems when trying to use Dvorak on a full-size keyboard or QWERTY on the Eee, so I guess it's something related to muscle memory.

So, with some qualifications, I'd say that yes, it is completely possible to be "ambikeyboardrous".

Tetrahedral

Answer 9

Yes, it's completely possible to be fluent in both Dvorak and Qwerty, but you have to specifically work at it to develop the dual fluency. When I began to learn Dvorak it initially crippled me in Qwerty, so I wasn't able to type easily in either layout. But I was dealing with carpal tunnel and unable to do much typing anyway, so learning Dvorak couldn't make me any slower. After several months of switching between Dvorak and Qwerty increasingly often, the switch got easier and easier every time.

Now I can switch instantly. It's like there's a keyboard layout mode switch in my subconscious. I can't see it, but I can tell my brain what layout I want to use, and my fingers do the rest.

But if you're interested in learning Dvorak, consider whether it's worth the effort:

• If you're interested in Dvorak to improve your typing speed, my advice is not to get your hopes up. It takes a long time to learn and I'm not convinced it improves typing speed. And it makes basic key shortcuts like those for cut/copy/paste a lot more annoying.

• If you're interested in Dvorak because it seems like a cool ability or would look good on a CV, don't bother. Learning a foreign language is far more interesting.

• If you're interested in Dvorak to reduce hand pain, give it a go. I'm not sure if it reduced my hand pain or not, but I can believe that it would, because it definitely reduces the distance one's fingers have to travel.

Figure

Answer 10

I've been typing Dvorak for about 10 yearns now. I find that I can switch back to qwerty pretty fluently after a few min. I have to look at the keyboard at first but, it comes back. What's funny is that I can only switch back to Qwerty if I'm using a computer or keyboard thats not mine. If I switch the mode to Qwerty on my own laptop, I just struggle. It has to be in Dvorak. =)

Espinosa

Answer 11

Yes. I type Dvorak on a Kinesis Advantage keyboard on my desktops, but type qwerty on my Macbook. Possibly it helps that they are so different, my muscles figure out what it is that they are typing on.

Personalty

I agree. I have been doing both since 2000 (as wife and co-workers have qwerty). Admittedly when I'm away from Qwerty for a long time it takes me a second to switch into the right mindset. Also, my laptop is qwerty, and I never got keytops for it. – Lan

It makes intuitive sense that this is the key for two reasons. If you're getting different tactile feedback when using the different layouts, then the signal doesn't have to go as fare for your fingers to know what to do; the process becomes subconscious. It also helps that you're consistently using both layouts on the respective devices. – Frisket

Answer 12

I would say no. I have used both, and they are different for very good reason (warning, history lesson)

The Dvorak keyboard is optimal, the qwerty layout was designed so that the pegs on a typewrier would not collide (so letters that often come next to each other are split up)

Because these are so different, its really not possible to be really good on both. You will find that even if you look at the keyboard while typing you eventually develop muscle memory that allows you to know where the keys are. This will get ALL messed up if you start moving where the keys are.

Keratinize

You can be good at both. I know people who are and seen them type very well on both layouts with switching on the fly. It's very interesting to think that someone could even do it. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it. – Proust

Is it me, or does this answer sound like a counterpoint create by ChatGPT? – Gentlefolk

Answer 13

@Thomas Owens - the person in that cafe after you is going to be proper befuddled :-D

I guess to be good on both you'd have to alternate all the time. I have enough trouble switching between my laptop and desktop keyboards :-)

Rhodium

Answer 14

I'm using a homemade version of QWERTY (with all french letters mapped) at home and at work. I am personally stuck when I have to use the usual layout here (AZERTY). I feel your pain.

For what I have witnessed, everyone gets used to a single mapping, and trying to use an other layout is quite hard.

Mussorgsky

Answer 15

I've never used a public computer, but carry a keyboard and(/or, if you are good enough) just change the settings on the machine.

Braggart