E-Text Editing
Guidelines
CADSPPE COMMITTEE ON TRANSCRIPTIONS ISSUES
2005-2006
1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 2
Introduction to Transcription Services ............................................................................... 3
Welcome to CADSPPE’s Transcriptions Guidelines ..................................................... 3
What is Transcription Services? ................................................................................. 3
What is a print disability?........................................................................................... 3
What We Transcribe ........................................................................................................ 4
The Need for Quality! ..................................................................................................... 4
Page Numbering .............................................................................................................. 5
Page Breaks ..................................................................................................................... 6
Separating Paragraphs, Titles, and Subtitles ................................................................... 6
The Spell/Grammar Check .............................................................................................. 7
Bulleted Lists ................................................................................................................... 7
Hyphenated Words .......................................................................................................... 9
Long Quotations .............................................................................................................. 9
Headers .......................................................................................................................... 10
Respecting the Original Document ............................................................................... 11
ADVANCED EDITING TECHNIQUES – SPECIAL FORMATTING ........................ 12
Captions on Figures and Pictures .................................................................................. 12
Linearized Tables .......................................................................................................... 14
Graphs ............................................................................................................................ 15
Sidenotes ........................................................................................................................ 16
Footnotes and Endnotes................................................................................................. 19
Are Footnotes and Endnotes Different? ................................................................... 19
Where to place Footnotes & Endnotes on a Page .................................................... 19
Charts ............................................................................................................................. 22
EDITING REFERENCE TABLES, GLOSSARIES & INDICES .................................. 24
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... 24
Bibliographies................................................................................................................ 25
Glossaries & Indices ...................................................................................................... 26
Transcriber’s Notes ....................................................................................................... 26
APPENDIX: GLOSSARY OF KEY WORDS1 .............................................................. 29
APPENDIX: ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY................................................................... 32
APPENDIX: WINDOWS SHORT-CUT KEYS ............................................................ 33
2
Introduction to Transcription Services
Welcome to CADSPPE’s Transcriptions Guidelines
What is Transcription Services?
The Transcription Services provide text materials in alternative formats to students with
print disability. The term alternative format describes any text that has been reproduced
in large print, electronic text, Braille or audio format. (For a complete list refer to the
Appendix)
What is a print disability?
According to the law, individuals with a “print disability” include anyone who has a
perceptual disability that prevents them from using standard print edition texts, as define
by the following criteria: [Section 32.(1) of the Copyright Act]
(c)
Perceptual disability
A perceptual disability includes one or more of the following range of difficulties:
 a visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after correction;
 a visual field of 20 degrees or less;
 any progressive eye disease with a prognosis of becoming one of the above within
five years;
 a visual problem or related visual stamina that is not correctable and that results in
the user functioning as if his or her visual acuity is limited to 20/70 or less;
 for educational purposes, a student whose visual acuity is not sufficient for the
student to participate in everyday educational activities without the
accommodation of instructional and related materials in alternate formats;
 an inability to hold or manipulate printed materials;
 any other impairment (including but not limited to dyslexia and brain injury) such
that user cannot use print publications other than in formats not available from
publisher.
This includes (but not limited to) the following disabilities:
3





Blind/Visually Impaired
Learning Disability
Physical Disability
Psychiatric Disability
Medical Disability
What We Transcribe
Material that may be requested for transcription includes:




Exams
Textbooks
Research materials
Course packs
The Need for Quality!
Students with a print disability do not have access to regular course “printed” materials.
Print Books, journals and articles must be adapted into an accessible format like Braille,
eText and Audio.
DID YOU KNOW? Timely access to alternative format materials is essential to a
student’s academic success. Studies have shown that for every one (1) week delay in
receiving material, a student with a print disability will receive a 5% lower grade. It is
important that the following transcription guidelines are adhered to in order to provide
course material to students in a timely manner.
4
Page Numbering
Each transcribed page should begin with a page number. The number should correspond to the text document.


The page number should appear at the top left hand corner of the document.
The format should be: Capital “P” lower case “a-g-e” followed by the number. (i.e. Page 1)
Example Print Text
Example Edited Text
Page 485
been the original text of Luke, which was changed by protoorthodox scribes who rejected the adoptionists' view of Jesus'
baptism. This makes better sense than thinking that a scribe
changed Luke's text (by having the voice quote Psalm 2) to
snake it sound more adoptionistic than it already was.
A final example involves the famous words of 1 John 5:7-8,
the only passage in the entire Bible that explicitly affirms the
Christian doctrine of the trinity-that the Godhead consists of
three persons but that "these three are one." Even though the
passage is part of the Latin Bible and found its way into the
King James Version, it does not occur in any Greek
manuscript of the New Testament prior to the fourteenth
century. To my knowledge, there is no textual scholar who
thinks that the passage was originally found in 1 John.
CRITERIA FOR ESTABLISHING THE ORIGINAL
TEXT
There is a subdiscipline within New Testament scholarship
5
called "textual criticism," which seeks to establish the
original text of the New Testament based on the surviving
Page Breaks
 Page breaks should match those of the original text document.
 To insert a page break, use a hard return [Ctrl+Enter].
Do not press enter continuously to create a new page. Use a Hard Return
[CRTL + ENTER]
Separating Paragraphs, Titles, and Subtitles
Please note the following conventions when formatting spaces between paragraphs:




Paragraphs are separated to correspond to the format of the original document.
One blank line between paragraphs
One Blank Line separating titles or subtitles from the text.
All titles and subtitles should be separated, bolded, and centered.
NOTE: The T3 macro automatically separates paragraphs in a document. However, it does not
always create the necessary paragraph breaks.
6
The Spell/Grammar Check
The spell check ensures that any word(s) inadvertently misspelled is/are identified. Misspelled words can cause
confusion for the student using the edited text.
Sometimes the spell checker misses errors!
Close and reopen the document before performing an
additional spell check to allow the program to refresh and
catch additional errors.
The grammar check usually catches spelling and formatting mistakes that are not easily identifiable.
Bulleted Lists
All bullets (such as those found in a bulleted list) must be replaced by hyphens. (See example on following page)
7
Example Print Text - Bullets
Example Edited Text - Bullets
8
Hyphenated Words
Words separated by a hyphen should be joined in the electronic format, unless the hyphen occurs naturally in the word
(e.g. self-importance). If a word is hyphenated and spans two pages, place the word at the end of the first page.
Example Print – Hyphenated Word
However, more intermit
-tently the dog ran, it
only increased its genneral anxiety.
Example Edited Text – Hyphenated Word
However, more
intermittently the dog
ran, it only increased its
general anxiety.
Long Quotations
Long, indented quotations should be formatted as regular paragraphs without indentation.
9
Headers
All repeating headers in the print editions are eliminated in the alternative format version. The only header that should
be retained is the page numbering.
10
Respecting the Original Document
Do not correct mistakes in the electronic copy if they appear in the original document (unless it is clearly a typographical
error and does not occur on an examination testing reading skills/ESL, etc).
In all situations, the original author’s choice of spelling, grammar, and punctuation must be followed regardless of
errors. For example, do not replace American spelling with Canadian, i.e. color changed to colour.
A Transcriptionist’s objective is to translate the document into the most accessible format possible
while maintaining the academic, informational and artistic integrity of the work.
11
ADVANCED EDITING TECHNIQUES – SPECIAL FORMATTING
Text documents often include notations or formatting that requires Special Formatting. This section outlines the specific
editing procedures for handle footnotes, side notes, captions.
All Special Formattings are to be placed at the bottom of the transcribed page regardless of where they appear in the
original document.
A specific order should be followed in the placement of secondary text(s):
1. Images/Figures/Tables/ Graphs or Captions
2. Sidenotes
3. Footnotes/Endnotes
Anything that has been placed into asterisks and classified as a special text must be accompanied by the appropriate
identifier written in capital leaders, [i.e. FOOTNOTES].
Captions on Figures and Pictures
All images should be eliminated from the document during the scanning process (unless otherwise indicated on the
Transcriptions Log). If the image is accompanied by a caption, the caption should be included in the transcribed
document.
To indicate a caption in the electronic text, place three spaced asterisks (* * *) before and following the caption in the
document. (See example below)
12
Example Edited Text – Picture
Example Print - Picture
Page 483
scribes believed he was, then he must have been all-knowing and
therefore must have known when the end was to come. Scribes
solved the theological problem of Jesus' ignorance by removing any
reference to it from the text.
As you can see, some textual changes can be important for textual
interpretation. Consider several other important examples. As we
have seen,
the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at 16:8 with the
report that the women fled Jesus' empty tomb in fear and told no one
what they had seen. Later manuscripts append an additional twelve
verses in which the resurrected Jesus appears before his disciples and
delivers a remarkable speech in which he says, among other things,
that those who believe in him will be able to
***
FIGURE 29.1: The first chapter of the book of Hebrews in one of
the oldest and best surviving manuscripts of the New Testament,
Codex Vaticanus. Notice the marginal note between the first and
second columns. A corrector to the text had erased a word in verse 3
and substituted another word in its place; some centuries later, a
second corrector came along, erased the correction, reinserted the
original word, and wrote a note in the margin to castigate the first
corrector. The note reads, "Fool and knave, leave the old reading,
don't change it!"
***
13
Linearized Tables
The following example shows how to transcribe a table in a linear format for students who are blind or visually
impaired.
Example–Non-Linearized Table
Box 4.5 Frames of reference and approaches
Box 4.5 Frames of reference and approaches
Primary frame
reference
of
Applied frame of reference
Approaches
Physiological
Biomechanical
Biomechanical
Activities of daily living
Compensatory
Psychological
Neurodevelopmental
Bobath
Pnf
Rood
Conductive education (Peto)
Bread
Toast
Peanut-Butter
Example – Linearized Table
***
TABLE: Box 4.5, Frames of reference and approaches
Primary frame of reference: Physiological
Applied frame of reference: Biomechanical
Approaches: Biomechanical, activities of daily living, compensatory
Primary frame of reference: Psychological
Applied frame of reference: Neurodevelopmental
Approaches: Bobath, Pnf, rood, conductive education (Peto)
Primary frame of reference: Bread
Applied frame of reference: Toast
Approaches: Peanut-Butter
***
14
Graphs
The following example shows how to transcribe a graph into an accessible format.
Example Print - Graph
Example Edited Text - Graph
***
GRAPH 12.3: Unemployment rate in Ontario. The following graph
indicates the fluctuating rate of unemployment with seasonality.
Month: Level of Unemployment (Percentage)
January: 6.9%
February: 7.1%
March: 8.1%
April: 8%
May: 9%
***
NOTE
The transcription of graphs is not an exact science and
some interpolation may be required on the part of the
transcriber. Like all Special Formatting elements, it must
be delineated from the main text using 3 spaced asterisks
(* * *) before and after the table/caption.
GRAPH 12.3 Unemployment Rate in Ontario. The following graph
indicates the fluctuating rate of unemployment with seasonality.
15
Sidenotes
Sidenotes are definitions, comments or other text that exists in the margins of textbooks. Sidenotes should always be
included in a transcribed document unless otherwise specified. They must be separated from the main text of a
document with three spaced asterisks and ‘SIDENOTES’ as the descriptor.
In the next example, the transcriber decided to group all definitions (JIT, Lean Production, Variability, Pull System) at
the beginning of the SIDENOTE and the TEN OM DECISION list at the end. This will make it easier for the user to
follow the change in context. It is acceptable to make decisions/personal judgements to change the order of the text to
enhance readability, but you must never modify or delete the content.
16
Example Print – Sidenotes
17
Example Edited Text - Sidenotes
Page 596
JUST IN-TIME AND LEAN PRODUCTION
Just-in-time is a philosophy of continuous and forced problem solving that supports lean production. Lean production supplies the customer with exactly
what the customer wants when the customer wants it, without waste, through continuous improvement. Lean production is driven by the "pull" of the
customer's order. JIT is a key ingredient of lean production. When implemented as a comprehensive manufacturing strategy, JIT and lean production
sustain competitive advantage and result in greater overall returns.
With JIT, supplies and components are "pulled" through a system to arrive where they are needed when they are needed. When good units do not arrive
just as needed, a "problem" has been identified. This makes JIT an excellent tool to help operations managers add value by driving out waste and unwanted
variability. Because there is no excess inventory or excess time in a JIT system, costs associated with unneeded inventory are eliminated and throughput
improved. Consequently, the benefits of JIT are particularly helpful in supporting strategies of rapid response and low cost.
Because elimination of waste and variability and the concept of "pulling" materials are fundamental to both JIT and lean production, we will briefly
discuss them in this section. We will then introduce applications of JIT with suppliers, layout, inventory, scheduling, quality, and employee empowerment.
Then we will review some of the distinguishing features of lean production and look at JIT applied to services.
Waste Reduction
When we talk about waste in the production of goods or services, we are describing anything that does not add value. Products being stored, inspected, or
delayed, products waiting in queues, and defective products do not add value; they are 100% waste. Moreover, any activity that does not add value to a
product from the customer's perspective is waste. JIT speeds up throughput, allowing faster delivery times and reducing work-in-process. Reducing workin-process releases assets in inventory for other, more productive, purposes.
Pull versus Push
The concept behind JIT is that of a pull system: a system that pulls a unit to where it is needed just as it is needed. A pull system uses signals to request
production and delivery from stations upstream to the station that has production capacity available. The pull concept is used both within the immediate
production process and with suppliers. By pulling material through the system in very small lots just as it is needed, the cushion of inventory that hides
problems is
***
SIDENOTES:
Just-in-time (JIT): A philosophy of continuous and forced problem solving that drives out waste.
Lean production: A way to eliminate waste through a focus on exactly what the customer wants.
Variability: Any deviation from the optimum process that delivers perfect product on time, every time.
Pull system: A JIT concept that results in material being produced only when requested and moved to where it is needed just as it is needed.
TEN OM STRATEGY DECISIONS
Design of Goods and Services
Managing Quality
Process Strategy
Location Strategies
Layout Strategies
Human Resources
Supply-Chain Management
Inventory Management: Independent; Demand Dependent; Demand; JIT & Lean Production
Scheduling Maintenance
***
18
Footnotes and Endnotes
Footnotes and endnotes should always be included in a transcribed document unless otherwise specified.
Footnote and endnotes often appear in text in superscript. To indicate the appearance of a footnote or endnote in the
body of the text document using the following format

Use square brackets

Insert the proper classification (Footnote or Endnote)

The end result should appear: [Footnote 1] or [Endnote 1]
Are Footnotes and Endnotes Different?
In the print version Footnotes always appear at the end of a page. Endnotes normally appear at the end of a chapter or
Book.
IMPORTANT: When transcribing ENDNOTES, in the transcribed file – the endnotes must be
moved from the end of the chapter/book to the bottom of page on which they occur (like footnotes).
The only difference will be the notation, “ENDNOTES”.
Where to place Footnotes & Endnotes on a Page
Footnotes and Endnotes should be placed at the bottom of the page on which they occur and separated from the main
text by the three spaced asterisks and the title ‘FOOTNOTES’ (always plural). There are different procedures for
editing footnotes and endnotes in Braille documents. Please click here to view these guidelines. (ADD LINK)
19
Example Print – Footnotes
20
Example Edited Text – Footnotes
Page 93
(d) Pursuant to Other Acts
(i) Competition Act 48
- against an order of prohibition or dissolution on a question of law: s. 34(3).
(ii) National Defence Act [Footnote 49]
- against a decision of the Court Martial Appeal Court - on a question of law on which a judge dissents: s. 245.
(iii) Dominion Controverted Elections Act [Footnote 50]
- against the final decision of a Superior Court after the trial of an election petition on any question of law or of fact: ss. 64-69.
(iv) Federal Court Act [Footnote 51]
- against any decision of the Federal Court of Appeal in the case of a controversy between Canada and a province, or between two or more provinces: s.
32.
(v) Young Offenders Act [Footnote 52]
- in the case of indictable offences, pursuant to Part XVIII of the Criminal Code: s. 27(1)53
(4) Interim Steps Before One is Heard on Appeal
(a) The Formal Order Granting Leave
If leave to appeal is granted, the formal order is drafted by the appellant, approved by the respondent, then submitted to the Registrar of the Court for
signature: RR. 22(4) and 54. [Footnote 54]
The practice is that whoever makes an application or motion drafts the order. There is no specific time period in which to file the formal order granting
leave.
***
FOOTNOTES:
48. R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34 as amended by R.S.S. 1985 (3rd Supp.), c.34
49. R.S.C. 1985, c. N-5.
50. R.S.C. 1985, c. C-39.
51. R.S.C. 1985, c. F-7.
52. R.S.C. 1985, c. Y-1.
53. But not:
(a) where there has been a finding of guilt or an order dismissing an information: s.27(5), in which case leave is required.
21
(b) in the case of decision rendered pursuant to ss.28-32, from which no appeal lies (s.27(6)).
54. Supra footnote 6; as well, s. 677 of the Criminal Code must be complied with in an "as of right appeal" based on a dissent in the Court of Appeal
below.
Charts
Example Print – Chart
22
Example Edited Text - Chart
Page 195
Le modèle proposé par Zuckerman comporte différentes versions (Zuckerman et al., 1988). Un modèle à trois facteurs
comprenait les facteurs de sociabilité et d'émotionnalité, lesquels étaient fort proches des facteurs d'extraversion et de
neuroticisme du modèle d'Eysenck et du modèle des cinq facteurs, et un troisième facteur appelé recherche impulsive
de sensations à caractère antisocial. Ce dernier est similaire à la recherche de sensations, mais insiste plus sur son côté
antisocial. En fait, il correspond à l'incapacité d'inhiber un comportement au service d'une adaptation sociale. Dans un
modèle à cinq facteurs, le facteur extraversion est divisé en deux
***
FIGURE 5.26: Illustration du modèle à trois, cinq et sept facteurs de Zuckerman (d'après Zuckerman etal.,1988).
1
1.1
1.1.1
1.2
1.2.1
Sociabilité
Sociabilité
Sociabilité
Activité
Activité
2
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
Émotionnalité
Émotionnalité
Anxiété
Colère
3
3.1
3.1.1
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.1.1
***
Recherche impulsive de sensations
Recherche de sensations agressives
Recherche de sensations agressives
Recherche impulsive de sensations
Autonomie.vs Conformité
Impulsivité
Note that in this example it was necessary to convert the chart
into a bulleted list using nested numbers to conserve the
relationships between the tiers.
23
EDITING REFERENCE TABLES, GLOSSARIES & INDICES
Table of Contents
Tables of contents are always edited and saved separately in a file called “Contents.wpd”. When editing a table of
contents, do not include tabs, indentations, or dot leaders. Please use the following formatting:
Example Print – Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Transcription Services ......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 What is Transcription Services?.............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2 What We Transcribe................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3 The Need for Quality! ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.4 Cross Training ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.5 Using the Database .................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Example Edited Text – Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction to Transcription Services, page 4
1.1 What is Transcription Services? page 4
1.2 What We Transcribe, page 5
1.3 The Need for Quality! page5
1.4 Cross Training, page 6
1.5 Using the Database, page 6
NOTE: Generally, after each line in the table of
contents, you place a comma and “page ##”. E.G.
1.2 What we Transcribe, page 4
Follow this notation except when the end of the line
already terminates in punctuation, as in:
1.3 The Need for Quality! page 5
In this case a comma is not necessary.
24
Bibliographies
Bibliographies are transcribed without any special formatting (underlines, indents, etc.) unless it is going to be
transcribed into Braille. When transcribing for Braille format, conserve all print notation including italics, bold,
underline, etc.
Example Print – Bibliography
Example Edited Text - Bibliography
Page 315
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Advocate, 2 March 1999, 15.
Advocate, 10 November 1998, 18.
Alexander, Kathey, and Holly Morris. "Gay Activists Plan `Family' Rally in Cobb." Atlanta Journal
and Constitution, 14 August 1993.
Alsop, Ronald. "In Marketing to Gays, Lesbians Are Often Left Out." Wall Street Journal, 11
October 1999.
Alwood, Edward. Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media. New York: Columbia
University Press, 1996.
Ansen, David. "Gay Films Are a Drag." Newsweek, 18 March 1996.
Badgett, M. V Lee. Income Inflation: The Myth of Affluence among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual
Americans. New York: A joint Publication of the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force and the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies, 1998.
Bauder, David. "`Dawson's Creek' Gay Character Gets Little Notice So Far." Atlanta Journal and
Constitution, 17 March 1999.
Bauder, David. "TV's Independent Film Channel Running a Gay and Lesbian Film Festival."
Associated Press, 9 February 2000.
Bawer, Bruce. A Place at the Table: The Gay Individual in American Society. New York:
Touchstone Books, 1994.
Bawer, Bruce. ed, Beyond Queer: Challenging Gay Left Orthodoxy. New York: Free Press, 1996.
Berke, Richard L. "Chasing the Polls on Gay Rights." New York Times, 2 August 1998.
25
Glossaries & Indices
When transcribing an Index or Glossary, follow the established conventions for transcriptions.
Transcriber’s Notes
Sometimes it is necessary to communicate information to the user of the document about the text, or how it was
modified into an alternative format. Some reasons to use a Transcriber’s note include:
 Poor Original Text Quality: Perhaps a poor photocopy means you cannot read the page to transcribe the text.
(This is quite common when editing course-packs). A Transcriber’s note to the student indicating there is missing
information would be an appropriate Transcriber’s Note.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: The original photocopy is unclear and
cannot be transcribed. One paragraph is missing from page 32.
 “Fill in the Blanks”: Sometimes with fill in the blanks the print edition will use underscores (_______). This
would be replaced in the eText version by [BLANK]. It would be important to indicate this in a Transcriber’s
Note. (This Transcriber’s Note is important to include on exams).
 Omitted Picture/Figure without Caption: Sometimes it is not possible to transcribed a figure and it does not
have a caption. It is necessary to use a Transcriber’s Note to indicate what information is missing in the most
precise detail possible.
 Specially Formatted text that Conveys Meaning
26
To insert a Transcriber’s note in a document, begin and close the note with three spaced asterisks (* * *) and the heading
‘TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE’. (See example below)
Transcriber’s Notes should occur before the incident they describe, not after. …
27
Example Print – Transcriber’s Note
Example Edited Text – Transcriber’s Note
Page 135
***
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: In the following exercise “fill-in-the-blank” spaces have been replaced by
the following notation [BLANK].
***
Marc : J'[BLANK] une soeur et un frère. On une famille d'accueil, tu sais comment elle s'appelle?
Noël: Non.
M. Dion : Voilà. Votre famille s'appelle les Duvernay. Je vous présente M. Duvernay. Il [BLANK] un
fils, Simon.
M. Duvernay, voici Noël et Marc.
M. Duvernay : Bonjour, les jeunes. Je m'appelle Roger. Allez, on y va? Vous [BLANK] vos bagages?
M. Dion : Au revoir, les jeunes. Vous téléphonez à la maison ce soir, OK?
Noël : Oui, nous [BLANK] le numéro.
M. Duvernay : Ils [BLANK] aussi beaucoup de bagages!
Francophonie : Ici et là-bas
République d'Haïti
Capitale : Port-au-Prince
Langues officielles : français et créole
Population : 6 millions d'habitants, les Haïtiens
Religions : vaudou, catholicisme
Taux d'alphabétisation : 53% de la population adulte
Une université
LE SAVIEZ-VOUS ? Le plus petit lézard du monde est haïtien : c'est une femelle gecko de 3,4 cm de
long, dont 1,7 cm pour la queue. Elle a été trouvée le 15 mars 1966.
***
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: The print reference contains a map of Haiti that is not included in the
transcribed version.
***
28
APPENDIX: GLOSSARY OF KEY WORDS1
Adaptive Technology: Software programs that enable visually and visually disabled individuals to view printed
materials. For a list of adaptive technology software used at Access Services, please see the appendix.
Alternative format: Describes any text that has been reproduced in either large print, electronic text (e-text), Braille
and/or audio format.
Analogue Audio: Cassette tapes in analogue formats.
Braille: A tactile system of cells of dots. A system of writing and printing for blind or visually impaired people, in
which varied arrangements of raised dots representing letters and numerals are identified by touch.
Caption: Written description that normally accompanies a picture, chart or diagram.
Codes: A system of symbols and rules used to represent instructions to a computer; a computer program. In
Transcription Services, the term code refers to the encoding in each document that establishes the format of the text.
Unnecessary codes, such as vadv, left tab, and soft hyphen, are removed from all documents. Codes not to be removed
from a document are hard-space return (HRt) and soft return (Srt).
Digital Audio CD MP3 format, with human voice, no navigational features. These files can be read on any MP3
enabled device (hardware and/or software).
Digital Audio: CD MP3 format, with human voice, with navigational features and structure (DAISY standard)
(Digital Accessible Information Systems). This format includes ability to find specific pages, chapters, sections, and in
some cases, index or topical entries. This format is used in special cases (sciences for example), where human voice is
required or where navigational features are essential for using the book (such as reference material). This format can be
read on any MP3 enabled device (without navigational features), on DAISY specific portable equipment (some
29
navigational features), or, most effectively, using a computer with DAISY software (highest level of navigational
features).
Digital Audio: CD MP3 format, with synthesized voice, transcribed from electronic text, with file names, no
navigational features. These files can be read on any MP3 enabled device (hardware and/or software).
Directory path: Refers to the location of materials on the transcription server.
Electronic Text (E-text): (word processing files) used by students (visually impaired, learning disabled) with screen
voice readers, such as JAWS, to read print materials using a computer. Electronic text can be further manipulated with
software such as screen readers (JAWS), and text-to-speech readers (such as Text Aloud, ReadPlease).
Endnote: A note placed at the end of an article, chapter, or book that comments on or cites a reference for a designated
part of the text.
Footnote: A note placed at the bottom of a page of a book or manuscript that comments on or cites a reference for a
designated part of the text
Large print: electronic format (E-text)
Large Print: Electronic text (PDF) format for students with low vision who can enlarge their own print products or read
them off the computer screen. Produced by Adobe Systems, Portable Document Format (PDF) allows documents to
appear on the computer just as they would in print.
Large print: print enlargement on paper
Macros: A single, user-defined command that is part of an application and executes a series of commands. In
Transcription Services, macros may be used by employees to remove unnecessary codes in documents.
30
Optical character recognition [OCR]: [1] The electronic identification and digital encoding of printed or handwritten
characters by means of an optical scanner and specialized software. [2] The technology involved in this process.
Sidenote: a notation made in the margins or sides of a page. [Please see appendix for an example.]
Special Formatting: Any textual information that may appear in a document and supplements the material. In example,
graphs, tables, figures, sidenotes, footnotes and endnotes.
Subtitle: A secondary, usually explanatory title.
Tactile Graphics: Raised or sculptured drawings.
Three spaced asterisks [* * *]: Three spaced asterisks are used to indicate the beginning and closing to an secondary
text in a transcribed document.
31
APPENDIX: ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Megadots: With MegaDots DOS based Braille translator you can convert computer text from your favorite word
processor to Braille output. Megadots has a word processor capabilities including features such as macros, bookmarks,
and find and replace.
Kurzweil 1000: Kurzweil 1000 is a scanning, reading and writing software program for use by people who are blind or
visually impaired. It works on a personal computer in conjunction with a flatbed scanner and synthetic speech to convert
the printed word into speech. The latest release of this software features include the ability to retain and display images,
the ability to send scanned files to portable note taking devices, a virtual Kurzweil printer driver that lets you read
anything you can print, including PDF files, the ability to create MP3 audio file recordings from scanned documents,
and more.
Kurzweil 3000: Kurzweil 3000 for Windows was first introduced in 1996. It has since become the a reading, writing
and learning solution for individuals of all ages with learning difficulties like dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD)
and other literacy difficulties.
JAWS - Job Access With Speech: Screen-reader for blind or visually impaired students.. JAWS provides speech
technology that works with the Windows operating system to provide access to today's popular software applications
and the Internet. JAWS uses an integrated voice synthesizer and your computer's sound card to output the content of
your computer screen to speakers. JAWS also outputs to refreshable Braille displays.
32
APPENDIX: WINDOWS SHORT-CUT KEYS
Using short-cut keys can greatly increase one’s speed in the editing process.
[CTRL] + A = Select All
[CTRL] + C = Copy
[CTRL] + V = Paste
[CTRL] + Z = Undo
[CTRL] + B = Bold
[CTRL] + I = Italics
[CTRL] + U = Underline
[CTRL] + E = Justify Center
[CTRL] + J = Justify Full
[CTRL] + L = Justify Left
[CTRL] + R = Justify Right
[CTRL] + F = Find and Replace
[CTRL] + Enter = Page Break/Hard Return
[CTRL] + O = Open
[CTRL] + P = Print
[CTRL] + S = Save
[CTRL] + Down = Move to Next Paragraph
[CTRL] + W = View Symbols (used for character replacement for foreign language texts like Greek or Russian)
33