A major update has been posted for the Duxbury Braille Translator for Windows. Version 11.3 includes improvements to UEB support including a way to convert older braille files to UEB. It also integrates with the TactileView graphics software. There's a whole host of changes, and we've included the info below.
Announcing Duxbury DBT 11.3
DBT 11.3 2015-07-08 (2015-07-10)
Absolutely New Features
Amid hundreds of changes and no small number of improvements, the latest DBT presents three absolutely new features for our users:
Save to MS Word!
Under Save As, provided only that you have a copy of Microsoft Word on your computer, you can now save a print file from DBT as a Word file.
TactileView Support!
DBT now integrates with TactileView tactile graphics software.
TactileView is a full-featured tactile graphics program
that can be operated by any user, blind or sighted.
Pre-UEB Braille Formatted File Importer!
This new braille file importer converts older raw braille files into UEB files (English language only, without math).
Primary Focuses of Improvement:
Braille translation using UEB (Unified English Braille)
Math import, Math print-to-braille, and Math braille-to-print
DBT Templates
File Importation
User Interface
Accessibility and JAWS Script Files
Activation Process
Braille Embossers
*New Languages and Language Improvements: There are four new languages: Biblical original language studies, Chuvash, Javanese and Shona. Dozens of language translations have been improved. See the end of this web page for the details.
See each section below for details and specific Instructions!
UEB (Unified English Braille)
Typeform indicators in UEB more closely follow user expectations.
Hard spaces around underlining commands, which are not appropriate for UEB, have been eliminated.
The TSBVI "Clusters" learning series for UEB has been added to DBT's partial-contraction menu for English/UEB.
Guide text for UEB templates now uses UEB dots (6,36) instead of (36,36).
The oe ligature within French as a secondary language (within [lng~fra] ... [lng] codes) is now supported.
Unicode U+2033 (double prime/inch symbol) is now supported.
Using the inherently subscripted and superscripted Unicode digits (e.g. U+2083 "subscript 3") to form multi-digit, but otherwise simple, numeric subscripts and superscripts now works properly. (Normal math encoding must still be used for more complex expressions.)
Capitalized passages are no longer extended beyond the end of a sentence or punctuated phrase when only a single capital letter (such as "I'm" or "A") follows and is more naturally capitalized separately.
Math Improvements
When you Save As to Word, you can display DBT math equations in Word using MathType.
When you Save As to LaTeX, you can display DBT math equations in Word using Scientific Notebook or Scientific Viewer.
You can import braille formatted files in UEB text with UEB math, translate them into inkprint, and then produce them in inkprint using Scientific Notebook or MathType.
You can import braille formatted files in UEB text with Nemeth math, translate them into inkprint, and then produce them in inkprint using Scientific Notebook or MathType. (You must follow our specific instructions to do this.)
You can now easily produce Nemeth math within UEB braille with appropriate indicators (see Template Improvements).
For the languages of India, Laos, and Thailand there are two templates, a basic template that handles UEB math, and a "with Nemeth" template that handles Nemeth math.
Material from from Scientific Notebook no longer loses its formatting when imported.
DBT no longer inserts line breaks for MathType objects not entered as in-line in MathType.
DBT Template Improvements
For easier recognition, we have renamed a number of templates. Instead of
English (Unified)
, the names are now
English (UEB)
. All English language templates not using UEB braille are marked
pre-UEB.
We created a new template for Nemeth code math within UEB, called
English (UEB) - BANA with Nemeth.
We include a new UEB Template for Australia:
English (UEB) - Australian Formatting.
We include a new UEB Template for New Zealand:
English (UEB) - New Zealand (including Maori)
We upgraded the English (UEB) - UK Formatting template with many additional styles.
We modified several templates to better import files from Scientific Notebook.
We updated most basic DBT templates so they can use the UEB math translator for math.
File Open (Import)
Former problems with paragraph numbering when importing files from Word and Open Office have been resolved.
DBT's .docx importer now recognizes style names in files created with non-English editions of Word.
Many aspects of file import are now unified so that there is more consistency across the many different file import paths. This should lead to better file imports for everyone.
As an example, smart quote handling is now the same for all import paths.
The stripping of unneeded Zero Width Joiner characters (U+200D) now works with all import paths, including XML.
User Interface Improvements
Substantial work has been done to improve the Translated Line display.
For a new installation, DBT offers an appropriate recommended template for more locations around the world, easing the set-up process.
The Activation Process is now localizable. It is already available in French. Russian and some other languages are in progress.
We have expanded the Hyperlink Import Screen and renamed it Import Options. These options affect all the import types, not just the Word importer.
An important issue with UEB Math is control of spaces around signs of comparison. These spaces are placed for the lower grades and not placed for the upper grades. There is now a checkbox in the Import Options to control this behavior.
There is a new Global Import Option checkbox that allows removing spaces around dashes. This is important in Australian formats. (The default is
off
.)
Import options allow the user to specify the code page for a text file being imported. This may be most useful to users in Central Europe.
Accessibility and JAWS Script Files
We have revised the information layout and navigation of the Activation Process to make it much more accessible to blind users.
There are further improvements in the embossing of help pages.
Previously, when you pressed Control+H in a DBT document to turn highlighting on or off, JAWS did not say if it was now on or off. JAWS now reports the highlighting state, whether changed via Control+H or the Edit menu.
Previously, when navigating through a document with highlighting on, JAWS would read two items, the item the cursor landed on and the item it left. That is no longer done. Now JAWS reads one item and tells you if it is being selected or unselected.
If the JAWS version is 14 or above, the speaking is customized for DBT as it is when not selecting. For example, when selecting or unselecting a line in a braille document, JAWS speaks the print back-translation of that line. When selecting or unselecting a DBT code, JAWS speaks the code instead of the left bracket, the individual characters, and then right bracket. When selecting or unselecting a braille character, JAWS speaks it as a braille cell rather than as an ASCII character.
Previously, when moving word by word in a braille document, JAWS would try to pronounce the word as ASCII; now it spells the word as braille cells. It also does that when selecting or unselecting a braille word.
Previously, JAWS would beep to indicate a line that was skipped because of styles or codes. It no longer beeps. Instead, you can choose to have these line skips announced. The Alt+I toggle used to let you choose whether to have JAWS announce style changes. Now the Alt+I toggle allows for a choice of whether to announce style changes and whether to announce skipped lines (a total of four choices).
When using a braille device, it is now possible to have JAWS remain silent when you move up or down line by line. Press Alt+U to tell JAWS not to use the translated line for moving up and down.
There is better support for using commands from the keyboard of your braille device, such as the JAWS commands for BrailleNextLine and BraillePriorLine (which will braille the indicated line without speech, even if you have the Alt+U toggle set for speaking the translated line when using the computer keyboard).
Improvements to the Activation Process
We have redesigned the activation wizard interface to interact more naturally with screen readers. There are major improvements to screen layout, information organization, screen navigation, and text voicing.
The activation process has been localized for additional languages beyond English.
The activation process responses have been fine-tuned to keep the user on the correct path and avoid some common operator errors.
If an internet activation attempt cannot connect, the recovery process saves vital information so that the option to activate by email can succeed.
Activation diagnostics now detect some common user problems like activation folders that lack write access and unusual cases like inconsistent license information. In general, diagnostics provide more information than before to help identify user problems.
The process to register for user group emails is now current with Canadian anti-spam regulations.
Braille Embossers
DBT now supports integration of Tactile View graphics with the Index and Tiger lines of braille embossers.
DBT now supports the Nippon Telesoft Gemini Super2 embosser.
It now supports the Enabling Phoenix Gold embosser.
DBT has improved support for the Enabling BraillePlace embosser.
The issue of controlling "ET Speaks" from DBT is now resolved.
DBT supports A3 portrait paper (49x41) for the Index-D V.4 embosser and the Index Braille Box.
Certain Braillo models have a multiple copy feature (to facilitate display on the Braillo of the number of copies embossed). DBT now supports this feature.
In Embosser Setup, the default embosser output has been changed from Port to Printer
, which is now the more common case.
New Languages and Translation Improvements
Duxbury is making strides to turn braille emphasis into the markup for inkprint emphasis in braille-to-print translation. This feature is described in the table below as "Respecting emphasis in braille-to-print." It means a student can write a paper in braille on a refreshable braille device, convert to inkprint in Duxbury, and export to Word with all the emphasis of the original braille showing up in the Word file.
The new version of DBT presents the Biblical Original Languages table to meet the needs of blind biblical scholars.
Source: Duxbury SystemsCategory: News
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
