Not all areas have Braille users that can produce Braille so perfectly. Wyoming for instance I am the only Braille reader within a 2 to 5 hour drive. I do the best I can for my one student. Juanita Quoting Kaizen ESL Program <kaizen_esl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>: > Hi George, > > No, I am not a partner of Betsy's way out in the Pacific, although I > would > really like to be in a nice warm sunny place during the winter, when > Seattle > Washington is chilly and rainy, similar to London. But, I am in the > heart of > urban Seattle, which has its interesting aspects too. > > In any case, I want to let you and everyone else know that I didn't mean > my > remarks about the problems of automatic translation into braille to be > a > criticism of Duxbury. As far as I am concerned, Duxbury is a very good > tool. > I think it could be improved, and I hope that some of the problems I > mentioned can be dealt with. I also hope that more easy-to-read and > understand manuals and tutorials can be prepared. But, Duxbury is quite > good > already. And, the Duxbury technical support staff is the most > responsive > and the most helpful technical support staff of any software program I > am > familiar with. They respond quickly when we contact them, and they > keep > responding by e-mail and even by phone until they have succeeded in > helping > us learn what we need to know or solve whatever problems we are > encountering. On top of that, this list is the best users' list I have > encountered. Everyone shares their knowledge generously without too > much > tech talk, and everyone is pleasant and polite. I learn a little from > it > every week, even when I am not having problems. And it gives me courage > to > experiment with new things to get more refined results. > > My main gripe is with people who are not braille users who think that > they > can produce perfectly adequate braille texts just by using the > automatic > features of a braille translation program. It is not possible now, and > I > don't think that it will ever be possible, because the best braille > translation program will be just that, a computer program, not a > thinking > person. Even when people use Microsoft Word the correct way, there are > a > number of things that work well in print but not in braille, like > tables, or > are different in print and braille, like the best ways to set off text > or > make it easier to read ... not to mention maps and other graphics. I > think > that producing good readable braille is truly an art, as is producing > good > readable print for that matter. The software can help, but it can't make > all > of the decisions. I think we need more braille users involved in > producing > braille for other braille users. I think that mainstream educational > and > other programs that have embossers and Duxbury should understand that > they > need some braille users involved in the production of the braille in > order > to get decent quality. No matter how many rules and cautions we give > them, > new incongruities are always popping up that are only noticed by > braille > users. > > Thanks for all your help, and thanks for reading this. > > Sylvie Kashdan > Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator > KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations > 810-A Hiawatha Place South > Seattle, WA 98144 > phone: (206) 784-5619 > email: kaizen_esl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > * * * > * This message is via list duxuser at freelists.org. > * To unsubscribe, send a blank message with > * unsubscribe > * as the subject to <duxuser-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>. You may also > * subscribe, unsubscribe, and set vacation mode and other subscription > * options by visiting //www.freelists.org. The list archive > * is also located there. > * Duxbury Systems' web site is http://www.duxburysystems.com > * * * > * * * * This message is via list duxuser at freelists.org. * To unsubscribe, send a blank message with * unsubscribe * as the subject to <duxuser-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>. You may also * subscribe, unsubscribe, and set vacation mode and other subscription * options by visiting //www.freelists.org. The list archive * is also located there. * Duxbury Systems' web site is http://www.duxburysystems.com * * *