[kdejute]

Thank you for your question, Elizabeth.

If I understand correctly, you are transcribing using UEB with NO Nemeth.

Using UEB for technical material, I would use the braille in the attached image and BRF files.

The first and third lines in those transcriptions are opening and closing grade 1 mode (the opening grade 1 passage indicator is a series of three dots 56, which must be preceded by the three-cell dot locator for use; the grade 1 terminator is dots 56, dot 3, and it also must be preceded by the dot locator for use).

The braille cells in the second line are:

• the opening general fraction indicator
• a pair of braille grouping indicators around AC
• the one-cell symbol for "bar over previous item"
• the general fraction line
• a pair of braille grouping indicators around HK
• the one-cell symbol for "bar over previous item"
• the closing general fraction indicator
• blank cell
• the two-cell equals sign
• blank cell
• the opening general fraction indicator
• a pair of braille grouping indicators around BC
• the one-cell symbol for "bar over previous item"
• the general fraction line
• a pair of braille grouping indicators around JK
• the one-cell symbol for "bar over previous item"
• the closing general fraction indicator

Again this is the transcription of your print example using UEB for technical material.

Does this help?

—Kyle

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[kdejute]

Well, there is not separate guidance or a publication that covers science, as opposed to math, material.

Also, your suggested placement for code switch indicators sounds good.

[kdejute]

Also, it is worth noting that none of the letters we're discussing here is an abbreviation; they are all variables or chemical SYMBOLS.

[kdejute]

Good points and contributions, Kaari. Thank you.

[kdejute]

Thank you for sharing your question, Angela.

I think the questions we need to ask are: Does your text use both P (italicized, uppercase) as a variable for pressure and P (not italicized, uppercase) as the chemical SYMBOL for Phosphorus? If so, then my understanding is that the italics for capital P should be retained as in print.

Similarly:

• Does your text use both V (italicized, uppercase) as a variable for volume and V (not italicized, uppercase) as the chemical SYMBOL for Vanadium?
• Does your text use R (italicized, uppercase) as a variable and also R (not italicized, uppercase) as the variable for the ideal gas constant?
• Does your text use both M (italicized, uppercase) as a variable and also M (not italicized, uppercase) as the variable for molar mass?
• Does your text use both T (italicized, uppercase) as a variable for temperature and T (not italicized, uppercase) as the variable for something else?
• Does your text use both n (italicized, lowercase) as a variable for number of moles and n (not italicized, lowercase) as the variable for something else?
• Does your text use both m (italicized, lowercase) as a variable for mass and m (not italicized, lowercase) as the variable for something else?
• ...

If the answer is yes to any of the above, then my understanding is that for that letter in that case (upper or lower) the italics should be retained as in print.

The goal is to give the braille reader the same tools that the print reader gets to distinguish these "duplicate same-case letters."

Again, thank you for sharing your question.

–Kyle

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by kdejute. Reason: update response, to address "duplicate letters"
• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by kdejute.

[kdejute]

I think I’d be able to answer your question more usefully if I knew how you are formatting the sample print page.

i can say that if “square mile” were part of a math expression (e.g., “square miles(2.59) = square kilometers” then I would treat “square miles” and “square kilometers” as technical material, uncontracting them.

–Kyle

[kdejute]

Thank you for your question, Diana.

There are two occurrences of the abbreviation C for Celsius in your example. The first occurs in the midst of a sentence and is not followed by a period; and the second occurs at the end of a sentence and is followed by a period. The occurrence of C without a period in the midst of a sentence tells us that this print text is not using a period with the abbreviation C for Celsius. In other words, the period that follows after the second C is just for the sentence and is not for the abbreviation.

Thus, we need an ELI with all occurences of the abbreviation C for Celsius.

Please do post again if you have follow-up questions.

–Kyle

[kdejute]

Greetings, Rebecca! Thank you for the questions.

1. I think I would follow print for the table examples you shared, where print has divided a table horizontally in order to make it take up less space. I would only do this if I could follow print exactly.
   • If a table's content were such that I would have to divide the table vertically or have runovers in even one entry, then I would fall back on a simple braille table layout, even if that simple layout took up many braille pages.
2. I would not insert guide dots between unrelated columns. I hope the lack would help the reader to recognize the table's layout. In other words, I believe it would only be accurate to use guide dots between related columns and no guide dots between unrelated columns within one columnar arrangement.

–Kyle

[kdejute]

Good question.

The source I can recommend is to order a hard copy from APH: Braille Code for Chemical Notation, 1997 American Printing House for the Blind catalog #7-16900-00. I do not know of a source for a PDF.

–Kyle

 

[kdejute]

Trumbull,

I appreciate your question. Thank you for posting it!

I think the most practical comparison is to a typeform passage. If I were transcribing an italicized title that extended from the middle of line 25 to the middle of line 1, then allowing the effect of the italic passage indicator to continue across the braille page turn would not indicate that the page number(s) or running head were italicized. The same concept applies to the effect of the opening Nemeth Code indicator.

Another way to look at this is to consider braille page numbers, print page numbers, and running heads as framing the content of the braille page and so not affected by or affecting the content (like a simple frame around a photograph).

One last thing that I find helpful is the phrase, "Only a Nemeth Code terminator ends the effect of an opening Nemeth Code indicator."

I hope one or two of the ideas above is helpful in illuminating the rationale of Nemeth content continuing across braille and/or print page turns. If not, please do post again.

–Kyle

[kdejute]

Thank you for your questions and for sharing the example pages.

The content of the talking bubbles is location-specific, so I would place it near where it is in print. Perhaps as a second paragraph to the main item, with the blue-text answers as subitems?

[kdejute]

My responses are in the attached document (attached in two formats: DOCX and PDF) and are summarized below.

1. I would follow print and transcribe “Area” unspaced from the parenthesis that follows it.
   (i.e., ⠠⠁⠗⠑⠁⠷⠫⠞⠀⠠⠁⠠⠃⠠⠉⠾⠀⠨⠅⠀⠠⠁⠗⠑⠁⠷⠫⠞⠀⠠⠁⠠⠃⠠⠙⠾)
2. I think you are asking if an opening Nemeth Code indicator should always be placed before a blank line. The answer to that question is “no.” Or, perhaps you are asking if an opening Nemeth Code indicator that precedes a tactile graphic should always be followed by a blank line. My answer to that question is “yes.” (Since we do not have Tactile Graphic Guidelines that apply to UEB or Nemeth-within-UEB, my answer is all that I can give.)
3. First, let’s talk about bullets: Following Rules of UEB and Braille Formats (especially §8.6.2 of BF2016) would result in the transcription you have provided (where ⠸⠫⠼⠙ is used for the bullets that are solid squares). Nicely done! If I were transcribing bullets that are solid squares in Nemeth Code, I would use the solid shape indicator with the square shape for them (i.e., ⠫⠸⠲).
4. Now let’s talk about Nemeth Code switches with bulleted lists: Since our goal is consistency, we should use the same braille symbol for the same print bullet all the time. In other words,
   1. if all of print’s ∎ bullets can appear within Nemeth Code, then use Nemeth Code to transcribe all of your solid square bullets.
   2. if only some of print’s ∎ bullets can appear within Nemeth Code, then use UEB to transcribe all of your solid square bullets.
5. In math, the tilde can be used as either a sign of operation or as a sign of comparison. Any single instance of a print tilde must be one or the other (operation or comparison). Only context can tell.
   • When a tilde is used as a sign of operation, it means “not.”
   • When a tilde is used as a sign of comparison, it means “is related to” or “is similar to.”
6. The space around a tactile graphic’s point symbol may be helpful in any kind of graphic. The space (aka “negative space” or “white space”) can allow the reader to distinguish between the point and the surrounding material. However, the significant change in height that can be achieved with collage graphics may accomplish this same goal (distinguishing between one element and another), so negative space in your examples if they are collage graphics may not be necessary in order for the graphic to be clear to the reader.

Thank you!
–Kyle

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by kdejute. Reason: update commentary on negative space in collage graphics – perhaps not necessary

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[kdejute]

The acronyms NADH, NAD, ATP, and FAD should be double-capped. The chemical formula “CO with a subscript 2 should be single-capped.

[kdejute]

The book whose sections I referenced is the Nemeth Code itself, also known as “the green book.” More information about it (and other code books & resources) is here (that is a link) and on BANA’s website.

Nicely done! –Kyle

[kdejute]

High five for follow-up questions!

You are correct that NO contractions are used within Nemeth Code switch indicators.

Should italics be kept for codes & commands? ... Are they distinguishable from other text without the emphasis? If so (for example, because they are all weirdo hybridwords like LinearAlgebra), then there is a strong argument for ignoring the emphasis.

Could you stay in UEB for codes & commands sometimes? I suspect not. It wouldn’t be consistent to present some codes & commands in Nemeth and some in UEB, would it?

It makes sense to me to use double capitals for a series of letters whose components do not have separate values or meanings.

I would, as you suggest, ignore print’s vertical alignment of the equations in Step 5 in your attachment.

[What is going on with the indentations of those STEPs?!  Take a chill pill, print!]

The equals sign immediately preceded by what looks like a colon is the definition symbol and means something like, “is defined as; is equal by definition to.” So, I would present it as a single symbol. Maybe you could transcribe the definition symbol as a horizontal combination of the ratio sign and the equals sign and follow NC section 149 by putting a dot 5 between those two symbols of comparison?

Braille on! –Kyle

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