Irish GaelicIrish Flag

Table Designator

gle

This is the technical description of a DBT Translation table. If you want more general information about languages and template choices, please see the list of templates.

Initially, the language table for braille translation is determined by the selected template, and may be changed using the Document / Translation Tables menu. Using those menus does not require use of the table designator. However, to switch to a different translation table partway through a file, one must enter a DBT code and the designator for the table to switch to. For switching secondary languages within a base language table, see the [lng~X] command. For switching from one base language to another, see the [lnb~...] command.

Functional Summary

The Irish Gaelic tables support print-to-braille translation of Irish-language literary text in contracted or uncontracted Irish braille according to the Updated Irish Braille (UIB) as adopted by the Irish National Braille & Alternative Format Association (INBAF). Text in English or certain other languages (see notes regarding the [lng~...] code below) may also be processed as a sub-language, and converted to uncontracted braille (following Unified English Braille [UEB] conventions). Mathematics and technical notation is supported in the same manner as in UEB. For contracted braille in languages other than Irish, including English, it is necessary to switch to the appropriate table using the supported [lnb~...] code. (For English UEB, this would be [lnb~en‑xueb] … [lnb] .)

Special Requirements and Limitations

True braille-to-print translation is supported only within any embedded English text, not in the Irish text. This means that it is not generally useful to translate an Irish braille file to print. It also means that the "translated line" will typically contain gibberish when viewing the braille file. You may prefer to turn off the "translated line" under the View menu, or even under Global/Default if you wish it to be off by default.

Secondary Languages Supported

English text may be entered as a secondary language, and converted to uncontracted Unified English Braille (UEB). Also, any of other secondary languages supported in the English/Unified tables, except for Maori, are supported in the same manner.

Note that it is also possible to switch to any of the available translation tables listed in DBT. (See the [lnb~...] code below.)

Technical Braille Codes Supported

Mathematics, computer and other technical notation is supported in the same manner as the English/Unified tables, q.v.

In addition, it is possible to switch to any of the available translation tables listed in DBT (see the [lnb~...] code below), many of which do support various alternative technical codes.

Supported DBT Translation Codes

The same DBT translation codes as listed for the English/Unified tables in the main list are supported for these Irish tables, except as follows:

[lng~en] or [lng~eng] switches to uncontracted English (per UEB) as a secondary language.

[lng] or [lng~gle] reverts to Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge).

[lng~mi] and [lng~mao] (for Maori) are not supported.

[vrn~ida] (for informal treatment of dashes) is not supported.

Characters Supported

The table is designed to work with same set of characters as supported by the English/Unified tables. Note that vowels marked with fada should be entered as the same vowel with acute accent.

The above is a general guide only (see "General Notes" section at the beginning of this document).

References, History and Credits

The original Irish tables (supporting the older Irish code, prior to the adoption of UIB) were adapted from the then-current Kiswahili (Swahili) tables by Duxbury Systems, Inc. in May 1998, based upon information supplied by Jackson Technology of Dublin, Ireland. Techno-Vision Systems, Ltd. of the UK have also provided technical advice and assistance with subsequent maintenance. In January 2015, the tables were entirely revised by Duxbury Systems, Inc. to support the 2014 Updated Irish Braille (UIB) based upon information supplied by, and with the assistance of, the Irish National Braille & Alternative Format Association (INBAF).

(Documentation reviewed: January 2015.)