CART and Captioning - Part 1
Editor: I saw this article on Communication Access Realtime
Translation (CART) and Captioning online and I emailed the author for
permission to reproduce it. Tamar Clarke generously consented.
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INTRODUCTION
Some people become extremely excited about the possibility and use of
CART. Why is this so exciting? We thought that it would be beneficial
and educational for the CSC's to understand captioning used for
meetings. This presentation will cover CART and captioning, with the
focus being on CART.
What do we mean by CART? It is an acronym for Communication Access
Realtime Translation. Very simply, it is the appearance of text, a
written version of what has been expressed verbally and it can be
displayed in a variety of formats or mediums. It includes sounds such as
sound effects and other non-verbal cues in addition to speech. CART can
be used for meetings that occur on the job or at conventions as well as
court proceedings. It is important to know that CART requires different
hardware and software from captioning.
Captioning is only when text occurs along with visual images such as
movies or television. In fact, some public places like the Rock Bottom
Brewery in Bethesda, their television sets display captioning. There are
also other types of captioning such as offline captioning, prompter
captioning, and etc.
What is wonderful about CART is that it increases communication
access for many people. This is particularly true for those who have a
hearing loss from profound to mild, those who speak a foreign language,
for those learning to read, and for those who miss a word or phrase.
There are a variety of captioning services, and this presentation is
focusing on CART. Communication Access Realtime Translation is done at
the same time the person is speaking, and a few seconds later, the text
appears. At a meeting, the text often appears on the laptop that the
captioner brings to the meeting and is visible to people viewing the
laptop screen. This is considered a challenging type of captioning as a
person has to be able to transcribe up to 250 words a minute, combining
phonetics and knowledge of spelling. They occasionally backtrack and
correct their mistakes.
For television programs that display text, captioning can be
corrected for a later broadcast. This is considered different from CART,
the acronym for Communication Access Realtime Translation.
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REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART)
What are requirements for communication access realtime translation
(CART)? It requires :
a highly skilled realtime captioning reporter (or highly skilled
court reporter) with a steno machine (Not all court reporters are able
to perform communication access realtime translation CART.)
a steno machine (writer) to enter data (Note: The cheapest one is a
Gemini steno keyboard at the cost of $595.)
a high speed computer with a sizable amount of memory to store a
large dictionary which is used to translate the steno keystrokes into
words (Note #1: the transcription is done on a combined spelling and
phonetic basis. Note #2: Actually, with the rapid growth in computing
capability, CART can be done on some of the computers now considered to
be older models such as the 486 laptop and on DOS based software. )
CART (communication access realtime translation) software which
translates every steno keystroke into English and then sends that data
to an encoder for display purposes (if using a display other than the
existing laptop or another computer monitor). (Note: This CART or Court
reporting software runs about $1,000 to $4,000.)
encoders-They take the information produced by the CART software and
computer and encodes the data for displays other than the laptop
computer or a computer monitor. (Note: Encoders cost about $1,000 to
$3,000.) Note: Decoders are needed to take the encoded information and
display them into text format, either on the television screen or on a
screen displayed via the LCD video projector.
display medium - It can be displayed on the laptop, another computer
monitor, displayed on a television set, or it can be displayed on a
screen transferred thru a LCD video projector. Note #1: Encoders are
needed if displayed on a television or on a screen via an LCD video
projector. Note #2: The newer LCD video projectors can be set up for
either CART using the VGA input or captioning which uses the NTSC video
input.
The costs of such a total CART system can range from $3,000 to
$20,000, depending upon the features selected with the system.
Here's part 2
