Special Spanish character – a tilde

[Chris Clemens]

The 2010 Spanish book (an entirely foreign text 1.3.a) that I am transcribing has an "a" tilde.

It looks like the "n" tilde only with an "a" instead of an "n". Since Portugese uses an "a" tilde, I guess that the name where this "a" tilde character appears is Portugese in origin. I do not know how often this "a" tilde will appear in other places in this book. I am on print page 23 of 1400.

Interim Foreign Language Translation S 14.1.a(4)(b) Essential usage - says that a brl symbol can be deivised (how about Portugese "a" tilde - dots 345) and listed on the special symbols page.

Am I reading the rule book correctly? Can I use the dots 345 to represent the "a" tilde in my Spanish book?

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[Chris Clemens]

What an interesting situation! The rule you cite MAY apply here. It actually depends on the context for this a tilde, which you rightly identify as NOT listed in the conventional Spanish alphabet symbols. Please post at least one page or possibly more of the print text. Please include any pages that may be present in your print that explains this. [u]Note that the file size for posting pages has recently been increased.[/u]

Thanks!

--Joanna

[Chris Clemens]

"The 2010 Spanish book (an entirely foreign text 1.3.a) that I am transcribing has an "a" tilde."

My book has a similar situation.

Gato enfadado:
el vientre hundido
pelo crizado.
--Karen Senryū

The ū is in the name in the attribution, so probably will only appear once in the book.
How should the ū be brailled?
edited by myrtle12345 on 7/10/2010

[Chris Clemens]

If this were a book entirely in English and you encountered an accented letter in someone's name, you would use the dot 4 accent indicator because accented letters don't occur in English in the same way as in other languages. English does not have accented letters. In Spanish you have encountered an accented letter that does not occur in that language, so you do the same thing. Use the dot 4 accent indicator preceding that u and list this as a regular special symbol (not as part of the Spanish accented letters). Do the same whenever you encounter an accented letter that does not occur in the language you are working in, whether it's English or some other language.

Hope that helps.

--Joanna

[Chris Clemens]

I have encountered another word: ‘Ōpua

How do I handle the symbol that looks like an opening single quotation mark? There are other instances where that symbol is in the middle of a name.

Thank you.

[Chris Clemens]

I have not received the print sample I asked for with regard to the first question. I really need a print sample for your question as well. I simply cannot give the best answer I can find with just a tiny snippet. I need to see the context. Please send the page that has each of these situations. For instance, the a tilde does not occur in Spanish. Is the word that you have in another language? Do you know what language it is? That is one of the reasons I need to have a context.

I agree that your second question is probably someone's name. I need to see other instances as well.

--Joanna

[Chris Clemens]

The question about the a tilde was from another braillists so I have no print for that.

I am attaching the entire print page from my book. It is a story entirely in Spanish with names that appear to be Hawaiian.

[Chris Clemens]

This issue of accented letters not used by the foreign language is touched upon in the current Interim Manual. This is much more clearly and specifically stated in the new foreign language rules now under review by BANA. Here is the direct quotation:

1.3 Types of foreign language texts
a. Entirely foreign text. Transcribe such texts using uncontracted braille and the appropriate foreign alphabet symbols as provided in Rules 13 and 14.
NOTE: If an accented letter occurs which is not part of that language, use dot 4 before the letter. Insert a transcriber’s note immediately to explain the format.

Unless the text identifies that second language as Hawaiian, it is not appropriate for the transcriber to assume that it is, although I happen to agree with you and I think that it is too. However, we do know that you are working in Spanish and the letter in that name has a non-Spanish accented letter. Use a dot 4 accent indicator and simply state in the TN that the accent indicator is used for accented letters that do not occur in Spanish. If this occurs more than once, consider a transcriber's note on the TN page, rather than an individual TN every time this occurs.

--Joanna

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