Braille translation: supported languages and sizing

Braille sign customisers translate the typed wording of the customer into braille automatically. This article explains how the translation works. It also lists the supported languages and grades, the default braille table, and why the braille row never changes size.

To create a braille customiser and set its options, see Braille Signs.

How translation works

• The customer types the printed wording. The wording updates on the sign shortly after the customer pauses typing. The braille row below the wording refreshes a moment after the customer stops typing. While the row refreshes, a Translating to Braille… message appears on the preview and the dots pulse gently.

• Customers never edit the braille. The braille row always comes from the wording. When the order button is available, the preview, the braille string, and the production files agree.

• The order button stays unavailable until the current wording has a successful braille translation. The button is Add to Bag. On a customiser with a review step, the button reads Finish until the customer reaches the review step. Pending, failed, and untranslatable wording all block the button.

• On the review step, the customer sees the translated braille string next to Braille:. The customer can confirm what will be made.

The translation uses liblouis, an open-source braille translation engine, at a pinned version. Each product records the braille string, the table, and the grade that it had at creation.

Supported languages

Included languages

Automatic translation works for these braille tables. The names below are the labels in the Braille table list. The grade in each label is the Sign Customiser label.

• Dutch — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• English UEB Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• English UEB Grade 2 (contracted)

• French — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• German — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• Italian — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• Portuguese — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• Spanish — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

Included languages — review recommended

Automatic translation works for these tables. Review the braille output before you make the sign. For production jobs, ask a braille-literate proofreader to check the output.

• Arabic — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• Greek — Standard (review recommended)

• Hebrew — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• Korean — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• Russian — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• Vietnamese — Grade 1 (uncontracted, review recommended)

Not supported: Japanese, Chinese, and Thai

• Japanese — This release does not support automatic signage translation for Japanese.

• Chinese — This release does not support automatic signage translation for Chinese.

• Thai — This release does not support automatic signage translation for Thai.

Default braille table by store currency

New braille customisers use Automatic (based on your store’s country). The label says country, but the default follows the currency of your store. On Universal, open Store Settings and set Currency in the Customiser Settings section. The currency selects the braille table:

• USD — English UEB Grade 2 (contracted)

• AUD, CAD, GBP, NZD — English UEB Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• AED, EGP, QAR, SAR — Arabic — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• BRL — Portuguese — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• ILS — Hebrew — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• KRW — Korean — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• MXN — Spanish — Grade 1 (uncontracted)

• RUB — Russian — Grade 1 (review recommended)

• VND — Vietnamese — Grade 1 (uncontracted, review recommended)

Stores with any other currency use English UEB Grade 1 (uncontracted) by default. This includes stores that use EUR, ARS, CLP, or COP. These stores do not get a national table automatically. Choose the table yourself, as described below.

To use a different table, for example for a project in the standard of another market, do these steps:

1. Go to Customisers → [Braille customiser] → Sign Components → Braille settings.

2. Choose a table in Braille table.

3. Select Save.

The setting applies to one customiser.

Grade 1 vs Grade 2

• Grade 1 (uncontracted) braille spells the wording letter by letter.

• Grade 2 (contracted) braille uses standard contractions for common words and groups of letters. This is why the dot row can be shorter than the printed wording.

The 2010 ADA Standards (section 703.3) say that braille shall be contracted (Grade 2). Grade 2 is the default for stores that use USD. Stores that use AUD default to uncontracted Grade 1. If braille on a USD store looks “too short” for the wording, the Grade 2 contractions can be the cause.

Braille keeps a fixed physical size

Braille dots have an exact physical size. They never scale with the sign. A larger sign size carries larger printed wording. The braille stays at the size that tactile readers need.

The first time a customer changes the sign size, a small note explains this. The customer can dismiss the note. For a new customiser, the default note says: “Braille dots stay at their accessibility-standard size; larger sign sizes carry larger tactile lettering.” A customiser can keep older stored wording, for example: “Braille is sized to accessibility standards and does not scale with your sign.” The note appears once each time the page loads. To edit the text, change the Fixed braille size note on the Languages page.

A merchant can also edit the note, so the wording on a customiser can differ from the default. The next image shows the note on a customiser with the older wording.

The braille row counts toward the real dimensions of the sign. The reported width is the wider of the wording and the braille row. The reported height adds the braille row and its clearance to the height of the wording.

If the braille row cannot fit the plate at its fixed size, the order button is blocked. The customer sees “Choose a bigger sign size so the braille can fit at its fixed size.” To edit this text, change the Braille frame too small message.

The dot geometry follows the currency of your store:

• A store that uses USD gets the ADA preset.

• A store that uses AUD or NZD gets the preset that Sign Customiser labels AS/NZS 1428.4.2.

• For other currencies, the table that you choose sets the preset. English UEB Grade 2 uses ADA. Every other table uses Marburg Medium.

A table that you choose on a USD, AUD, or NZD store does not change the dot geometry. Sign Customiser uses these preset values to draw, measure, and export the dots:

• ADA preset (USD stores) — 1.6 mm dot diameter, 2.54 mm (0.100 in) dot spacing within a cell, 6.1 mm cell spacing, 10.0 mm line spacing, 0.6–0.9 mm dome height.

• Marburg Medium preset — 1.5 mm dot diameter, 2.5 mm dot spacing within a cell, 6.0 mm cell spacing, 10.0 mm line spacing, 0.6–0.9 mm dome height.

• AS/NZS 1428.4.2 preset (AUD and NZD stores) — this is a Sign Customiser label. The preset uses the same values as the Marburg Medium preset. Sign Customiser took the values from secondary guidance. They are not from the text of AS 1428.4.2:2018, the Standards Australia standard that the label refers to.

When translation is temporarily unavailable

If the translation service is not available, the sign keeps the last successful braille row. The customer sees “Braille translation could not refresh. Please try again.” and a Try Again button. To edit the message, change the Braille translation retry message on the Languages page. To edit the button, change the Retry Button on the same page. The order button stays blocked until a new translation of the current wording succeeds. Sign Customiser never sells an old row.

Successful translations stay in the cache for months. A translation that is already in the cache is returned without a new call to the translation service.

Some wording cannot be translated, for example emoji, or Japanese, Chinese, and Thai text. This is not an outage. The customer sees a quote option instead. See Braille Signs. To turn off the quote popup, select Disable Braille untranslatable popup in Braille settings. The customer still cannot order wording that cannot be translated.