[Joanna E. Venneri]

I’m looking at Section 2.3.6g on printing history, which takes just one line. I’m puzzled when you say you don’t have room for it on the title page.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

The braille doesn’t match the print?? I’m alarmed! The page numbers are in Nemeth; it gets goofy when there are lettered continuations. I guess I wasn’t reading the rule of “unit and part headings MUST be centered” as “ONLY unit and part headings should be centered.” I centered the chapter headings because they are major divisions in this book. I considered putting them in 1-5 as well when I ran into this problem, and your answer is confirmation that that would be the better way to go.

One tries so hard to be clear when asking questions… I was referring to Rule 2, Section 7(b)[1] on page 37 in my manual. I do like the decimal numbering system in the 2011 manual.

I’m glad the attachments were helpful. I only wish I could figure out why my PDFs come through so sketchy.

Thank you very much for your response.

Julie

[Joanna E. Venneri]

I need some help with this one. I notice that the braille doesn’t match the print and I also see some page numbers in the braille contents that I do not understand–these are the entry numbers that don’t have number signs.

I’m not sure I understand why the chapter headings are centered. The rules say only that unit and part headings are centered and say nothing about centering chapter headings. I think in this case there just aren’t any unit and part headings. I see the chapters as main entries (1-5) and the sections under each chapter as sub-entries (3-7) and I would like to suggest that these contents be done that way. This will also make it easier to figure out which items get the (cont.) designation since it has been necessary to divide chapters across volumes. Consider Example 9 in 1997 Formats. There are no unit or part headings there either.

And here’s a good reason why the numbering system has been changed in the new Formats guidelines. You refer to Rule 2 Section 7(b) and (b) is a sub-sub entry. I’m not sure which section it applies to–so I can’t see exactly what you are referring to. There are several instances of (b) in Rule 7 unfortunately and I can’t tell which one you mean.

I think changing the formatting to 1-5, 3-7 as the rules suggest will make it easier to figure out which items are designated (cont.) in Volume 1 and subsequent volumes.

The print and braille pages have been very helpful to me in understanding what the formatting considerations are here.

I’ll look forward to continuing on this one.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

Excellent. There is no braille provision for pictograph characters such as these. Braille systems for Chinese and other pictograph languages are built on a transliteration of that language into the Latin alphabet, which I believe in Chinese is called pinyin. That is not what we have here.

Treat each of the Chinese characters as a little picture, which is what the text does itself. You could transcribe the chart on page 88 with a TN that explains that the chart shows Chinese characters and pictures for the following words, and list the words. For the story, use the new embedded TN given in section 3.2.3 of the new guidelines. I would start each story (if there are more of them) with a TN that explains that Chinese characters are used for some words in the story below. Then you won’t have to repeat “Chinese character” for each each TN. The story might look like this:

[simbraille],ON TOP (A ,’M.TA9,’ “! LIV$ A ,’MAN,’1 ”'[/simbraille]

I think these embedded TN’s are very helpful.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

Thank you for the very kind words. Believe me, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes and I have lots of help.

So cute! Are you using 1997 Formats or tne hew 2011 Guidelines? This is not really a foreign language question as much as it is a textbook formatting question. So which guidelines? (Hint: the answer is easier if using the new ones). But let me know and we’ll see what we can come up with.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

CBC–Computer Braille Code. You can download it from the BANA website http://www.brailleauthority.org/cbc/cbc.html

Click on Code Books and Guidelines from the BANA home page if that link doesn’t work. You want the 2010 Updated Computer Braille Code.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

Attached are the print pages.

[Joanna E. Venneri]

I would follow print for the sidebars and repeat them in appropriate places on the pages that repeat them in print. They are there for a reason and that is to tell the student what to do at that particular location in the print.

On the red words parts in the spelling pattern boxes, I agree–use italics. Section 5.8 covers this exact situation and specifies that italics is used for emphasized letters within words regardless of the way in which those letters might be emphasized in print.

Thanks for sending the print examples.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

This is a very interesting question. First, do NOT use any of the print emphasis in the guide words. The purpose of the guide words is only for quick alphbetic location and emphasis indicators slow down that process and aren’t needed in guide words anyway.

I strongly recommend the following for dealing with the blue type and underlining in this glossary. Use the dot 46 italic indicator for the underlined words, because that is how underlining is most commonly shown. Use the boldface indicator for the blue typeface. It is NOT necessary to mention the use of the italics indicator in the underlined text in the TN. Just mention that the boldface indicator is used for the blue type and use that in the introductory text that explains the blue type.

Reminder: Don’t forget to start using the new Formats Guidelines for all new books after Jenuary 1, 2013. You can start using the new guidelines NOW only for new books. Finish books already started with the 1997 Formats. Print emphasis is treated very differently in the new guidelines! Watch for it!

Thank you for sending the print and braille examples. They were both very helpful.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

Since this is a math book, I would call this a math question and agree that it is best posted at the math forum. When textbook formatting and Nemeth rule overlap, the Nemeth rules have precedence.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

The 4 pages attached are the ones in question. So I am not sure how other people actually write on their .pdf files, so I will just add that here. 😉

The ones in question would be the circled text off to the right and also the boxed text talking about strategy. And while I have your attention; how would you treat the spelling pattern box below? We are actually emphasizing the red part words with italics to show the student. Let me know what you think.

Thank you so much for your time.

[Joanna E. Venneri]

I understand what you’re saying, but I wasn’t clear with my question. I had in mind situations other than the classroom, say an adult picking up a magazine or non-fiction book. We still can’t teach Nemeth, I agree. Maybe write out the Nemeth bits in words on the TN page? I just want to make sure your answer is the same for these kinds of situations.

[Joanna E. Venneri]

We don’t teach all the other things in textbooks either, like foreign language and punctuation! These are things the reader is expected to know or are things that they are learning in the class, just like the sighted readers. We list the symbols that are used in braille and then the braille reader sees the same symbols as the sighted reader. Some of all of the symbols may not be understood by the sighted readers either! Explaining symbols is the teacher’s job. Making those symbols accessible to the braille reader is the transcriber’s job.

Hope that helps.

–Joanna

[Joanna E. Venneri]

Thanks so much Joanna. My “preference” matches yours. I like to start a box on a new page if there is not room to braille the entire box on the previous page. Thanks again.

[Joanna E. Venneri]

That is a great questions! I think “preferable” means to use best judgment. But I would remind you that space-saving is NOT a priority. Clarity and ease of reading comes first, along with accurate reflection of the print. My own preference is to start boxed material on a new braille page if it will not fit on the current braille page regardless of the resulting extra space at the bottom of the braille page. As a print reader, I prefer my boxes all on one page too! That is MY preference, but others may have a different preference especially in their own specific situation. This is why the guidelines say PREFERENCE. I think the old rules used to say that a braille box should be on a single page wherever POSSIBLE. And now it says PREFERENCE. Best judgment!

And of course in come cases a box may not fit on a single braille page anyway.

–Joanna

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