A distributed speech recognition system includes a speech processor linked
to a plurality of speech recognition engines. The speech processor
includes an input for receiving speech files from a plurality of users
and storage means for storing the received speech files until such a time
that they are forwarded to a selected speech recognition engine for
processing. The speech processor further includes a dispatch system
linked to the storage means for controlling the transmission of speech
files to the plurality of speech recognition engines in a controlled
manner.