From the Ink Print Book to the Braille Book Difficulties of the Process.
solution in each case. Clearly aware of the responsibility
that we, directors of braille printing houses and libraries,
have with regard to the numerous transcription problems,
p I have chosen this topic for my paper. I do not intend
[ to offer miraculous solutions but to make a detailed
analysis of the various problems involved in the transfer
into braille of the contents of the ink print book and
to propose some basic criteria suggested by my own IfSSI
experience in this field, which could serve as a basis
for a recommendation. In my paper I shall adopt the
p following plan:
(a) Premise - Comparative study of the psycho-
[ physiological behaviour of the sensory organ for reading
and gathering book information in blind and sighted people
(b) Problems posed in transcribing by the current
abundance of visual resources in ink print books: photo
graphs, drawings, graphs, diagrams, synoptic tables, treepi type structures, etc.
p (c) Problems derived from the great variety of print
resources used in ink print books: different type sizes
and forms, use of various colours, marginal or interj polated paragraphs, footnotes, etc.
| (d) Problems arising from the use of special signs:
mathematical and scientific, linguistic, phonetic and
p musical.
(
p (e) Conclusion: Critical analysis of the positions
I adopted by those concerned with the problems presented:
sightism, blindism and eclectic position.
I
And after this necessary introduction, let us go on
I to the problems indicated, in accordance with the outlined
plan:
ijam
(a) Premise - Comparative study of the sensory
p organs for reading:
It is not my purpose here to carry out a thorough
study of sensory sight and touch organs which are used
for reading respectively by the sighted and the blind,
since it would not be appropriate now, but only to make
a comparative analysis of the psycho-physiological
behaviour of both senses in respect of reading and book
information. We must emphasise that whereas sight is synthetic and global, touch is analytical and sequential, and, l
therefore these senses are opposite in behaviour. These
circumstances imply the existence of various features
which differ in both senses: sight totalises and integrates.
Touch, on the other hand, individualises and disintegrates.
Sight has a second analytical stage, in which it con
centrates its attention on the different parts, and touch,
on the contrary, is not able to synthesise by itself but
only with the help of imagination and memory. Sight perceives the whole, and appreciates in it forms, sizes and
colours, whereas touch only distinguishes those forms and
sizes which are sequentially perceived by the fingertips
in movement. Sight has an extensive and varied series of
sensibles which produce a very complete sensation, rich
in nuances and remote, and touch is more limited, much
poorer in nuances and needs direct contact, and lastly,
sight has a very wide sensory horizon, apprehends space
and perspective, whereas touch has a sensory horizon and
spatial perception limited to the environment the hands
can reach, is sequential and does not apprehend perspective.
The features we have just mentioned clearly show that,
in connection with reading, graphic information and book
resources in general, sight gives a quantity and quality
of information far superior to that furnished by touch
and that there are means and procedures in ink print
books which are essentially visual, and which, if they
are transcribed into braille with the same form in which
they appear there, their purpose is betrayed and, if we
adapt them to tactile characteristics, their aim is not fulfilled either. Synoptic and other types of tables are
a clear example of this.
In order to illustrate what we have just said it will
be sufficient to have a look at a synoptic table as
elementary as the one appearing on page 37 of the IV
volume of the work "Consultor, Ciencias Sociales" for the
VIII Grade of the General Basic Education in Spain, pub
lished by Editorial Santillana. The purpose of the table
is to make a comparative study of three factors in
Iberoamerican countries: absolute population, relative
population and per capita income in each one. And in
spite of its obvious simplicity, whereas the sighted
visualise the table in a global manner, establishing the
comparisons immediately between each of the factors in
each country, the blind have to read it sequentially,
either horizontally - the country and its three factors -
or vertically, analysing each factor in each country,
and they will therefore need to resort to the help of
memory to make the comparison.
The more complex the synoptic table is, the greater
the difficulties will be for the blind reader to under
stand it, regardless of the technical problems involved
in its transcription. So, for instance, the table
appearing on page 181 of the first volume of "Los Partidos,
Arma de la Democracia", is far more complicated. There
a comparative study of the main European political parties
is made, covering the following data: electoral system,
countries, parties in each of them, date of the last
elections held, net percentage of votes and seats obtained
in the Lower House. It is easy to imagine the technical
difficulties its transcription presents, as it has six
columns and fourteen rows. In braille one is compelled
to transcribe it with a structure in accordance with the
possibilities of the system whereby is shown the inability
of touch to understand globally, which is precisely what
the ink print table tries to do, i.e. to give the sighted
reader synthetic and comparative information much clearer
than what the blind get by sequential reading.
The differences between sight and touch as reading
and information organs are shown more clearly when
dealing with graphic information in ink print books.
This information will generally have to be left out, as
we will see in the next section when talking about visual
means. (a) Touch as a reading sensory organ is an imperfect
substitute for sight and therefore has obvious disadvantages
(b) Problems arising from visual means with regard
to braille transcription. The enormous abundance of
visual elements which ink print books have today is a great hindrance to their transcription, because it is not
an adequate solution just to eliminate all the graphic information, as this undoubtedly implies a serious '
impairment to the book in its informative function.
On the other hand, it is not possible either to carry
out an entirely exact transcription, reproducing with
embossed dots all that graphic information, because in
some cases this is not technically possible and in others,
due to the fact that such a reproduction is unintelligible
to the blind.
It is therefore, necessary to establish some basic
criteria which might serve as general guidelines so as to
determine what should be done when each of the visual
means is presented, with regard to their transcription
into braille, so as to guarantee the appropriateness of
the conveyed information.
These basic criteria are as
follows:
1. All pictures, photographs or drawings of
a figurative nature should be eliminated
because, even if they are capable of reproduc
tion with dots, they are inaccessible to touch
and, however simple they might seem, they are
difficult to identify. Touch, on account of its
inability to appreciate perspective, cannot
discriminate forms in a bi-dimensional
representation
2. When pictures are eliminated one should consider whether their omission significantly
affects the contents of the book. If so, they
should be substituted by their corresponding
caption when it is explicit enough, or by a
textual explanation.
3. Geometric drawings, diagrams and graphs,
which are usually the basis of a mathematical
or scientific demonstration should be made with
dots and they should comply with the following
conditions:
(a) That braille embossed reproduction should
be technically possible.
(b) That such reproduction should be
perfectly understandable by touch, and
(c) If the figure is very complex, before
its transcription someone with sufficient
experience should simplify it to the limit
| by eliminating unrelevant auxiliary lines
or he should adapt it without detriment to
i the demonstration.
4. Figures should be placed in the braille book
( as near as possible to the theorem or problem they illustrate or for the demonstration of which
they are the basis.
5. With regard to diagrams, organigrams, tables
with keys or the like, developed formulae for Organic Chemistry, tree structures, synoptic
tables, etc., a similar criterion as indicated
p for geometric figures or graphs should be followed. Their possibilities for embossed rep production and their ability to be understood by touch should be carefully studied and if
necessary, they should be adapted by an expert. When tables and diagrams, etc., are too complex
and difficult to be transcribed or understood, «,
it is better to reproduce them horizontally and I
sequentially, as this is more in accordance with
tactile possibilities. In order to apply these criteria we have just specified adequately, it is first necessary to carry out a thorough
study of the ink print book so as to eliminate, adapt or m
transcribe the visual means it contains. This study
should be made by suitably qualified people with a good n
knowledge of the subject of the book, with a mastery of the possibilities of braille transcription and with good
teaching experience. This team should consist of both |
sighted and blind people. The book-editing team has to
work in close cooperation with the printing house or better still, it should consist of members of the braille
works staff in order to ensure perfect functioning. Problems posed by print resources. At present m
ink print books, especially textbooks, contain agreat ..!
variety of print resources: use of different colours and «
various type sizes and forms, marginal or interpolated j
paragraphs, formulae layouts and definitions, footnotes,
etc. All this, together with the enormous abundance of i
visual elements render the books extremely pleasant and
are a recreation for sight. "But this luxury in the print book, relevant in many
occasions since it emphasises what is important and acts
as an aid to memory, and which is a true visual rest,
poses great difficulties for its transcription into braille,
if we intend to show everything.
It is well known that the braille system has a single
character type and that its possibilities are limited to
the combination of the six dots, with which the sixty
three simple signs can be made. It is necessary to use key signs which, placed before the simple ones, transform
them in numbers, capital letters or italics. However,
bearing in mind that braille reading is analytical and
sequential, these key signs should be reduced to a mini
mum so that they do not become a serious obstacle for the
blind reader.
Although we are not going to give a detailed account
of the rules concerning the use of key signs, it is,
however, absolutely necessary to suggest some basic
criteria so that transcribers know what action to take
and how to interpret the ink print resources suitable when
having to make the braille version.
These criteria are
as follows:
1. In braille transcription it is impossible
to reproduce the enormous variety of print
resources of the ink print book, i.e., use of
different colours and different type sizes
and forms. Consequently, key signs should
only be used in really relevant cases:
(a) The number sign should precede any
numerical expression.
(b) The capital letter sign will be used in
the following instances: before the
initial word of any writing, all proper
names, the initial word of a paragraph,
after full stop and optionally after the
colon and in any other cases where the
text requires it, such as a literal
mathematical expression, some items
with literal enumeration, etc. When in
the ink print book a word is written
entirely with capital letters or when
the initial letter of every word in
a paragraph is capital or the whole
paragraph is written with capital letters,there are some conventional solutions
in braille, but they are not very con
vincing, and therefore, it is advisable
not to apply them.
(c) The italic letter sign will precede
those words which, because of their
importance, it is necessary to emphasise
as well as brief paragraphs applying
the existing braille solution for that
purpose, which is not very convincing H
and which should be eliminated in long
paragraphs. The italic braille sign n
stands for the following ink print
variants: italic, bold type, letters
with a different colour, underlined
words, or in general, all forms of em
phasising a word. It is also used to |
emphasise a letter or group of letters desinential prefixes and suffixes but this solution is hardly in accordance
with braille, and therefore, its appropriateness should be studied in each.
2. When paragraphs written in small characters,
marginal or interpolated paragraphs are indica
tive of complementary information or a more
advanced knowledge corresponding to a higher educational level, they should be transcribed
into braille in a distinct manner, isolating them by means of blank lines and using a con
ventional sign. In Spain for this purpose, we m
i
usually write a double asterisk sign preceding
the capital letter which initiates the paragraph and a single one after the full stop sign
that ends it.
3. If those marginal or interpolated paragraphs
are only placed in this way for situational reasons, as parallel information, an adequate
place within the text will be sought to insert
them.
4. Formulae, definitions or paragraphs in a
box can be transcribed, surrounded by dotted
lines, in order to enable their easy location
and make them stand out.
5. Notes, both those from the ink print book
and the ones belonging to the braille edition,
should be placed at the foot of the page and
should be separated from the text by a dotted
line. However, when books have a great pro
fusion of notes and, therefore, their inser
tion at the foot of the page would imply a
serious nuisance for reading because of the
limitation of the written braille space, they
can be placed immediately after the end of a
chapter or lesson, this being indicated when
the first one appears. Bearing in mind that
print resources, besides having an informative
goal, also aim, as we said, to be an entertain
ment for sight it would be worthwhile to
investigate whether in braille books, within
the lack of resources, means could be found
to serve as entertainment for touch. I wonder
whether some blank spaces and lines, provided
that they do not hinder the continuity of
reading, could fulfill this end. This is my
suggestion, in case it should be of interest
it should be further investigated.
(d) Special notations. Braille with its limited
resources has to cope with the presentation of signs and
symbols for mathematics and science, phonetics, linguistics
and music and which often appear in ink print books with
a great variety of meanings.
Three positions have been adopted by those concerned,
and they usually coincide with their conception of
blindness in general:
1. Sightism. Those who maintain this position
believe that braille should be an exact copy, a
very accurate transcription from the ink print
book, containing the graphic information, re
flecting the typographic resources and omitting
exclusively those prints, tables or typographic
resources, which are clearly impossible to be
transcribed on technical grounds.
The defenders of this position think the appre
hension possibilities of touch are in a way
equal to those of sight because the visual
sensibles that touch does not perceive can
be replaced, so they believe, by imagination
and intelligence. They hold the view that
touch can even apprehend perspective with a period of training.
2. Blindism. The defenders of this position
believe that textbooks should be made specially
for the blind, taking into consideration the resources of the braille system and the information. The fight against verbalism has led to the opposite extreme, that is, intuitionism,
and the enormous abundance of visual means makes textbooks almost intranscribable, above
all, those prepared for the first grades of m
elementary education where there is a minimal
amount of written text and graphic information
occupies almost the entire book.
3. Eclectic position. This is a midway |
position, belonging to those who consider that
many texts cannot be transcribed exactly in the same way as they have been conceived, not
only for reasons of technical impossibility
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