The language of the accessibility solutions professional

The language of the accessibility solutions professionalPersons or organizations that are faced with limited access, can an accessibility professional. Also if a product or service on the market or organising an event and have any questions on the accessibility of its product, service or event, the experience of an accessibility professional attention.

 

Creative reading

The accessibility professional will always analyze the accessibility problem first and then a suitable solution. Sometimes a standard solution, but often the creative music with various possible solutions. This article will give you a glimpse into the puzzle box of the accessibility professional. Which puzzle pieces are all in there? What can you do as a professional? How can you have the end user, the events organizer, developer, the product or the service provider? And how are the puzzle pieces may be combined? Each puzzle piece is a language solution. The accessibility professional can always supplement with new puzzle box are puzzle pieces.

 

 

Language solutions: the puzzle pieces

Audio descriptionAudio description

Audio description (AD) or audio description is a technique in which a voiceover describes what is on the screen or live. These descriptions fit at times when the characters do not speak. The technique is especially known by the application for television and film, but basically everything can be described: a dance performance, a play, an exhibition, a procession, a sports game, a presentation at work, even a manual.
AD can be prepared, live or semi-live. At a film or television series is the AD in advance written and recorded. At a theater piece is the AD already written, but the description is done live. There must be able to respond to any variations in the performance.

Real live AD is in Flanders, for example, provided by Nevero (Maasmechelen). Manager Susanne Verberk works together with Priscilla palec (PRP Translations, Antwerp). They provided, inter alia, the AD at the annual festival Buitenbeenpop (a pop festival in Leopoldsburg for persons with and without disabilities), and at events such as the procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges. Especially in the description of the festival gets a lot of questions, but she gives Verberk Susanne on the website of Nevero to why it still matters:

"Actually a festival especially to the atmosphere around it. […] There really is a lot to do what you like blind or vision-impaired without our descriptions total would miss or might not might follow.
As an example she gives Fireworks, the splash of the public with a water pistol, or a confetti cannon. These elements have to be understandable for anyone who does not see everything, otherwise they can be frightening. "

As a viewer or spectator can sometimes you choose whether your AD used or not. This can, for example, through a parallel to television broadcast on another channel. Or via an application in which you play the AD, such as the Earcatch app. In the theatre are usually separate chairs. In the museum you can listen via an audio guide the AD.

 

Audio-introductionAudio-introduction

An audio introduction (AI) is a short summary of what's coming. In most cases, the AI for the beginning of a movie, tv show or theatre performance. The AI provides information about the actors, the characters and the story.

AI can be either free-standing or in combination with AD. If the AI in itself, the whole story though. Then hear the audience during the movie, the television program or the theatre performance no comment more vote. If the AI in combination with AD, they usually the characters and outlines the broader context. This information helps users to follow the story. AI is a good option for movies, television shows or theatre performances with few quiet moments, because the characters constantly talk to each other. Then fit not all the information in the AD during the broadcast or performance.

An AI is in the theatre sometimes combined with a touch tour. It gets the audience in advance a guided tour and they can set the stage and sometimes the costumes feel. An example is offered by the Polish theatre piece for children Plastuś ' Diary. In it a lot of dolls and giant objects personified. It is for the youthful audience so very valuable as they once were able to feel this in advance.

 

Spoken subtitlesSpoken subtitles

As the name suggests, is an oral spoken subtitles display of existing subtitles. The subtitles that appear at a film or television program is read aloud or oral paraphrased.
Spoken subtitles can be obtained in different ways. There is reading equipment through a central server, such as Orion Webbox. Sets the text-first to a central server and there in speech converted. The user gets the speech than at home as a streaming service. There are also devices that the subtitles when the end user at home in speech, such as KomFox. Both systems can be used for both interlingual and intralingual subtitling.

Spoken subtitles can also be intertwined in the AD of a television program, film or theater piece. For example, if a character speaks English in an otherwise Dutch-language program, translates the AD-match English words in Dutch. For the brightness for programs with multiple non-Dutch-speaking characters usually used multiple votes.

At audio description and subtitling, such as spoken at many language solutions, also copyright aspects. The copyright is still not harmonised in the European Union. In some countries the copyright the audio descriptor to subtitles to read literally. In Belgium, that is not the case; the audio descriptor may be freely translated, shortening and creative dealing with the work of the subtitler so that the AD and read the subtitles can be perfectly integrated in the overall experience of the movie, the play or the event.

 

MagnificationsMagnifications

A lot of people who have limited dexterity, low vision, will still be able to use magnifications. This can simply by increasing or by text on your computer to print in a larger font. But there is also more advanced technology.

A video Magnifier is such a technology. There are both optical and digital magnifiers. The magnifying glass can be placed on any kind of text. The user will then increase the text displayed on the screen. There are both fixed phones and mobile devices. The Flemish Integra and the Dutch Optelec offer both fixed and mobile devices.

 

Translation into brailleTranslation into braille

Braille is a read and write alphabet that the Frenchman Louis Braille developed especially for blind and partially sighted people. The users feel different combinations of dots in relief. Each combination represents a particular letter or punctuation mark.

Each language has a different braille, but most follow the conventions of the so-called Unified international world braille or braille. Also the Dutch braille follows the conventions of the international braille
system. A translation into braille and vice versa can be done manually, but increasingly we use technological tools. So can you get a braille display to your computer, tablet or smartphone. That displays the text that is on screen again in braille. You can also text on the screen in braille printing using a braille printer. For the translation of a printed text, you can braille copiers.

 

Reading-aloud functionReading-aloud function

Reads text for a speech to people who for any reason can read text. This may include information on the web, but also for text information on your smartphone or tablet. Also you can read an e-book using this technology.

The listen function can be provided in different ways. For digital content with a reading tool worked. Tools like Readspeaker, Fluency, BrowseAloud and iSpeech read the text of websites, mobile apps, digital books, and all kinds of other digital, documents for. The disadvantage of these tools is that they must be equipped with, what website builders fortunately becoming more often the case. The large government websites stay a little behind, but a striking number of local authorities, such as those of the Dutch municipality of Lochem, have the listen function already built into their website.

To have a tool like Readspeaker, Fluency, and iSpeech use BrowseAloud, the first digital content available. Therefore, for pupils with a serious limitation in the written communication put Eureka ADIBib (Leuven) printed textbooks first into a digital file. They use OCR software (Optical Character Recognition). The pupils can then view and the file on the screen with screen-reading software (SprintPDF, WodyPDF or Kurzweil) listen to what is in the textbook. In this way, all students in the classroom with the same material. Eureka ADIBib in 2014 was nominated for a LIA (Language Industry Award) in the category best language software/taalapp.

There are also devices that read directly from a paper version, Plus the Clear Reader for example. This is a portable device that the text via a built-in camera and speakers for reads.

Yet another speech to DAISY. DAISY files are structured audio files. DAISY files are usually recordings of books, newspapers or magazines. The recordings are made mostly with text to speech conversion. That the audio files are structured, means that the user can navigate in the audio. DAISY stands for Digital Accessible Information System. The system allows printed information in an efficient manner accessible for people with a severe reading disability. DAISY files are on a special DAISY-DAISY-player or with special software on a computer.

 

Translation in sign languageTranslation in sign language

According to Fevlado there in Flanders six thousand users of Flemish sign language (VGT) for whom this language their mother tongue. VGT is the main language in the Flemish deaf community. For users of BCE as a mother tongue is a Dutch interpreter-VGT and vice versa is often the ideal language solution.

Sign languages are natural languages with their own grammar and a private gestures treasure. They are as natural as French, English or Arabic. Flemish sign language (VGT) and Dutch sign language (NGT) are two different languages. There is an international sign language (International Sign), but this is primarily used as a lingua franca at international conferences.

In many countries television programs with a translation in sign language. This allows users of Flemish sign language on the website of the Editor (VRT) the register view in Flemish sign language. Flemish sign language is an interpreter than in picture. Also the youth news Karrewiet Plus, the news program of the VRT for children, you can watch online and on television with a Flemish sign language interpreter.

Interpreters in sign languages can also prepared, live or semi-live event. The interpretation into sign language by a fiction series on television can be prepared. At a live presentation on the interpreters might get a Congress preparatory material, but what exactly will be, said they do not know in advance.

 

CaptionerCaptioner

The write type simultaneous interpreter everything from what is being said for the benefit of people who don't hear well or understand the spoken word. The interpreter also provides other relevant auditory elements: when for example, laughed, or the way something is said. All information is provided in a continuous text.

The captioner does not use the classical keyboard, but a veyboard. The keys on this veyboard give no letters again, but syllables. For example, a write a normal rate of speech track interpreter.

 

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingSubtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing gives all auditory information at a movie, television series, presentation, theatre play, sports game etc. again. Usually this involves intralingual subtitling, in contrast to interlingual translation or subtitles.

In addition to what is being said, this form of subtitles as well to whom it says. That is usually done by color codes, though there are also countries where the habit is to get the message the saying preceding the name of the speaker and a colon. In this way you lose much valuable space.

If there is sufficient space, is sometimes also indicated how a speaker things says. To save space, this is done mostly by the use of punctuation. Sung text is marked with an asterisk or italics.

With subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are also relevant sounds. Especially sounds out of the picture, such as a door slams, which can be important.

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing is used in many different contexts: from television programs to musicals, from congresses to information sessions for local residents. In the theater we often speak of surtitles above the stage, because the titles appear. However, it is also experimented with titles on the side or in the Middle the scene. At conferences and information sessions for local residents are the speakers live subtitles. This can happen on an additional screen, or through applications on a smartphone or tablet.

Also with subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing we can distinguish between prepared, live and semi-live subtitles. The subtitles when a fiction series on television will you completely ready in advance. The live broadcast of a talk show or sporting event, or an informal gathering, such as the annual meeting of local residents, of course, you will have to completely live subtitling. And in a play you may need to adjust the prepared supertitles quickly, such as when the actors suddenly begin to improvise.

Live subtitling is facilitated by a number of language technologies. The most commonly used are a veyboard and voice recognition software like Dragon Speech. With a veyboard type at each attack a whole syllable, so that you can track the rate of speech. With Dragon Speech you can just leave the subtitles. That are then displayed as text. Here is common a correction.

 

Translation into iconsTranslation into icons

Reading and writing is not for everyone. In Europe it is estimated that between two and five million people for whom communication would be easier if not via text, but through icons or images. That is why researchers at the Centre for Computational Linguistics at the University of Leuven developed a software that translates into icons Dutch, English and Spanish, and vice versa. The software is called Text2Picto and earlier this year won a LIA (Language Industry Award) in the category best language service by 2015.

 

Augmented realityAugmented reality

Augmented reality is a technology in which a truly picture is supplemented with an additional layer of information. The hugely popular game Pokémon Go proves how augmented reality could be an enrichment. The game is played so massive because it really seems. You see on the screen of your smartphone the Pokémons in the environment that lies ahead.

If language is augmented reality solution used for the projection of subtitles. On the screen of your smartphone or tablet you get both what is happening in reality for you as an extra layer of subtitles. This ensures that you do not have a presentation of the Powerpoint on the big screen to your smartphone and have to switch back.

For those who prefer to not all the time to its smartphone tail, can also benefit from augmented realitybrillen. As you go through this kind of glasses look, you can also see a projection of the subtitles. So they make sure that you are in the same direction looks like the spectators who do not use this technology.

Augmented reality can be used both for intralingual and interlingual subtitling. For example, in 2015 the American Atos suggested augmented realitybrillen available for the French theatre festival festival d'Avignon. Visitors could choose in which language they wanted to see the subtitles projected. Atos has plans to also interlingual subtitling in its offer. At the glasses of Verbavoice this is already reality.

 

Applications for smart devicesApplications for smart devices

A lot of language solutions to the user via a mobile application for smart devices. The developments in the tablet and smartphone market offer a lot of possibilities.

The German company Verbavoice develops applications primarily for live subtitling and live translation into sign language. This may include the user via the service request and receive its tablet or smartphone. The speaker wears a microphone and a subtitler or sign language interpreter put this speech to in subtitles or sign language. The translation is then live streamed to the user.

The application comes from the United Kingdom Signly. This application was designed by Mark Applin, the founder of the company, Intermedia and Deafax, a charity that develops all kinds of technological services for deaf users. Thanks to the Signly-app can also be a sign language user a full-fledged museum guided tour experience. He scans the QR-code when a work in the exhibition and on the screen of the smartphone appears a sign language interpreter in augmented reality. Signly was nominated earlier this year for a LIA (Language Industry Award) in the category best language software/taalapp by 2015.

The Dutch company Sound focus has developed the Earcatch app, that lets you view the AD at a film on television or in the cinema can download. The AD file to download in advance, and you can play while you go to the movie. At the time of listening you have no internet connection required. This application was also nominated for a LIA in the category best language software/taalapp 2015.

 

Overview of the articles the

t (aal) of accessibility

The importance of accessibility

Accessibility meets diverse needs

Integrated language solutions: inclusive approach pays off

The accessibility professional

The language of the accessibility solutions professional

Accessibility is business


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Author: Eline Van der Jonckheyd

Machine translation: SDL Machine Translation (previously SDL BeGlobal)

Post-editing: No post-editing

Source language: Nederlands (nl)


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