Category: Geeks r Us
I'm not really sure where this belongs, but I decided here because of it's technical nature. If this is better suited to a different board, please feel free to move it.
I'm almost finished with my Greek lessons at
http://kypros.org/LearnGreek
These teach the standard form of the language (a cross between the very informal Dimotiki and the extremely formal Katharevousa) and use the monotonic system, which has only one accent. But I want to learn Katharevousa, which uses the polytonic system of three accents, which no synthesizer, to my knowledge, can read. So I'll need to write things out in monotonic. I still don't know why this is and it's very annoying! Then, there's the fact that no scanning software of which I'm aware can recognise two languages on the same page, so if a printed book has English and Greek in it, I couldn't properly scan and read it even if it was in monotonic!
So I decided to look for a printed book that I could then send to be brailled or at least, an audio cassette that didn't need a book. Since it is rarely used today, finding books that teach Katharevousa, whether to an English or to a Greek audience, is practically impossible. At last, after months of searching everywhere and bothering everyone I could, I hit the jackpot.
http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Greek
This is a free online course which consists of three books and audio lessons. But the audio is useless without the books as the English is only found in the latter. The first two books teach standard Greek but prepare the student for the more formal and the third is entirely in Katharevousa. So I can practise what I already know and then learn more. These texts can be downloaded but even the standard variety in them uses the polytonic system, since they're older, and they're in a pdf format from which it's impossible to extract text. So I really do need to have all of these brailled. I know that there are some places that do this.
http://www.brailleplus.net
says on their page that they work with foreign languages as well as English. I've also seen another site called Braille Works, but I'm sure that these two, and probably any other sites which transcribe professionally, will be very expensive. Each book, according to my friend who looked at the pdfs, is over 200 pages, which probably translates to at least double that in braille!
Does anyone know of a volunteer place that could handle this request? Would The Red Cross be able to help or do they only work with state agencies and textbooks for school? If they're an option, do they only braille books on one side of the page or are they able to do interpoint braille? Do any transcriptionists that you know of acccept payment in installments? If all else fails, is there any kind of software into which I could load the pdf files that could translate them? I'm guessing no, since it would have to be able to constantly switch between English braille and Greek, both in Grade II, but then how do the transcribers do it? Finally, my boyfriend has an incredible Greek-English English-Greek dictionary, which not only has alot of Katharevousa in it but which also has a grammar guide. But it's over 600 pages! I don't need both types of entries. English-Greek is fine and I really only need the Greek grammar guide not the English one meant for Greek speakers. Is it legal for a transcriber to accept only part of a book instead of the whole thing? This was written in the 50's so isn't exactly cutting edge and best-selling and I have no intentions of selling or even giving my braille copy to anyone else. Also, can I give them photo copies of the text? Spiros is willing to give the book to me but I'm extremely worried that something will happen to it. It's already very fragile and is irreplaceable. Thanks.
It was suggested to me that I try the National Braille Association in New York.
http://www.nationalbraille.org
So I'll e-mail them and Braille Plus and see what they say. I was told that the first one offers payments in installments but I'm not sure if this is only for students or if it would apply to everyone.
I wonder if it would be at all possible to have these pdfs converted into rtf files and to somehow make the writing monotonic? I highly doubt it but just had to ask. I just found something called Easy Converter. It's made by Dolphin, the same company that makes Hal.
http://www.yourdolphin.com/productdetail.asp?id=25&gclid=CO7P9LfXraQCFdJL5QodmQ63bg
I'm downloading the demo now to see if it could possibly work for me. But I don't know how it will be able to handle both languages at once in the braille format. It might, however, be able to do it in mp3 format. But I've downloaded ESpeak and can't get it to talk in Greek. I'm able to use the NVDA one but I can't set Easy Converter to use that since it's locked to the screenreader. I would try the doc option, but even if it worked, NVDA still couldn't recognise the text and you can't save Greek of any kind in a txt format. So I need to use either mp3 or braille.