A2i Transcription Services https://a2i.co.uk/ Translation to Braille, Large Print, Audio, Easy Read Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:12:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 How do visually impaired people access e-text documents? http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-do-visually-impaired-people-access-e-text-documents/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-do-visually-impaired-people-access-e-text-documents/#respond Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:47:39 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2543 By Dave Horwood As a visually impaired person, I feel empowered when an e-text document is accessible. It means I can access information without assistance, on an equal footing with my sighted friends and family. What is E-text? E-text is text that can be read digitally such as e-books, pdf documents and even text messages. ...

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By Dave Horwood

As a visually impaired person, I feel empowered when an e-text document is accessible. It means I can access information without assistance, on an equal footing with my sighted friends and family.

What is E-text?

E-text is text that can be read digitally such as e-books, pdf documents and even text messages.

E-text allows visually impaired people like me to access information which was previously difficult such as

  • my favourite magazines and journals,
  • listings for my local arts venue,
  • important legal documents like my housing tenancy agreement or employment contract, and
  • product receipts and invoices.

These are just a few examples of how e-text has made information in print much easier for me to access.

At A2i I help produce e-text documents in Microsoft Word and PDF format that can be read on a computer, smartphone, tablet or other devices such as refreshable Braille displays.

Dave sitting at his desk, smiling, in A2i's office. He is wearing a turquoise jumper and has headphones on

 

How do screen readers and refreshable Braille displays work with e-text documents?

I often listen to e-text documents through my headphones, using my pc or phone. Screen reading software converts the text on the screen into synthetic speech for me. I can speed up the speech or slow it down, depending how interesting or boring the document is!

The software has many shortcut keys or touch screen gestures so I can get precise information read to me. These shortcuts are especially important when reading and navigating e-text documents. If you ask a screen reader to read the entire screen from top to bottom, there is far too much information to take in. Read this interesting article from axess lab about how screen readers work and there’s also some videos of screen readers in action.

Screen reading software can also translate text on the screen into Braille which is sent to a separate device called a refreshable Braille display. The refreshable Braille display sits in front of the computer keyboard and produces Braille characters by raising and lowering small pins that I can read with my fingers.

A refreshable Braille display next to a computer keyboard. The photos also shows part of someone's hands, who is using the refreshable Braille display.

 

My four top tips for making e-text documents accessible

  1. Use a clear structure for your document with the correct heading levels.

Using correct heading levels means the screen reader can jump from one section to another easily. Without heading levels I have to listen to, or read everything on the page, which is really time consuming when I already find it very difficult to skim read.

  1. Include a contents page with links to each individual section of the document.

This means I don’t have to go hunting for the correct page, where often the page numbers in an e-text document do not tally up with the document’s original page numbers.

  1. Include alt text with your images.

Alt text is a written description of an image for visually impaired readers. The screen reader will read this description out loud when the cursor reaches the image. This information is also shown on the Braille display.

Here is an article from WebAIM that has some great tips on how to write alt text and asks you to think about the text you would write to describe some example images.

  1. Use proper list formatting for numbered or bulleted lists.

When the screen reader encounters a formatted list it will read it with the correct pauses. It also tells me how many list items there are and where the list starts and finishes.

What accessibility issue irritates me the most with online documents?

Many document creators use photographs or scanned images in place of actual text. For example, a photo of a restaurant menu, or a page from an instruction manual. Whilst most screen readers have an OCR function to convert images into text, this often returns an unusable result. If text is found, it can have errors, or the text is displayed in the wrong order. Naturally, this makes a document inaccessible and unusable and I would have to wait for a sighted person to read it to me, or reach out to the document creator and hope they can provide an accessible e-text version.

How can I find out more?

To take the stress out of producing e-text documents, why not speak to a professional transcription company like A2i, where I work? You can discuss your requirements with my friendly colleagues by

We normally transcribe your document to e-text, and send it to you in around three working days.

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What is a BSL video? http://a2i.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-bsl-video/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-bsl-video/#respond Tue, 27 Feb 2024 13:52:59 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2516 Firstly, let’s talk about BSL. BSL stands for British Sign Language, and it’s a visual means of communication that includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language. According to Sense, BSL is the preferred language of around 87,000 people who are D/deaf. BSL is also used by many hard of hearing and hearing individuals. A BSL ...

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Firstly, let’s talk about BSL. BSL stands for British Sign Language, and it’s a visual means of communication that includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language. According to Sense, BSL is the preferred language of around 87,000 people who are D/deaf. BSL is also used by many hard of hearing and hearing individuals.

A BSL video is simply a video of someone communicating in BSL. BSL video production is one of the accessible formats A2i offers, in which a BSL signer is shown on screen signing the text within a video or document.

A BSL video allows D/deaf or hard of hearing individuals to understand auditory information, alongside watching your video.

By supplying information in a BSL video format, you give D/deaf people independent access to information.

See some examples of BSL videos A2i have produced on our YouTube channel.

BSL videos – your options

A BSL signer can be added to an existing video, this is called an inset video. We would write a script for our signer, that entails everything that needs to be signed, and wait for our signer to begin filming. The signer would often work alongside a camera operator, auto-cue operator, or support worker to ensure the signing and video are synchronized.

Once we receive the BSL footage, our video editing team would insert the video into the bottom right-hand-corner of the screen and start to consider the design elements of your video. Keep reading to find out what your video will look like.

We can also create a full-screen BSL video with a document or script. You don’t need to have a video already created. The entirety of your BSL video would be the signer, signing the words in your document or script.

Subtitles

BSL videos can also be accompanied by subtitles. Subtitles are great for people who want to read what is being signed and said, this includes people who are D/deaf, hard of hearing and hearing. Subtitles increase the accessibility of your BSL video, as more people can have a greater understanding of your document/video.

Voiceover

Many people like to watch and listen to videos at the same time, or just listen whilst doing something else. Voiceover, like subtitles, gives your users more options as to how they can access the information in your BSL video. Voiceover opens your video up to people who are blind or have a visual impairment. You can have both subtitles and voiceover applied to your video.   

BSL inset video or BSL full-screen video?

It is easy to decide which option is best for you. If you already have a video, ask us to insert a BSL signer on top of your video. If you do not have a video, simply send us a script of the words you would like signed and we will create a video for you.

 

What will my video look like?

We will always follow your company’s brand guidelines when we create an inset or full-screen BSL video. We aim to personalise your video, including colour scheme, font, size and position of your logo, transitions, title pages, subtitles, and graphics. But what does all this mean?

The below image shows a title page of a full-screen BSL video, completed for the Bristol Dementia Wellbeing Service. A title page breaks up the video with titles, like the main title or subheadings, throughout the  video.

We also included their logo, on the top left of the video, in white, which stood our best against their colour scheme, the exact blue and green below. The font was chosen by A2i for readability.

 

Image of a screen with a blue background.

 

The next image below shows one of our BSL signers, central to the video and taking up most of the screen. This particular video did not contain any graphics. Graphics are any non-text items like graphs, decorative shapes, symbols, illustrations or photos. We can insert any necessary graphics into your BSL video.

 

Image of a screen with a blue background. In the top left corner is the white Dementia Wellbeing Service logo. There is a man standing In the centre. He is smiling and his hands are clasped together at his waist, ready to start some BSL.

 

Comparatively, the image below is of an inset video. Our BSL signer is positioned in the bottom right-hand-corner of the screen of the video and is much smaller. The actual video, supplied by our client, takes up most of the frame. In this video we added subtitles.

 

Image of a screen. The majority of the screen shows a still from a video, with a lady sitting at a garden table, talking. In the bottom right of the screen there is a man signing. To the left of the signer, and underneath the video of the lady, there are 2 lines of white subtitles on a dark blue background.

 

We hope this blog gave you a good understanding of our BSL services.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. You can also take a look at our website.

Telephone: 01179 44 00 44

Email: info@a2i.co.uk

Website: www.a2i.co.uk

 

Click the link below to request a quotation for a BSL inset video or a BSL full screen video

Quote request  

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How to convert documents into Large Print accessible format http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-to-convert-documents-into-large-print-accessible-format/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-to-convert-documents-into-large-print-accessible-format/#respond Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:07:56 +0000 http://a2i-2.local/?p=681  How to get documents your translated into Large Print Have you been asked to produce your information in Large Print?  You may be thinking, “…surely I can just magnify my document on the photocopier?” Or “Maybe I’ll just increase the font size…” We explain below why it can be a bit more complex than that, ...

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Photo of menu converted to Large Print accessible format

 How to get documents your translated into Large Print

Have you been asked to produce your information in Large Print?  You may be thinking, “…surely I can just magnify my document on the photocopier?” Or “Maybe I’ll just increase the font size…”

We explain below why it can be a bit more complex than that, and how our team of accessible information specialists at A2i can help make your documents accessible for people with sight loss.

How A2i can help you make your information more accessible

Documents translated into a Large Print format are useful for people who are visually impaired. Not every person with sight loss is completely blind, and not everyone reads Braille. Many visually impaired people have some sight but are unable to read standard print, (usually between font sizes 10 and 12), so making your information accessible by producing a Large Print version is essential if you want your information to reach everyone.

Providing a Large Print version of your document allows visually impaired people to have equal access to your information; it means that – just like your sighted readers – they can read your newsletter, letter, company report, magazine, article, or menu.

Let A2i help you reach more people – get in touch!

How do you translate documents into Large Print – what happens?

Our team of information accessibility specialists can translate your documents – for example, magazines, reports, letters, menus – into Large Print format. This means one of our transcribers follows industry guidelines and also applies A2i’s knowledge and experience to translate your document into an easier format for visually impaired people to read.

When we translate to Large Print we use a minimum font size of 18 and print black text with full colour images onto white A4 paper. Our transcribers will carry out initial steps such as left-aligning your text, using a sans serif font, replacing italics, and using a font size appropriate for your reader. Read our top tips to find out more about these basic steps. However, our team also deals with more complex items such as images, columns, diagrams, tables, forms, and graphs – common in most documents but particularly found in magazines, reports, leaflets, and academic textbooks. Our expert team are skilled and experienced at converting this information into an accessible format for your reader – whether by describing, reformatting, enhancing, or simplifying it.

We work with you to produce high-quality Large Print documents, resulting in a professional product to match your brand and style. We are also keen to tailor our Large Print translations to match your readers’ preferences. So, if you have a particular individual in mind, just let us know when you send your documents for a quote.

For more tips on how to produce your own in-house Large Print documents, check out our resources page.

“Fast, friendly, and efficient service”
The Umbrella Café ordered Large Print menus from A2i for their customers.

At A2i we’re professional, personal, and prompt so contact our information accessibility specialists and let us help you get accessible!

Get a quote (it’s free!)


 

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What is an Easy Read video http://a2i.co.uk/blog/what-is-an-easy-read-video/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/what-is-an-easy-read-video/#respond Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:55:35 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2488 In our last blog, we talked about our new Easy Read service, embedded Easy Read. Additionally, we now offer Easy Read videos. Easy Read videos Like our standard Easy Read booklet, information in our videos is laid out in easily digestible slides and accompanied by suitable images. Specifically designed for adults with learning disabilities, Easy ...

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In our last blog, we talked about our new Easy Read service, embedded Easy Read. Additionally, we now offer Easy Read videos.

Easy Read videos

Like our standard Easy Read booklet, information in our videos is laid out in easily digestible slides and accompanied by suitable images.

Specifically designed for adults with learning disabilities, Easy Read videos are an interactive alternative to our traditional booklets. Users can choose to watch, read, or even listen to your Easy Read video by including a voice over.

A voiceover can work as a great auditory aid to help understanding. Many individuals learn best by hearing and listening to information. Our Easy Read User Group has told us they can better understand information that is spoken, rather than written.

Reading and listening at the same time can increase language skills and comprehension, as well as your ability to multitask. Conversely, users can choose not to watch the video and just listen if they prefer.

Easy Read videos give users the opportunity to reveal part of the document at a time, which can make long or complex documents less overwhelming.

Image of front page of ER video entitled 'Why it’s hard for Deaf and Disabled people to take part in literature'. There are 3 company logos across the top (Criptic Arts, Arts Council England & Spread the Word), the document title is underneath, and below that there is an image of a girl sitting and leaning forward on a table, smiling.

Example Easy Read videos

Watch our sample Easy Read video for Spread the Word about why it’s hard for Deaf and Disabled people to take part in literature.

Watch our sample Easy Read video for Art’s Council England.

Prices for Easy Read videos

You can have your documents transcribed into an Easy Read video for the same price as our standard Easy Read service:

  • £75 per 500 words of text over 3000 words.
  • Or £180 per 500 words of text under 3000 words.

You can include voiceover for an additional price of £90 to £180.

An image of the front page of an Easy read video entitled 'Advice about returning an object from a museum to the person or place it belongs to.' There are 4 images of old artefacts underneath.

Key information

As you can see, our Easy Read videos incorporate

  • Easy read words and accompanying images
  • 2 paragraphs of information per page.
  • brand identity such as logos, images, and colour palette.
  • optional voiceover.

 

If you’d like ask a question about our new Easy Read format, get in touch with A2i’s friendly team

Email: info@a2i.co.uk
Web: www.a2i.co.uk
Telephone: 01179 440044
Or use the quick quote form on our website: Quote Request

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Audio Transcription – it’s more than reading! http://a2i.co.uk/blog/audio-transcription-its-more-than-reading/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/audio-transcription-its-more-than-reading/#respond Fri, 08 Dec 2023 10:30:32 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2475 Have you ever wondered what goes into producing an audio version of a text document? It’s more complicated than you might think! There are a few things to think about before one of our audio transcribers even begins to record the document: Before recording Depending on the length of the document, the first thing our ...

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Have you ever wondered what goes into producing an audio version of a text document? It’s more complicated than you might think!

There are a few things to think about before one of our audio transcribers even begins to record the document:

Before recording

Depending on the length of the document, the first thing our audio transcribers do is split the document into tracks which are both manageable to read, and to listen to. If the document has a contents, we will usually split the document into the tracks as laid out in the contents, but this doesn’t always work. The way we split the document will also be different if the final audio is for CD or to be used online.

5 USB sticks on a table

Next we write a short introduction which will tell the listener how long the recording is, how many CD’s the recording is on and how they can navigate through the audio (if they can skip tracks for example).

We then need to look for anything that needs a description, or might take a little longer to deal with when reading the document out. These include:

  • pronunciation of names, or places that the audio transcriber is unfamiliar with. This can also include how to pronounce medical terms, or the names of medicines
  • working out the best way to read a table or form, so that the information is easily and clearly conveyed to the listener
  • writing a description of graphs, flow charts, images, and many other types of diagrams. These can all be included in audio, but writing a description that provides all the necessary information, and also matches the style of the document can take time.
  • Changing page references so that they make sense in the recording

Finally, the audio transcriber will check the recording equipment is set up correctly, that they can sit comfortably in front of the microphone, and that the sound levels are correct, and then it’s time to start recording!

A man sitting in a recording studio, with a microphone close to his mouth.

Recording the document

If you’ve ever tried to read out a long paragraph of text, you probably know that it’s not as easy as you might think. Long, run-on sentences can trip you up, and a lack of punctuation such as commas can make it hard to know when to take a breath, and uncommon or unfamiliar words can cause you to mis-speak. Our audio transcribers learn how to deal with all of these issues and more, such as making sure their tone is correct for the type of document being read out, and making sure that they sound engaged with the document, and understand the content.

On top of all of this, there’s also abbreviations, acronyms, accents and symbols to deal with. While some, such as “NB” or the @ symbol are easy to work out how to deal with, others can be specific to the document, especially in technical documents or scientific literature, and working these out is an important part of making your audio recording sound natural and authentic.

All of which brings us to the most important part – actually recording the document! We look to read the document in a clear, even tone, at a pace that is easy to listen to, and without distracting changes in volume, or the speed or pitch of the audio transcribers voice.

Take a look at the paragraph below from a document we previously produced – as well as a lot of long sentences with quite clinical language, there are also a lot of names which could have different pronunciations!

A paragraph of text in a journal. It reads “Additionally, hindering events have been described as difficult to study due to reduced reporting (Henkelman & Paulson, 2006) and reduced consistency of reported categories of hindering events among studies. Clients typically find it difficult to talk about hindering experiences in therapy (Paulson et al., 2001) and have a tendency to hide negative reactions in counselling (Audet & Everall, 2003; Rennie, 1992). Several researchers (Grafanaki & McLeod, 1999; Rennie, 1994) have suggested that clients may hide what they perceive as hindering experiences in therapy rather than state their feelings and thoughts about these experiences (Paulson et al., 2001). Thus, despite a positive relationship between the client and therapist, clients have difficulty reporting hindering aspects of the therapeutic process to their therapist (Audet & Everall, 2003; Regan & Hill, 1992). Therefore, research that uses in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted by an objective researcher to collect retrospective client accounts of hindering events in previous therapy may allow clients to feel more comfortable discussing these difficult moments and how they may have influences therapeutic processes and outcomes.”

Taking care of your voice

One of the most important things our Audio transcribers have to do is take care of their voice. Making sure that your throat doesn’t dry out by drinking lots of water (caffeine and dairy can affect the vocal cords), avoiding smoking, and taking plenty of breaks to rest, are all important. As well as this, we need to make sure we don’t attempt to reach the end of a sentence by stretching our voice, and make sure that we sit with good posture to properly project our voice.

If you’re interested in having your documents audio recorded, why not contact A2i for a quote?

Email: info@a2i.co.uk
Web: a2i.co.uk
Telephone: 01179 440044
Or use our quick quote form.

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Embedded Easy Read for your website – what it is and how it works http://a2i.co.uk/blog/embedded-easy-read-for-your-website-what-it-is-and-how-it-work/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/embedded-easy-read-for-your-website-what-it-is-and-how-it-work/#respond Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:15:55 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2468 We have recently expanded our Easy Read services to include embedded Easy Read and Easy Read videos. We have decided to write several blogs to help explain what these are and how they might be useful to your company. But, first, let’s go back to basics and talk about Easy Read. Easy Read One of ...

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We have recently expanded our Easy Read services to include embedded Easy Read and Easy Read videos. We have decided to write several blogs to help explain what these are and how they might be useful to your company. But, first, let’s go back to basics and talk about Easy Read.

Easy Read letter, report and health information

Easy Read

One of our most popular formats, Easy Read, is a format designed for adults with learning disabilities. Easy Read transcribes lengthy and complex documents into simple and concise texts that are easy for everyone to understand. All text is accompanied by images that aid understanding.

Click on the link below to read some of our most frequently asked questions about Easy Read

https://a2i.co.uk/blog/easy-read-top-10-faqs/

 

Most of our clients ask for digitally accessible Easy Read. Digitally accessible means your document can be read online using accessible software such as refreshable braille displays, screen readers and magnifiers. Easy Read can also be converted into a print ready PDF for printing purposes.

Traditionally, we have transcribed Easy Read into booklets that are easy to put online and distribute by email and print.

Click on the link below to read an example of a digitally accessible and editable Easy Read survey. Editable means we have included editable fields, so our survey can be completed online.

Weston General Hospital – Easy read survey

 

Following several customer requests, we now offer new styles of Easy Read that can be watched and listened to as videos or read as part of a website.

 

What is embedded Easy read?

Embedded Easy Read is a great option to explore if you want to post information straight onto your company website. Customers can access information without having to download external documents. Important information is easily discoverable and in one place.

Click on the link below to find an example of embedded Easy Read on our website

https://a2i.co.uk/easy-read-webpage/ 

Image of online survey in Easy Read

Example

 Your company has posted about a grant people can apply for to help with funding. You decide to have the application form transcribed into Easy Read so more people can apply. You also decide to embed the application form onto your website, so applicants can apply without having to download or print application forms. The application process is streamlined and simple, especially for people with learning disabilities.

How embedded Easy Read works

We provide the appropriate Easy Read text and the most suitable images for your IT department to embed onto your website. We transcribe your original text into Easy Read and send it to you electronically via email, as we would an Easy Read booklet. You simply extract the text and accompanying images from the Word or Excel sheet we send you. You can let us know what format works best for you.

Contact us

If you are interested in Embedded Easy Read, contact us today and tell us about the text you would like transcribed. We can tell you what we think would work best for your specific document. We can even send your Easy Read to you as a booklet and ready to be extracted.

Click the link below to learn more about our new Easy Read services

https://a2i.co.uk/services/easy-read/ 

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Easy Read – what to think about http://a2i.co.uk/blog/easy-read-what-to-think-about/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/easy-read-what-to-think-about/#respond Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:06:24 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2449 By Amelia Ling You might not know how the process of Easy Read transcription works, or even what to ask for when you place an order with us – that’s why we’re here to help. Before we transcribe your document  into Easy Read, there are four things the A2i team would like you to consider: ...

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By Amelia Ling

You might not know how the process of Easy Read transcription works, or even what to ask for when you place an order with us – that’s why we’re here to help. Before we transcribe your document  into Easy Read, there are four things the A2i team would like you to consider: suitability, purpose, availability, and usability.

Suitability

Think about who you intend to read your document and if Easy Read is a suitable format for them. Easy Read is an alternative format for adults who are learning disabled – it might not be useful for someone with an auditory or visual impairment. We can advise the most appropriate format if you talk to us about who your document is for.

Easy Read is also a digital format that can be converted into an accessible PDF for people who use computer software such as refreshable braille displays, screen readers or screen magnifiers. It’s important to think about people with multiple disabilities who might want to read your document. An Accessible Easy Read PDF is readable for someone with a visual impairment who uses Easy Read.

Everyone’s ability to read and engage with information is different so it’s useful to know the severity of your reader’s learning disability. Documents about healthcare contain complicated terminology that can be useful for some people to learn, given the correct definition, but also confusing and frightening for others.A group of 6 people of mixed ages, sexes, ethnicities and disabilities.

Purpose

Think about why someone needs to read your document or why you would like them to. When we send your quotation, we will attach a brief for you to fill out. The brief is a clear way for you to tell us about your document, such as the most important parts and any complicated words or phrases you would like explained.

It’s useful to consider if you need all of your document transcribed, or if you could take out any sections that might be more difficult to understand and distract from the more important information. We can always help you to decide which sections you should include.

Tell us if you want us to include any of the graphics in your standard print document. It looks great when there’s a strong resemblance between the original document and the Easy Read version. We can incorporate colours, logos and pictures.

An Easy Read survey with pictures and coloured sections.

 

Availability

Think about when you need your document to be published and if you will have enough time to review your document after we despatch it to you. When we send your quotation you will have the opportunity to tell us about any deadlines that we will do our best to accommodate.

If you are unable to send your document when you first contact us, please provide an estimated word count or an idea of when your document would be available.

2 people standing either side of a large stopwatch

Usability

Think about how someone will use your Easy Read document. Online questionnaires or surveys need to be converted into editable pdfs so they can be filled out on a computer or phone.

It’s good to think about digitally excluded people who can’t go online or use technology to read your document. You can ask us about print ready pdfs that we can print and distribute for you. Images in a print ready pdf have a higher resolution than a standard pdf that might be sent electronically or put online. They also have crop marks to show where the printer will trim each page.

Most importantly, talk to us about anything you’re unsure about and ask us any questions you might have.

 

A group of people around a meeting table, looking at documents

 

If you’d like a quote to get documents transcribed to Easy Read, get in touch with A2i’s friendly team for a quotation.

Email: info@a2i.co.uk
Web: www.a2i.co.uk
Telephone: 01179 440044
Or use the quick quote form on our website: Quote Request

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How to get documents translated into audio http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-documents-translated-into-audio/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-documents-translated-into-audio/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:50:05 +0000 http://a2i-2.local/?p=679   You’ve been asked for an audio version of your magazine or letter. You know it’s important for accessibility, but what does ‘an audio version’ mean? And how can you arrange to get one? Let A2i help you with your audio needs Documents translated into an audio format are useful for people who are print ...

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Headphones on a bright yellow background

 

You’ve been asked for an audio version of your magazine or letter. You know it’s important for accessibility, but what does ‘an audio version’ mean? And how can you arrange to get one?

Let A2i help you with your audio needs

Documents translated into an audio format are useful for people who are print disabled – for example, people with sight loss, dyslexia, or people with learning difficulties. Providing an audio version allows these people to have equal access to information and means they can access your magazine, company brochure, books, letters, or reports, just like your sighted readers.

“But I’ve already provided it in Braille!” I hear you cry. That’s fantastic that you’re already considering different formats for different needs, but not all blind people read Braille. Translating your document into audio format (or Large Print, or E-text for example) can help you reach those who don’t.

How do you translate documents into audio format – what happens?

At A2i, our expert team of in-house transcribers can translate your documents into audio format. This means one of our transcribers reads your document aloud and records it as an audio version. We produce the audio as .wav files or .mp3, depending on your requirements, and we can send it to you by email, on a USB stick, or as an audio CD. You can send the audio to individual clients, or embed it into your website, making your information accessible to all.

What are the benefits of A2i’s audio translation service?

Expert translation

Our transcribers have years of experience and are expertly trained to deal with any difficult aspects of the document like pictures, diagrams, and tables. They re-script the document where necessary to make these features accessible to the listener.

Easy listening

We also make sure the audio version is easy for the listener to navigate, adding a contents section and indexing so the listener can skip through to the relevant section.

Professional sound

We record audio versions of your documents in our in-house recording studios, resulting in a professional product to match your brand and style.

Real voice or digital voice

We offer the choice of a real voice from one of our trained in-house transcribers, or a digital voice, produced electronically. This reads aloud the audio script we have prepared of your document. Research shows that people on-the-whole prefer to listen to real voices; digital voices are largely used for data-filled documents such as bank statements and bills.

We’re professional, personal, and prompt so get in touch with our friendly transcription team and let us transform your document!

Let A2i help you reach more people – get in touch!

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‘A new Consumer Duty’: new access rules for financial services organisations http://a2i.co.uk/blog/a-new-consumer-duty-new-access-rules-for-financial-services-organisations/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/a-new-consumer-duty-new-access-rules-for-financial-services-organisations/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 14:01:56 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2416 Since July of this year, financial services organisations have been expected to follow new rules that govern how they should treat their customers, especially more vulnerable customers. If you are an organisation that offers financial services such as banking, insurance or investment, this is for you. We want to help you keep up to date ...

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Since July of this year, financial services organisations have been expected to follow new rules that govern how they should treat their customers, especially more vulnerable customers. If you are an organisation that offers financial services such as banking, insurance or investment, this is for you.

We want to help you keep up to date and explain how A2i can help you meet the needs of your customers.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s policy statement ‘A new Consumer Duty’, discusses how financial services organisations need to better care for their customers by providing flexible support. Financial services organisations need to make sure customers can make well informed, confident decisions about their finances. The rules that fall under this new policy have been effective since 31 July 2023.

A computer screen showing a graph

A new Consumer Duty

The Duty is made up of 4 outcomes:

  1. Fair value
  2. Suitability and treatment
  3. Confidence
  4. Access.

One of the four outcomes of The Duty is Access – this means that diverse consumer needs are met. One of the ways suggested to improve access is to offer customers more channels of support. Channels of support are the different ways services are available to help customers, such as by telephone, email, in person, on webchat, or video call.

Channels of Support

The FCA acknowledges that some channels of support may be unsuitable for vulnerable customers or customers with protected characteristics. Within the policy statement, the FCA give an example of how these individuals needs should be met, ‘some customers may find it difficult to take in information provided over the phone and have a need for written communications.’

Reasonable adjustments

By law, reasonable adjustments are to be made for disabled customers under the Equality Act 2010. Otherwise, a product or service may not be accessible to certain individuals. This might mean your company offers alternative formats such as Braille, Audio, Large Print, or Easy Read. The provision of alternative formats could be the difference between someone paying their household bills, or getting into financial difficulties.

A desk with bills, a calculator and a pen spread across it. A hand is reaching out to pick up one of the documents.

Fair treatment of vulnerable customers

The FCA also produced guidance for financial service organisations to accompany ‘A new Consumer Duty’, called ‘the fair treatment of vulnerable customers.’ Within this guidance, the FCA suggests actions to promote the fair treatment of customers such as ‘holding focus groups with customers with characteristics of vulnerability.’ It is important to talk to people with lived experience and to listen to what they need. Coproduction will ensure that your organisation’s efforts to become more accessible are validated by people with disabilities.

Simple and effective communication

The guidance also talks about using simple and effective communication. Easy Read, as an alternative format, uses simple and easy to understand language instead of jargon and technical industry terminology. A2i can produce documents such as financial statements and legal documents into Easy Read booklets that are accessible to customers with learning disabilities.

When communicating with customers, your organisation should look out for signs and phrases which could indicate that someone is struggling to make payments or understand letters or telephone conversations. The FCA suggests that vulnerable customers may use phrases such as ‘I hate these press buttons’ or ‘I can’t read my bill’. When hearing these phrases, staff members should offer customers alternative formats or channels of support.

How A2i can help you

We hope that our brief overview of the Financial Conduct Authority’s policy statement will urge organisations to read more and make genuine changes to their products and services.

A2i are always happy to help organisations learn more about alternative formats and to suggest who might benefit from them. We understand many financial services organisations will want to offer alternative formats as soon as they become aware of a customer’s specific needs. A2i are more than happy to offer transcription services on an ad hoc basis, as and when you need. Our minimum turnaround is 3 days, but we will do our best to accommodate your deadline.

If you’d like a quote to get documents transcribed to Braille, Large Print, Audio, Easy Read, e-text, or BSL video get in touch with A2i’s friendly team for a quotation.

Email: info@a2i.co.uk
Web: www.a2i.co.uk
Telephone: 01179 440044
Or use the quick quote form on our website: Quote Request

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Arabic Braille and Braille in other languages http://a2i.co.uk/blog/arabic-braille-and-braille-in-other-languages/ http://a2i.co.uk/blog/arabic-braille-and-braille-in-other-languages/#respond Mon, 03 Jul 2023 11:54:29 +0000 https://a2i.co.uk/?p=2404 According to the Musée Louis Braille, Braille is used by around 6 million people worldwide, in every single language. While the majority of Braille A2i produces is Grade 2 UEB Braille did you know we can also produce Braille in a number of other languages? We can produce Braille in almost all European languages, as ...

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According to the Musée Louis Braille, Braille is used by around 6 million people worldwide, in every single language. While the majority of Braille A2i produces is Grade 2 UEB Braille did you know we can also produce Braille in a number of other languages?

We can produce Braille in almost all European languages, as well as in Arabic.

An book with Arabic text on the left-hand page, and English text on the right-hand page

The most common languages we are asked to produce Braille in, other than English, are Arabic, French, German and Russian.

Braille in other languages uses the same six dots as UEB, but different languages have different contractions (if the Braille is contracted) and can use different symbols for characters such as the @ symbol, and punctuation.

As an example, let’s look at A2i’s telephone number 01179 44 00 44 and info@a2i.co.uk email address in three different languages:

A2i's phone number and info@ email address in English, Arabic and French Braille

The symbol used for @ in info@a2i.co.uk is different in each language, and the telephone numbers are also formatted differently.

You may notice that the Arabic Braille is formatted in the same direction as the English and French Braille. This is correct: while Arabic text is read right to left, Arabic Braille is read left to right!

A2i can transcribe Braille into all languages that use a Latin Alphabet, as well as Arabic, and some Cyrillic languages.

In order to produce a document in foreign language Braille, we will require a copy of the document in both English and the translated version. If you don’t have a version in the foreign language, we can also look to produce this for you!

If you’d like a quote for Braille documents, in a foreign language, or would like to know more about the languages we can produce Braille in, why not contact us for a quotation?

Email: info@a2i.co.uk

Web: www.a2i.co.uk

Telephone: 01179 440044

Or use the quick quote form on our website: Quote Request

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