[duxuser] Re: From MS Word to Duxbury.
- From: "Betsy Whitney, Dolphin Press" <brailleit@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 09:33:14 -1000
Aloha,
Thanks for all your hard work!
In section 8, I would add "no spaces before or after a /."
Betsy
At 10:08 PM 6/15/2004, you wrote:
Hello everybody,
Thank you for the lively discussion. I have tried to compile the
instructions afresh based on the discussion. I am pasting it below for
review. Note that some of it may not seem relevant to the list.
I do not stille understand the formatting differences between heading1 and
heading2 styles in dbt. Both seem centred. I understand that they are
required to make sure that they are not stranded at the bottom of a page.
They are also necessary for generating table of contents. Would you please
specify their attributes?
I also cannot insert or delete codes. When I am using f6 to find and
replace h1 with h2 or the like, the "text not found" error message
appears. What may be wrong?
With best regards,
Amiyo.
MS Word To Braille
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
These instructions are compiled for our volunteers who are using Microsoft
Word for typing text which we later convert into braille. Microsoft Word
has a host of features which our braille translation software programme
cannot recognise. Many varieties of print are not available in braille
system at all. If something special in the typescript is found missing, it
can be edited at the time of proofreading.
In most cases text typed in Normal style with default font of MS Word is
enough for braille translation. It keeps the file size substantially small
too. Extra formatting and style attributes add to the size of a file in
terms of bytes and use up extra disc space. The minimum typing
requirements we need are mentioned below for convenience:
1. Normal style: Always write in Normal style in Microsoft Word. If it is
not already active, select it from Format Menu, Style submenu. Keyboard
users can press ctrl+shift+n to activate the Normal style at a single
keystroke.
2. Two enters for a paragraph: When you start a new paragraph, press the
enter key twice that each paragraph is separated by a distinct line. These
instructions are typed using this format. Please do not press the enter
key while inside a paragraph.
3. Left alignment: Do not apply extra alignment command. In Normal style
of MS Word all text is Left-aligned and this is enough for braille. In
case you want to reformat a paragraph already written, place the cursor in
the desired paragraph and press ctrl+shift+n or apply Normal style.
4. Apply heading style: If a heading is required, write the heading text
in a separate line and press the enter key twice to make it separate. Then
apply Heading1 or Heading2 or Heading3 style as required by the hierarchy
of heading levels. The top heading of this set of instructions had been
written using this guideline.
If a heading is written in all caps, you must also capitalise the entire
text of the heading.
5. No style for characters: Do not apply Bold, Italic or Underline style.
For any such text just type it in Normal style as in this set of
instructions. For italicising or underlining text, follow the instructions
in section 11. Only the Normal style in MS Word is properly formatted
during the process of braille translation.
6. Asterisk for footnote: Do not apply Superscript or Subscript style.
When a reference number is required for a footnote, simply put an asterisk
(*) before the number. Do not forget to insert a blank space before the
asterisk as in the following example:
The term ?Proto-Indo-European? indicates the language reconstructed on the
basis of cognate words found in the Indo-European languages. *1 The term
Arya appears in several Indo-European languages but not in most of them.
7. Three dots for ellipses: When ellipses or a series of dots are
required, only put three fullstop signs preceded and followed by blank
spaces on both sides. Note the following example:
Towards the end of the eighteenth century when William Jones discovered
that ... Aryans lived in an area either in central Asia or eastern Europe.
If, however, an open quotation mark is there immediately before the series
of dots, or if a close quotation mark or a question mark or a fullstop is
there immediately after it, the blank space is not required between that
punctuation mark and the dots. For example,
?... We do not need pity, ... We must be treated as equals ....?--Louis
Braille.
Note that in some versions of MS Word when you put three consecutive
fullstop signs, they are automatically converted into a special symbol
which is not recognised during braille translation process. To avoid this
problem, first put a fullstop sign, then a blank space, then another
fullstop sign, then another extra blank space, then put the third and last
fullstop sign followed by a space. Now delete the two extra blank spaces
in the series of three fullstop signs.
8. No extra space: In print we often use extra spaces for clarity. We
sometimes put a space before a fullstop or a colon sign. In braille text
extra spaces are not applied before a punctuation mark like fullstop,
comma or colon. Do not leave a blank space after opening quotation mark or
opening brackets. Similarly, do not leave a blank space before closing
quotation mark or closing brackets either.
9. Two hyphens for a dash: Carefully note hyphens and dashes as they have
distinct identity in braille. When a hyphen is required, say for instance,
inside a compound word like reporter-in-chief, put a single hyphen. When a
hyphen or a dash sign implies a longer punctuation, say as in
Kolkata--700017, put two hyphens without space on either side of two hyphens.
Note that in some versions of MS Word when you put two hyphens in
succession, they are automatically converted into a special symbol which
is not recognised during braille translation. To avoid this, first insert
a hyphen, then a blank space and then again insert another hyphen. Then
delete the extra blank space between the two hyphens.
10. Quotation marks: For double quotation marks (both opening and closing)
use (?), that is, the key to the right of semicolon pressed together with
the shift key. Note the sample:
?... A thousand odds and ends of knowledge come crashing about my head
like hailstones, ...?--Helen Keller
For opening and closing single quotation marks use (?), that is, the key
to the right of semicolon on the computer keyboard. Note the same
quotation below:
?... A thousand odds and ends of knowledge come crashing about my head
like hailstones, ...?--Helen Keller
Sometimes printed text may contain quotation displayed in bold letters. If
it is in a separate paragraph, it should be written in plain text in a
separate paragraph. But if it is placed inside a paragraph, it should be
written within a pair of double quotation marks.
Note that the single quotation mark is also used as apostrophe sign, as in
Blind Persons? Association. Our braille translation software programme
identifies when this sign is used as an apostrophe sign.
11. Brackets: Do not use curly brackets or braces { ... } because it is
not recognised in our braille translation software. Also avoid angle
brackets < ... > for the same reason. Only use simple brackets like ( ...
) and [ ... ] as necessary.
The rule of the thumb in braille writing is that we always use ( ... ) for
all kinds of brackets unless [ ... ] is absolutely necessary. These two
types of brackets are used mainly when they represent different things.
When brackets within brackets are required, the outer bracket is
represented by ( ... ) and the inner bracket is represented by [ ... ], e.g.
We use Window 98 (second edition [with typical installation]) on our pc.
12. Italicising and Underlining: Italics and underlines are represented by
the same symbol in braille. The underscore sign (_) in MS Word is
translated as the underline or italic symbol in our braille translation
software. Insert an underscore by pressing shift + - on the keyboard. When
less than three words are italicised or underlined, put an underscore
before each of the words. When more than three words are italicised or
underlined, insert two underscore signs before the first word and a single
underscore sign before the last word of the italicised or underlined text.
Notice the following examples:
_Macbeth, _Julius _Caesar, _Love?s _Labour?s _Lost, __A Midsummer Night?s
_Dream
13. Special characters: Sometimes é is used in some non-English words as
in café, resumé etc. Braille has a special symbol for it too. Just put
this special character when it is necessary. To insert this character,
switch on the numlock of the numpad first. Then hold down the alt key and
press 0233 without releasing the alt key.
14. Small letters: When a character is supposed to represent a single
letter in braille, it is preceded by a special letter sign. The symbol
combination &+ in MS Word is converted into the braille letter sign. In
such cases the ampersand sign (&) and a plus sign (+) should precede the
abbreviation. In some cases each character of a word may be presented as a
separate character to emphasise a certain idea, as the word water is
spelt as w-a-t-e-r in Helen Keller?s autobiography. In this case each
character should be preceded by the letter sign. Notice the instances:
&+w-&+a-&+t-&+e-&+r
?... to make the first ten letters of the alphabet (&+a-&+j), the top two
rows of dots are used; ??
At times we find Roman numerals in lowercase. In such cases insert &+
before the Roman numeral, e.g. &+I, &+ii, &+iii and so on. If the Roman
numerals are in uppercase, you need not put the &+ code. For example, I,
II, III etc are all right.
15. List: For list of items apply the List style. It is recognised in
braille. If the list contains special symbols like bullets, insert the
asterisk sign in place of the bullet. For example:
Instructions summarised
Normal style: Always use the Normal style.
Two enters for a paragraph: Always hit the enter key twice to separate a
paragraph.
Left alignment: Always use Left alignment for a paragraph except a heading.
16. Picture reference: Print text may contain pictures and figures. Use a
separate paragraph to type in the picture caption and start the paragraph
with some text like ?Photo caption? or ?Picture reference?. If it is a
figure with a number, create a separate paragraph and write the Figure
number. Put the paragraphs in a pair of parentheses. Notice the following
examples:
(Picture reference: Louis Braille.)
(Figure 1)
N.B. It is also recommended that the MS Word file may please be sent as an
email attachment to us or as a file saved in a floppy disc. Do not copy
the written text and paste it into the body of an email message. It will
convert all text into HTML format.
The instructions may not apply to all versions of MS Word. The material
thus typed may not look polished in print, but rest assured, this will
make braille rendering easy. You can also find better techniques. For
comments and suggestions please call us at 2437-7206 or send us an email
at <mailto:bpaindia@xxxxxxxx>bpaindia@xxxxxxxx
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