Báo cáo khoa học: Braille Transcription and Mechanical Translation

TRANSCRIBING romanized print into Braille suitable for reading by the blind is a problem which has similarities to those arising in mechanical translation. The theoretical problem of mechanical translation is to construct an operational syntax - a set of formal rules of translation prescribing operations to be performed on the text to get the output text - entirely in terms of patterns of input words and types of words and such information as may be contained in the dictionary.
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Báo cáo khoa học: "Braille Transcription and Mechanical Translation" [Mechanical Translation, vol.2, no.3, December 1955; pp.50-53]Braille Transcription and Mechanical TranslationJohn P. Cleave, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, EnglandTRANSCRIBING romanized print into Braille There are four grades of Braille: Grade I, un-suitable for reading by the blind is a problem contracted; Grade one-and-a-half; Grade II,which has similarities to those arising in me- moderately contracted; Grade III, highly con-chanical translation. The theoretical problem tracted. The latter grade is rarely used. Gradeof mechanical translation is to construct an oper- I presents no problem to the computer. Gradesational syntax - a set of formal rules of transla- one-and-a-half and II are the more profitabletion prescribing operations to be performed on lines of inquiry,the text to get the output text - entirely in termsof patterns of input words and types of words andsuch information as may be contained in the dic- ●tionary. And this is simplified already, firstlyby the small vocabulary (consisting of a definite ● whnumber of letters, capitalized letters, punctua-tion marks, etc.) and the absence of ambiguity ●and, above all, the existence of explicit rules fortranscription which are already partly formal- Figure 2ized. The Braille Systems The problem to be dealt with is that of con- Braille is a system of embossed characters structing a program by which an electronic com-formed by six dots arranged and numbered as in puter will do the work of making the contractionsFig.l(a). In the project outlined here the output correctly. We envisage an input organ to theof the computer presents the Braille characters electronic computer with a keyboard with keysas a series of six 1s or 0s corresponding for all the characters used in inkprint (includingto the six Braille dots. Thus the Braille charac- punctuation marks). The output from this organter of Fig.l(b) is represented by the binary num- is in the form of binary numbers (machine cha-ber of l(c). racters) on which the computer operates and finally obtains from each such number a six digit binary number representing the six Braille dots. (Fig.l) An output mechanism, similar to 1● ●4 ● an ordinary teleprinter (it could in fact be such 2● ●5 ● 1 01011 a piece of equipment fitted with a mechanical de- 3● ●6 ●● vice ), will convert this number into the Braille characters as actually used. (a) (b) (c) The Braille signs used in this project are as shown in Fig.3. These characters are divided Figure 1 into classes called lines. Line 1 is formed by dots 1-2-4-5. Line 2 is formed by adding dot 3 to each of the characters of line 1, and line 3 by W hile to each letter-press character there the addition of dots 3 and 6 to line 4. Line 4 iscorresponds one Braille sign, there are Braille formed by the addition of dot 6 to line 1 signs.characters (single-cell contractions) and pairs Line 5 is obtained by repeating line 1 in a lowerof Braille characters (double-cell contractions) position. This classification has no significancewhich under various conditions represent groups as far as the Braille rules are concerned.of inkprint letters. Thus, the Braille character A further classification of Braille signs, whicho ...