On Tue, 2006-03-21 at 16:12 +0200, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote: > On Tue, Mar 21, 2006 at 02:01:46PM +0200, Omer Zak wrote: > > However, introduction of audio recordings, without immediately > > accompanying them with textual transcripts, has the effect of > > disfranchising me and other deaf software developers, making us less > > human, less valuable than you hearies. In the long range, this can > > adversely affect also our being able to be employed (or get freelance > > projects) and earn money. > > Omer, I disagree with you. I understand the situation you are in, and > the benefit that having them presented in text, video (so you could lip > read) or signed video. For those that are not familar with the term it > means a picture in the corner of a person translating the lecture into > sign language, and has nothing to do with PGP. :-) > > However there is value to the world in general to have the audio recordings, > or podcasts as they have become called, posted as soon as possible.
Do you have another suggestion how to encourage people to volunteer to transcribe the lectures ASAP? Bear in mind the experience of the Larry Wall's lecture ( http://wiki.osdc.org.il/index.php/Larry_Wall_-_Present_Continous% 2C_Future_Perfect), in which only 37:53 minutes (out of 72:39 minutes) were transcribed by volunteers. Without a better idea, there are two conflicting values. * On one hand, the information should be made available on-line ASAP. * On the other hand, delaying the sound recording until the corresponding textual transcription is available will make the textual transcription available before Messiah's arrival day. > Since the > lectures are, I assume in Hebrew, they would be as worthless to me as you. > This does not detract from their intrinsic value. I was going to say "There is a difference - you probably can learn Hebrew but I cannot learn to hear" but there are some people, who have learning disabilities which makes it very difficult for them to learn a foreign language. It would be nice to be able to accommodate also them. But they can choose to live where most of the people speak their mother tongue and lecture in that tongue. Deaf people have a problem no matter where they live (except for the small and rare communities, in which there is high percentage of deaf people and everyone knows Sign Language). By the way, I agree to volunteer some of my time to translate (from hebrew into English) parts of lectures, once they have been transcribed from sound into Hebrew text. > Yes, there would be more value to them if they were available in text, or > English or Russian translation, etc. > > While I think there should be some effort made to accommodate you and other > people who need extra effort to be accommodated, I don't think they should > be delayed because they are not. Geoff, if you do not want to delay yet solve the problem which I raised, please suggest another idea how to encourage people to volunteer to spend few extra minutes in order to make textual transcriptions of lecture segments. > Since I really don't know much about the educational system here, I can't > be more precise, but is there a school for teachers of the death that > might provide as part of their training an on site signer? There are courses for Sign Language interpreters. This is a separate skill from that involved in teaching deaf children. Most of the interpreters are not fluent in the professional terminology, which we require, and several words do not have representations in Israeli Sign Language. --- Omer -- Delay is the deadliest form of denial. C. Northcote Parkinson My own blog is at http://tddpirate.livejournal.com/ My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone. They do not represent the official policy of any organization with which I may be affiliated in any way. WARNING TO SPAMMERS: at http://www.zak.co.il/spamwarning.html ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
