Narrator: Communication Access Realtime Translation
also known as 'CART'
is available to deaf and hard-of-hearing people
who seek an alternative to American Sign Language interpreting - or ASL -
or reliance on assistive listening devices.
CART is an advanced and accurate translation method that uses a human captioner
assisted by computer-based captioning technology to transcribe
spoken dialogue word-for-word into written sentences.
CART is widely used in a variety of educational, professional, and personal settings.
For example, here at the University of Washington CART is often used
to enhance students' ability to learn in a classroom setting
and communicate with instructors, mentors, and peers.
CART provides realtime word-for-word translation, transcribing
each word as it is being spoken.
Speaker: At the University of Washington, I was part of the first Summer Academy here.
D'Wayne: What CART does, it just actually types that exact word
and leaves it up to you whether you know it or not.
Like, you can ask the question, 'what does that mean?'
or if you do know what that word means, you're understanding what it's saying.
D'Wayne: If you have verbatim word-by-word
print right there in front of you, you're able to understand more
and, like, have a lesser chance of misinterpreting what they're saying.
Narrator: CART is noted for it's accuracy, speed,
and wide variety of practical applications.
These qualities enable CART users to follow dialogue more efficiently and precisely.
Jessie: CART has been very helpful, like, for example
in a really large classroom, it can be very noisy
especially with everyone just talking all at once.
So, CART has really helped me understand my classmates
what they are talking about, a lot better.
Narrator: CART providers are able to customize their services to accommodate
each user's needs and preferences.
Text font size and text color can be modified to fit each CART user's preference.
When working in a live setting, providers will try to position themselves
so that they can clearly hear a speaker and simultaneously watch the transcription they are producing,
in order to correct any mistakes.
There are different display options to fit different settings. These include:
personal computer screens, projection screens, television monitors,
and mobile devices.
If CART is being used in a group setting, a larger display can be very beneficial.
In classroom or workplace situations where a user
needs to follow and understand complex vocabulary
CART can be very advantageous.
In certain settings, such as math and science classrooms, CART's word-for-word translation
is a useful resource.
Narrator: CART can be used in a variety of settings and can be flexible
according to each users needs.
CART technology allows it to be used in a mobile setting, such as a tour or site visit.
This flexibility enables users to engage in real-life situations
in which participation might otherwise be challenging.
Speaker: So, I drew up my own peg on the computer and printed it out.
Narrator: Upon approval, at the end of a CART session
a written log of the transcription can be sent to you and saved for studying
or record-keeping purposes.
Narrator: For ASL users, there are different ways to utilize CART in a classroom setting
with other hearing individuals or instructors.
If an ASL interpreter is not available when using CART,
an option is to type replies on a laptop computer for the CART provider or your seatmate to voice.
CART can also be used in a teleconference setting, allowing a user to join a conference call
using a remote CART provider.
In this situation, the CART provider and user both remotely join the conference call
and the user receives a live transcription of the teleconference on their internet-enabled computer.
There are other speech-to-text services available.
C-Print is a realtime speech-to-text translation service.
It uses a meaning-for-meaning translation system.
This allows it to summarize a large amount of information very quickly.
TypeWell works in a similar fashion to C-Print, providing meaning-for-meaning transcription.
Both services can be useful depending on the situation,
but do not provide word-for-word transcription as CART does.
Automatic Speech Recognition, or ASR,
uses an electronic device to capture speech and then internally translate it into text.
It promises to be an effective independent translation source,
but at the present time variables such as noise, pronunciation, pitch,
volume, and accents can disrupt the automatic translation process
and make the transcript difficult to read.
CART and other similar transcription services provide many benefits, including
equal communication access and independence,
while fostering full participation in a variety of settings.
Students, professionals, and others that are deaf or hard-of-hearing
can benefit from the versatility and comprehension offered by realtime transcription services.
Jessie: I really like CART, it is very helpful, especially in really loud
and noisy environments, and especially when your teacher or classmates are talking very quickly.
Or if you cannot hear everything correctly one-hundred percent of the time.
D'Wayne: With CART, I'm able to be active and be engaged
fully in whatever the subject is.