Reply To: 3 Formatting Questions
Hi Cindi,
I mistakenly believed that the NBA, as a service to the NFB, wrote the lesson manual as well as the Ask An Expert column as a resource for students and transcribers--a "final word on the matter." Since reading your email, I have emailed the NFB to ask whom I should send our (million) questions to about the lessons. I'm sure that by now you've come across my additional questions and I can only apologize. Please don't take up your time to answer them as I will send them on to the NFB.
The division of symbols-sequences. Our agency, if space allows, requires the transcriber to divide a hyphenated word at the end of a line after the hyphen. A student was counted off for that (after we stressed it all year). The comment was "Hyphenated Compound words on pages ... should not be divided between lines. (UEB 10.13) (BF 1, 10) ." The compound hyphenated words were tight-knit, middle-class, second-generation, and dog-tired. I'm completely baffled by the references. They didn't mention 20.5 which we were directed to in a previous inquiry when we were shocked by the comment.
On to the ISBN number. When I joined the NBA, I spent one Sat. night (because I don't have a life, LOL) printing Q&As that clarified issues for us. In response to a question about dividing the ISBN phrase, Julie answered in #31152: "There is no reason to divide 'Transcription of ISBN.'" I printed this and gave copies to other transcribers, which caused disagreements, which led me to ask the column for confirmation. This was also the case for following print for divided words between pages. There were some who, even after I presented the page from Braille Formats, insisted that had changed since its publication. Agggg.
Again I apologize for sending questions to be clarified when they should be sent to the NFB. I won't ask questions about the lessons anymore and thank you for your patience and assistance with ALL of my questions.
Candace Richardson