Hello Demo,
Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately what you have described is only the very basic steps for problem solving on iOS devices.. I of course tried these including doing a complete restore from a know working backUp. Yet still Speech to Text refuses to work.
As a result I have a strong suspicion this is not a local problem, and therefore Apple should be looking to their resources for the problem too. I will contact them in the morning.
With regard to your statement 'Apple isn't here and will not answer you', this is an Apple forum and is moderated by Apple staff! In addition Apple own the space and servers you are currently looking at! Moreover apple have many times refered to individuals here from 1st and 2nd level support, which I personally have experienced! Granted, these forums are not the recognised channels for Tech Support, but believe me, they know what's here! And yes, my original remark was rhetorical!
I will update this thread as the issues unfold, unless anyone wishes to add more info?!