A braille translator is a
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...
program that translates a script into
braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...
and sends it to a
braille embosser, which produces a hard copy of the original print text. Only the ''script'' is transformed, not the ''language''.
Description
For the purposes of this article, the word "inkprint" means text prepared for reading by the eye, whether printed, displayed on a screen, or stored in a computer; "braille" means text prepared for reading by the finger, whether brailled, displayed on an electronic device, or stored in a computer.
Braille translation software or embedded hardware converts inkprint into braille or braille into inkprint. Usually someone has inkprint in a word processor file or at an URL and wants braille. The braille could be sent to a
braille embosser to produce physical braille or to an
electronic notetaker. Another circumstance is that someone has braille in an electronic braille notetaker that they want to produced in inkprint to be shared with someone who does not read braille.
Braille translation software is usually classified as
assistive technology
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for Disability, people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, ...
, since the action of the software provides braille for a blind person. Braille translators can be run by people with or without sight.
A braille translator can run on a smartphone, personal computer, network server, or
(historically) larger mini-computers or mainframes of larger institutions.
Some languages use uncontracted braille, where each letter uses a specific braille character. Uncontracted braille requires manipulation of capitalization, emphasis, numbers, and punctuation. Some languages use
contracted braille, where the rules for various braille abbreviations are quite complex. For example, in contracted English braille, the word ''think'' (5 letters) is rendered as 3 characters: ⠹⠔⠅(th)(in)k. The use or non-use of these contractions is related to pronunciation. For example, the "th" sign is used in ''think'', but not ''pothole''. Unless properly programmed, a computer might make a mistake that no person would make, such as using the contraction for ''mother'' in the word ''chemotherapy''. The most difficult part of producing braille is making the decision of when and when not to use contractions. When people make these decisions it is ''braille transcription''; when computers make these decisions it is ''braille translation''.
History
The first practical application of computer translation and production of braille used mainframe computers at the
American Printing House for the Blind
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is an American non-for-profit corporation in Louisville, Kentucky, promoting independent living for people who are blind and visually impaired. For over 150 years APH has created unique products an ...
of Louisville, Kentucky.
During the 1960s, there was an
MIT project to automate the production of braille. Robert Mann wrote and supervised software for braille translation called
DOTSYS, while another group created an embossing device which became known as the "M.I.T. Braillemboss.". Eventually, MIT outsourced the software work to
Mitre Corporation.
The Mitre Corporation team of Robert Gildea, Jonathan Millen, Reid Gerhart and
Joseph Sullivan (now president of
Duxbury Systems
Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...
) developed DOTSYS III, the first braille translator written in a portable programming language. DOTSYS III was developed for the Atlanta Public Schools as a public domain program.
At the first International Workshop on Computerized Braille Production, held in Muenster, Germany, March 1973, many braille-translation projects from around the world were described.
An archive of documents on the history of braille, braille translation, and some braille devices is maintained by Duxbury Systems.
Documents on Automated Braille Production: An Historical Resource
retrieved 3/30/2016
See also
* Book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...
* E-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...
* Braille e-book
A braille e-book is a refreshable braille display using electroactive polymers or heated wax rather than mechanical pins to raise braille dots on a display. Though not inherently expensive, due to the small scale of production they have not been s ...
* Perkins Brailler
The Perkins Brailler is a "braille typewriter" with a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code, a space key, a backspace key, and a line space key. Like a manual typewriter, it has two side knobs to advance paper through t ...
External links
Duxbury Systems (Duxbury DBT, supports over 130 languages and math)
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20111209053927/http://www.brailletec.de/home_en.htm Blista-Brailletec GmbH (German braille production software)
Notes
{{braille
Braille technology
Machine translation
Disability software