Nonregular fonts

[Josh]

This question relates to fonts in a book that is being done in textbook style. Please see the attached file.

The book we are transcribing shows regular text intermingled with text that is shown in a couple different fonts. The purpose of the non-regular fonts is to show that the text is being done as texting, e-mail, or other electronic writing. Sometimes this is displayed and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it is in full capitals and sometimes not. The file I am attaching shows three separate instances.

If I am reading the rules correctly, according to 5.2.1 the non-regular fonts are considered distinctive typefaces and not a font attribute. Because the non-regular fonts are serving a purpose – to designate that this text is different from the surrounding text – it must be shown in some way. However, the rules do not say what to do with them.

The book uses italics, bold and full-caps in various ways. That leaves those options out. However, I know that we need to include a note on the transcriber’s note page stating the decision made. I am thinking the non-regular fonts should all be grouped together with a note on the Transcriber’s Notes page saying that they are all going to be shown with the underline indicator preceding them and ended with the termination indicator.

Please let me know if I am interpreting the new rules correctly or not. If I am not, please suggest a way for us to handle the material that has both a regular and non-regular typeface.

Thank you!

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[joannavenneri]

This ia a great question and you have insightful observations about it. I agree with your coclusion that the problem here is to decide how to set off the texting. I would not use underlining because that adds an entity not present in the print and while underlining is a new format, I think it works best with single words or phrases and not with protracted passages such as this. Imagine what underlining all that would loook like in print!

I suggest boxes. Boxing is the most obvious and essential way to set off large print selections in braille. Use conventional capitalization and I think 1-3 dialog even though there are no speaker names. Don't the angle brackets indicate that the narrator is texting?

Write a TN that says the text messageing is printed in uppercase letters and that in braille the text message exchanges are enclsosed in boxes and the updercase print is omitted. I would keep the angle brackets as printed without comment and that reading experience will remain the same for the braille reader as it is for the print reader. List the angle brackets as special symbols.

--Joanna

[joannavenneri]

Thanks for your reply but what you suggested will not work for this book. Boxes cannot be used effectively because some of the electronic messaging text is embedded inside normal paragraph text and only set off by a different typeface and capital letters– please refer to the first page of the sample file. If this material was all displayed and not interspersed with regular text, boxes would work fine and so would 1-3 format. However, that isn’t the case which is why we were struggling to find a way to set the text off the easiest, clearest way possible. I know underlining would be cumbersome but I don’t know what else to try at this point. Any more suggestions?

[joannavenneri]

The example you sent doesn't show the text message exchange as embedded, so I didn't get that. Please send a page that shows the embedded texting you refer to. We have the example you sent and the embedded situation you are going to send. Are there any other instances of text messaging handled in any way OTHER than these two? If you have anything like that, please send it as well. I need to see ALL the different instances of the way texting is shown in order to work on formulating a consistent and readable solution.

--Joanna

[Josh]

The pages in the file I sent do illustrate the different types of message text. I am attaching the same three pages but will circle the instances I am referring to. These are the broad examples of what is shown in the rest of the book.

On the bottom of the first page, you will see that there are two types. The first is displayed and has angle brackets. Right under that is a line with regular text in the middle of two exchanges. That is where the biggest problem lies and why I said that boxes won’t work. If we are using boxes to set off all of the electronic messages, the embedded regular text in this line would be a problem.

[Josh]

To any interested readers:
We resolved this in a phone conversation yesterday and here is what we decided:
1. The TEXTING is handled differently than the IM's in print and that will be done in braille too. The IM's are brailled as printed, as a dialog in 1-3 with a blank line before and after. We noted that the IM's are not in double caps and the speakers are shown in the manner of a dialog.
2. The TEXTING is brailled with normal capitalization and is boxed. The occasional narrator comments in lower case is treated as embedded in the texting and enclosed in parenthese. A TN precedes the affected exchange that says non-texting words are enclosed in parentheses in the follow texting exchange.

Double caps are NOT a font attribute and are extremely undesirable in a protracted passage such as this. It was decided NOT to add a font attitribute not present in print and not necessary to understand the material.

The usage of boxes to enclose texting and the fact that the texting is printed in double caps is explained in a TN, probably on the TN page, since this occurs throughout the book. We also noted that the term "texting" must be carefully and consistently used, rather than "text" because text typically refers to the actual text of the book.

Comments from other readers are always welcome.

--Joanna

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