The Unified English Braille templates all support multiple methods of translation to accommodate the shades of difference that occur in the preferred handling of foreign languages, depending on the context. This topic describes how you use DBT codes - which may be captured in specific styles - to switch among these alternatives.
Note: This topic covers most of the same material as the topic "Language Switching", but it spends more time on which specific codes achieve specific effects. Also, it clarifies the differences between BANA and UKAAF regarding what effects are achieved by each method number.
It is a curiosity that the two major English braille authorities that provide guidance on the options for handling foreign languages each refer to the alternative methods of foreign language translation using number schemes that do not match. In response, this topic presents the guidance twice, in two separate sections, to avoid confusion between those who "speak BANA" and those who "speak UKAAF".
First, we describe the three methods using the UKAAF numbering system. Then we present the four methods as described by BANA. Please, proceed to the section you need - and assiduously avoid the other!
Method 1 is generally used for the occasional foreign word or phrase that occurs within an English context.
In this method, the UEB accent signs are used on accented letters (instead of the foreign language's own standard indicators), and UEB punctuation is used. Normal UEB contractions may be used, or not, as is dictated by the needs of clarity.
Assuming you want to continue using UEB contractions, this is the default treatment in DBT. No special markup is required in any UEB template when this is the desired result.
However, if you want the foreign text to be uncontracted, you need to enclose the foreign-language text in grade switching codes:
[g1] ... (foreign language text in grade 1) ... [g2]
Method 2 might be appropriate for longer foreign language passages.
In this method no contractions are used on the foreign language text. UEB punctuation continues to be used. The accents on accented letters, however, are the accent signs normally used in the particular foreign language.
This is the normal treatment in passages surrounded by [lng~X] ... [lng] codes, where the parameter X designates the particular language, and lng without a parameter returns from that language back to UEB. This has been the customary way of supporting the, so called, "secondary" languages in DBT since the very earliest tables. In the current UEB tables, the supported secondary languages are as follows, with their 3-letter codes (and 2-letter alternatives):
| Language | Code for lng |
|---|---|
| French | fra (fr) |
| German | deu (de) |
| Spanish | esp (es) |
| Hawaiian | haw |
| Maori | mao (mi) |
| Italian | ita (it) |
| Latin | lat (la) |
There are also a number of other language codes permitted: Finnish (fi), Dutch (nl), Portuguese (pt), Swedish (sv), and Swahili (sw), but at present they are all effectively equivalent to French.
In all the UEB templates, and in many others as well, these codes are contained in style definitions for each secondary language.
Sometimes it is desired to use non-UEB punctuation within the secondary language. For Spanish as a secondary language, this is done using the vrn ("variation") code. You enter the code [vrn~spp] to get correct Spanish punctuation, i.e., to get both the inverted and the upright form for the question mark and the exclamation point. At the end of the passage, using [vrn] returns to normal UEB punctuation. Spanish is the only language that currently supports this option.
Method 3 might be appropriate for foreign language literature. It uses the native foreign language context, accent signs, and punctuation.
In this method you separately control whether contractions are used, if any contractions are defined in that language. You control the use of contractions with the g1 / g2 codes as previously described.
If a document or whole section is to be treated in full native context, you use the table-switching codes [lnb~T] ... [lnb] to set the correct braille translator for that document or section. Here, the parameter T represents the "table designator" for the target language translation table. You can find the table designator for each Duxbury translation table in the Translator Table topic for your desired language, or consult the topic Language Translation Tables.
Method 1 is generally used for the occasional foreign word or phrase that occurs within an English context.
In this method, UEB English contractions are used, likewise UEB punctuation, and the UEB accent signs are used on accented letters. This is the default treatment. No special markup is required in any UEB template when this is the desired result.
Method 2 is also used for foreign words or short phrases that occur within an English context. (This method is considered helpful for younger readers who benefit from using grade 1.)
In Method 2, no contractions are used in foreign language passages, but UEB accent indicators and punctuation continue to be used. Simply switching to grade 1 produces these effects, so you just need to enclose the foreign-language text in grade 1 codes:
[g1] ... (foreign language text in grade 1) ... [g2]
Method 3 might be appropriate for longer foreign language passages.
In Method 3, no contractions are used in the foreign text. Accented letters are transcribed according to the customs of the foreign language (instead of using UEB indicators). The accented letters are typically single cells. UEB punctuation remains in use.
This is the normal treatment in passages surrounded by [lng~X] ... [lng] codes, where the parameter X designates the particular language, and lng without a parameter returns from that language back to UEB. This has been the customary way of supporting the, so called, "secondary" languages in DBT since the very earliest tables. In the current UEB tables, the supported secondary languages are as follows, with their 3-letter codes (and 2-letter alternatives):
| Language | Code for lng |
|---|---|
| French | fra (fr) |
| German | deu (de) |
| Spanish | esp (es) |
| Hawaiian | haw |
| Maori | mao (mi) |
| Italian | ita (it) |
| Latin | lat (la) |
There are also a number of other language codes permitted: Finnish (fi), Dutch (nl), Portuguese (pt), Swedish (sv), and Swahili (sw), but at present they are all effectively equivalent to French.
There is one other issue that comes up occasionally. Sometimes it is desired to use non-UEB punctuation within the secondary language. For Spanish as a secondary language, this is done using the vrn ("variation") code. You enter the code [vrn~spp] to get correct Spanish punctuation, i.e., to get both the inverted and the upright form for the question mark and the exclamation point. At the end of the passage, using [vrn] returns to normal UEB punctuation.
Method 4 may be appropriate for foreign language literature.
Method 4 makes full use of the foreign-language code in its native context, using the foreign language accent indicators and punctuation. In method 4 you separately control whether contractions are used, if contractions are defined in that language.
If a section to be treated in full native context occurs within a UEB document, then you employ the table-switching codes [lnb~T] ... [lnb] to surround that section. Here, the parameter T represents the "table designator" for the target translation table. You can find the table designator for each Duxbury translation table in the Translator Table topic for your desired language, or consult the topic Language Translation Tables.
If it is necessary to control the use of contractions within that language as well, you can add [g1] / [g2] switches to the foreign language section as shown above in Method 2.