<p dir="ltr">Dear Noah,</p>
<p dir="ltr">As a braille music transcriber who works with various braille codes/languages, I think this isn't too difficult to accomplish given the right tools. The original print document can be created in a mainstream program like Word, then opened/edited using software like Duxbury to translate and format into braille. If your document is to have the original-language text, an IPA transcription, and an English translation, you'd need to set up three different braille tables in the translation software and mark each text portion appropriately for that language or the IPA. Though as I haven't worked with documents with more than two parallel texts like this, I'm not sure if it's best to have every other line or stanza shown with its corresponding transcription and translation (dividing the document into blocks), or to just write out the entire text one version after another. I understand that in print, translations of a text in multiple language are often presented in an interline style, where every second or third line in the document is the next line in the corresponding text (which is how multilingual song lyrics are formatted above the line of music in a braille score). I would say the exact format really depends on whether you're emphasizing comparative analysis (where you might want parts of the text to be on the same braille page for easy comparison), or general readability and flow (an entire version given without interruption, followed by subsequent versions). In any case, you'll end up with a BRF with three different braille codes. As long as the placement of text lines in the document is clear, readers will hopefully not be confused which version they're looking at in any given position.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Best,<br>
Daniel</p>
<p dir="ltr">Daniel Gillen<br>
Accessible Music Technology Specialist<br>
The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School<br>
www.fmdgmusicschool.org</p>
<p dir="ltr">Daniel Gillen<br>
Accessible Music Technology Specialist<br>
The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School<br>
www.fmdgmusicschool.org<br>
daniel.l.gillen@gmail.com<br>
(917) 626-7299</p>
<div class="quote">On Oct 12, 2025 4:50 PM, "Noah T. Carver via Menvi-discuss" <menvi-discuss@menvi.org> wrote:<br type='attribution'><blockquote class="quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">
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Hi all,</div>
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Hope this message finds you well.</div>
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I'm looking into the best way to write out a text in another language, its corresponding International Phonetic Alphabet translation, and its word-for-word English translation in inkprint via a computer and then emboss or generate BRFs of that document to review.
I would just write the BRFs on my Braille display, but I would prefer my instructors to see the IPA which I've written as sighted vocalists would. IF this is not easily accomplished, I will simply continue writing out my transcriptions via Braille display.</div>
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Thanks in advance for any help which you can give.</div>
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Warmly,</div>
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<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">Noah T. Carver (He/Him)</span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">Candidate, B.M. '27, Applied Music (Performance) -- Voice</span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester</span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">For National Federation of the Blind Related Matters:
</span><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 70 , 120 , 134 )"><u><a style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">+1
(207) 205-7303</a></u></span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">For All Other Matters:
</span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 70 , 120 , 134 )"><u><a style="color:rgb( 70 , 120 , 134 );margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" href="mailto:noah.t.carver@outlook.com">noah.t.carver@outlook.com</a></u></span></p>
<p style="line-height:1.38;margin:0in 0in 8pt"><span style="font-family:'aptos' , sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb( 0 , 0 , 0 )">As a result of my academic schedule, I may email outside of standard business hours. Please feel free to reply during your
normal working hours.</span></p>
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