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Transcribing textbooks into braille is similar to translating a foreign language to English. To protect against errors and omissions, most of the transcriptions are sent to blind proofreaders. Several proofreaders are contracted with MBTF to proofread the brailled materials. When materials have been proofread, the corrections are made to the master copy, then copies of masters are prepared for distribution.
New software programs have enhanced the braille transcribing process. Technology is constantly improving the methods by which the transcriber encodes textbooks and instructional materials into braille formats as prescribed by the braille authorities. Computer technology has shortened the production time from beginning to completion of a textbook. While most of the tedious work is done by computers, the manual procedures are the mainstay of the experienced transcriber.
Nationwide, barely two-thirds of the demand for brailled material is met. MBTF targets and specializes in the "hard to do braille," such as math, science, geography, spelling and social studies. Despite the inability of the braille industry to meet this demand, MBTF provides materials very inexpensively in terms of the market price in the private sector. A finished braille page from MBTF typically sells between twenty-nine and thirty-three cents compared to commercial market prices of several dollars per page.
The major factors behind the reasonable prices at MBTF is the low cost of labor, high productivity, and non-profit status; which enable us to defray shipping expenses by utilizing the Free Matter for the Blind postage service provided by the US Postal Service.
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