[nabs-l] French and Braille

[Julie McGinnity]

Hi all,

French speakers, this question is for you.

As part of my masters program, I am required to take a number of
languages.  This semester I am taking French.  I would like my
handouts in Braille.  My university has Duxbury and an embossor, and
the people  here want to do this Braille for me.  I also really really
want my tests in Braille so that I can read them rather than listen to
JAWS read in a language with which I am not familiar.  My question:
how do you translate a file into grade one French Braille?  These are
word documents that my instructor writes up that we are feeding
through Duxbury.  The language switching we are attempting isn't
working.  When I receive the handouts, there are strange Braille signs
I have never seen before in the middle of words.  And I cannot throw
these handouts on the Braille Note Apex because they do not translate
there either.

I remember translating German handouts on the Braille Note and don't
understand why this is apparently (according to my Braille note)
unavailable in French.  The same goes for Duxbury.  I enjoy the
language and am succeeding at speaking it, but spelling it is proving
rather difficult without studying the Braille.  So many reasons we
need Braille in front of us rather than just audio!  :)

Any guidance with these issues would be much appreciated!

-- 
Julie McGinnity
National Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President, National Federation
of the Blind of Missouri recording secretary,
graduate Guiding Eyes for the Blind 2008, 2014
"For we walk by faith, not by sight"
2 Cor. 7