I finally found the time to turn in Lesson 5 of my Braille Transcription class. My instructor corrected it very quickly, and I was very disappointed to see that I made so many mistakes.
I try so hard to make each lesson perfect. I agonize over the spacing of the headers and page numbers. I complete the lesson, and then I wait a few days to forget the content, and then come back to it and re-transcribe it into English to try to catch any errors (and I always catch a bunch). And then, with bated breath, I send it off to the instructor, hoping that this will be my first perfect lesson.
And it’s never perfect. In fact, I am making more errors with each lesson, and it is…just…so…frustrating. At this point, I am contemplating whether I have the time to learn how to write my own Microsoft Word macros, so it can help me catch all the little intricacies I have to pay attention to in order to complete a good transcription.
The biggest issue I have are what are called groupsigns and contractions, in which one braille letter can represent a whole word in some situations or a single letter/group of letters in other situations. So, one braille letter can mean “m” when it is part of a word, but “more” when it’s standing alone, or “st” as part of a word but “still” if it’s standing alone. Or one braille letter can only mean “the” both as part of a word and when standing alone. And there are rules for when they count as standing alone or not. So, I keep missing instances when things should be contracted in the middle of the word or I should be using a groupsign instead of spelling out the word. Sometimes, I just stare at a word until it starts to blur and look weird because I’m trying to remember if there is anything in it I should be contracting.
I probably need to review all my lessons and maybe make myself a chart of some sort so I can remember everything (my memory just isn’t what it used to be). It’s still such a fascinating subject to be learning. I even read the braille signs at the last hotel I stayed at, which was exciting!
Anyways, on to Lesson 6, and if anyone knows a good free resource for learning how to write Word macros, feel free to let me know!
If you’re interested in learning braille and doing the braille transcription certificate, you can apply through the National Federation of the Blind (it’s free, but there is a time limit in which to complete the certificate). If you do join in on the fun, please let me know, and we can commiserate and celebrate with each other.