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C-Print - Much Potential

by Andrew Downie, OTEN-DE

Have you ever tried to type as fast as someone talks? If you're a fast typist (over 80wpm) and the person speaks slowly, you can capture the crux of the presentation, but you're very busy! Some years ago, I was one of several people providing transcription of proceedings at a Deafblind Conference. What we typed was presented as large print on computer screens and on several electronic Braille displays. In writing up that process, I commented that a set of macros to reduce the number of key presses could speed up the transcription and, therefore, allow more of what was being said to be presented.

Well, it's happened. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State has developed C-Print. It is software derived from a product called Instant Text from Textware Solutions. It is based on phonetics (the way words sound) and morphology (rules for forming words).

Think of the auto-correct feature in common word processors such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. If you haven't yet used it, look for it in the Tools Menu. The idea is that, by typing a couple of characters, you can have a large swag of text dropped into your document - very useful for frequently used phrases. C-Print applies a similar approach, but takes the concept a whole lot further. People who train as C-Print operators learn an extensive set of rules and apply these when keying text in order to reduce substantially the number of key strokes required to produce given text. A person who types at 60wpm, for example, can achieve the equivalent of 95wpm when using C-Print. Because the abbreviated text complies with the C-Print rules, the software can look up the full words in a table and place them in the document.

So you can more easily understand what is involved, here's an example of a word written as it would be by a C-Print operator. The word, "unmentionable" is written as " nmnxb". I hope that makes it clear, as it represents my entire knowledge of C-Print coding! I am reliably advised, though, that a week of formal training and a subsequent month or so of solid practice is sufficient to make it second nature.

Dani Fried (pronounced Freed), an Auslan interpreter at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) underwent the training in America. She is now using her C-Print skills to support deaf school children in regular classes. There are potentially two facets to the resource she provides. Firstly, the student(s) can have immediate access to the teacher's wisdom by watching the computer screen. Secondly, a transcript of the session is available for subsequent review.

Importantly, C-Print isn't intended to be a verbatim transcript of a session. Therefore, it can't be used for - say - recording court proceedings. However, for providing comprehensive notes from such events as lectures, it has a great deal to offer. A major attraction is that C-Print operators should be far more readily available than either Auslan interpreters or specialist court stenographers.

The RIDBC hopes to offer C-Print training in the near future. At present, Dani is the only accredited trainer in Australia. Cost for 32 hours of instruction will be around $850. Be warned, however, that participants must have completed about 40 hours of individual study beforehand. If you're interested in the training, speak to Chris Grimmer at RIDBC on 9872-0302. If you want more details on the system, contact Dani by email at dani.fried@ridbc.org.au or phone her on 9872-0361.

C-Print