Reply To: Spanish Contracted Braille
I don't understand completely what you have there. When you say the brochure is already translated into Spanish are you saying that this brochure is already in Spanish braille? In the United States, foreign language braille is done according to BANA (Braille Authority of North America). Those rules are published in the NBA Interim Manual for Foreign Language Braille Transcribing, available ONLY from NBA. Please contact NBA to obtain a copy if you do not have one
Foreign language braille (including Spanish) is NOT contracted, but uses the braille symbols assigned to it for accented letters. It's all in the manual. The accented letter symbols are listed in a Special Symbols page as in any other textbook transcription. This also applies to the Spanish inverted question and exaclamation marks.
Sometimes there is confusion between the braille rules of the foreign country itself. Braille as done in Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, or any other Spanish speaking country will be done according to the braille rules of that country, which are not uniform and vary. Braille in Spain is not always the same as braille in Mexico, for instance. In the United States we use BANA rules because it is not possible to decide WHICH Spanish braille rules to apply. Please see the Winter 2008-2009 issue of the NBA Bulletin for an article on this topic.
The Spanish braille you have (or will transcribe) should be uncontracted with symbols assigned to accented letters according to the Interim Manual.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
--Joanna