Marylee.Dante@p0.f710.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Marylee Dante) (09/27/90)
Index Number: 10653 Does anyone know of a computer program which will take English language input and convert it to the Braille symbols needed to make a Braille book? I ask this because a friend of mine is trying to learn Braille in order to translate books into Braille for students - but the way it is done is slow, clumsy, and very frustrating because *one* mistake means the whole page must be redone. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!107!710.0!Marylee.Dante Internet: Marylee.Dante@p0.f710.n107.z1.fidonet.org
Marda.Anderson@f9.n393.z1.fidonet.org (Marda Anderson) (09/27/90)
Index Number: 10662 There are several programs available to translate print into Braille for transcribing purposes. The most widely used in the ibm world is Duxbury Braille Translation Program from Duxbury Systems in Littleton, Massachusetts. I don't have their address and phone number but you can get it from information. I think the area code is 508, if not, try 617. There is also a good program called turbobraille, available from Kansys Inc. Write a message here to David Andrews if you want more information about it. Hope that helps. marda -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!393!9!Marda.Anderson Internet: Marda.Anderson@f9.n393.z1.fidonet.org
Marylee.Dante@p0.f710.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Marylee Dante) (10/03/90)
Index Number: 10805 I wanted a program which would allow me to type in a page of a textbook in English on a regular keyboard and produce a file which could be printed on a braille printer in braille. Looks like Duxbury may be what we're looking for. I think these people could manage the program ... I don't know if they can handle a printer - they seem awfully expensive. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!107!710.0!Marylee.Dante Internet: Marylee.Dante@p0.f710.n107.z1.fidonet.org
Bill.Higgins@p17.f122.n249.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Higgins) (10/03/90)
Index Number: 10822 Hi Tandy, Allow me to quote the letter you mailed on 26-Sep-90 TW> I am not sure the way you phrased your question but there are braille TW> translators that take print files and convert them to braille grade 2 TW> output and there are software that your friend types in braille TW> characters on the standard type writer keyboard and the symbles are TW> convertd to braille so not sure what you want exactely. TW> TW> TW> ... One planet is all you get! (shuffle shuffle) I found it! Go to your local library and look up the August 1990 edition of Byte Magezine. In it they talk about adapting a compute for the disabled and list the products they talk about on page 266. The piece itself starts on page 258 and is good reading. Maybe if we contributed to articals like this we could raise the awarness of adaptive soft/hardware ou there for the disabled. It's time we raised our voices above the polititions who seem to take all the thunder (of course then they re-issue it with a horrid odour to it. Heh heh). TTFN!! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!249!122.17!Bill.Higgins Internet: Bill.Higgins@p17.f122.n249.z1.fidonet.org
mattioli@took.enet.dec.com (John R. Mattioli) (10/09/90)
Index Number: 10948 In article <14465@bunker.UUCP>, Marylee.Dante@p0.f710.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Marylee Dante) writes... > >Does anyone know of a computer program which will take English language >input and convert it to the Braille symbols needed to make a Braille >book? > Sure, there are loads of them but before I say any more let me warn you about something. Conversion to braille is not as straightforward as most people think it is. Undoubtedly you are already aware of that. I'd suggest any transcription be done by someone well versed in Braille who doesn't have to depend totally on the accuracy of a translator. There are many format and translation rules that stump even the best braille readers at times. The top of the line translation and formating program is Duxbury. It translates print to braille and braille to print. It handles many very complex formatting problems and is relatively quick (of course I'm using an 80386 machine so quick has little meaning). It sells for about $500 from Duxbury Systems Inc (508) 486-9766. There are other systems, most of which I know little about as I don't use them. Turbo Braille seems like a very good translator, but I don't believe it translates from braille to print. PC-braille is another translator. I only know one thing about it and it's not all that great. The sales literature proporting to sell pc-braille at the ACB convention had a translation error in it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- John Mattioli Most improved skier (american blind skiers association 1989) and humble to! (DEC E-NET) TOOK::MATTIOLI (UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!TOOK.dec.com!MATTIOLI (ARPA) MATTIOLI@TOOK.dec.com MATTIOLI%TOOK.dec.com@decwrl.dec.com (US MAIL) John Mattioli 550 King St. LKG2-2/BB9 Littleton, Ma. 01460