Ron McCallum: How technology allowed me to read

Translator: james Gordon Reviewer: Bighead Ge

When I was about three or four years old,

喺我三四歲嘅時候

I remember my mum reading a story to me

我記得阿媽同我同兩個大佬 講過一個故仔

and my two big brothers,

and I remember putting up my hands

我記得嗰時用手觸摸書嘅紙

to feel the page of the book,

to feel the picture they were discussing.

想像佢哋討論梗嘅圖畫

And my mum said, "Darling,

我阿媽講︰「阿仔，

remember that you can't see

記住，你睇唔見，

and you can't feel the picture

你感受唔到圖畫，

and you can't feel the print on the page."

你感受唔到頁面嘅印刷。」

And I thought to myself,

我心諗︰

"But that's what I want to do.

「但係，我正想掂書。

I love stories. I want to read."

我鍾意故仔，我想讀佢哋。」

Little did I know

我真係冇諗到

that I would be part of a technological revolution

我會係一場技術革命嘅一分子

that would make that dream come true.

令到細個想摸書嘅願望成真

I was born premature by about 10 weeks,

阿媽早產我十個禮拜

which resulted in my blindness, some 64 years ago.

導致我 64 年前失明

The condition is known as retrolental fibroplasia,

呢種情況稱為晶狀體後纖維增生症

and it's now very rare in the developed world.

已經喺發達國家好少見

Little did I know, lying curled up

我唔知道喺 1948 年

in my prim baby humidicrib in 1948

我喺初生恆溫箱裏邊時

that I'd been born at the right place

我出世嘅地方同時間都咁啱

and the right time,

that I was in a country where I could participate

我原來出世喺一個 可以參與到技術革命嘅國家度

in the technological revolution.

There are 37 million totally blind people on our planet,

全球有三千七百萬盲人

but those of us who've shared in the technological changes

但係，當中受惠於科技嘅盲人

mainly come from North America, Europe,

主要嚟自北美，歐洲、日本 同其他發達國家

Japan and other developed parts of the world.

Computers have changed the lives of us all in this room

電腦已經改變咗在座各位 以至世界各地嘅人嘅生活

and around the world,

but I think they've changed the lives

但我覺得電腦改變盲人嘅程度 比其他人仲要高

of we blind people more than any other group.

And so I want to tell you about the interaction

所以我想講下我同電腦輔助科技

between computer-based adaptive technology

同埋無數多年嚟 幫我嘅義工之間嘅互動

and the many volunteers who helped me over the years

to become the person I am today.

因為互動，至有今日嘅我

It's an interaction between volunteers,

亦都因為義工、熱情嘅發明家 同科技之間嘅互動

passionate inventors and technology,

先至有今日嘅我

and it's a story that many other blind people could tell.

我嘅故事有好多盲人都講過

But let me tell you a bit about it today.

但係，等我我講少少我嘅故事

When I was five, I went to school and I learned braille.

五歲嗰時我返學係學盲人凸字

It's an ingenious system of six dots

盲人凸字係一個 剩係得六個點嘅巧妙系統

that are punched into paper,

嗰啲點鑿入紙裏邊

and I can feel them with my fingers.

透過手指，我可以感覺到佢哋

In fact, I think they're putting up my grade six report.

事實上，我覺得學校啲人 喺度展示梗我六年班嘅報告

I don't know where Julian Morrow got that from.

我唔知 Julian Morrow 佢喺邊度攞返嚟

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I was pretty good in reading,

我閱讀科好叻

but religion and musical appreciation needed more work.

但宗教同音樂科要多啲努力

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When you leave the opera house,

當你離開劇院

you'll find there's braille signage in the lifts.

你會發現，電梯裡邊有盲人凸字

Look for it. Have you noticed it?

搵下！搵唔搵到？

I do. I look for it all the time.

我成日都搵嗰喎！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When I was at school,

我返學嘅時候

the books were transcribed by transcribers,

書本由抄卷員，即係義工

voluntary people who punched one dot at a time

一點一點咁樣抄錄

so I'd have volumes to read,

所以我至有一堆書睇

and that had been going on, mainly by women,

美國嘅抄錄工作自十九世紀末開始 主要由女性做

since the late 19th century in this country,

but it was the only way I could read.

抄錄亦係唯一方式令我可以閱讀

When I was in high school,

當我讀高中嘅時候

I got my first Philips reel-to-reel tape recorder,

我有第一個磁帶錄音機 菲利普牌子嘅

and tape recorders became my sort of pre-computer

磁帶錄音機成為我 電腦時代之前嘅學習工具

medium of learning.

I could have family and friends read me material,

有咗錄音機之後

我可以請家人朋友將文字讀一次

and I could then read it back

然後我就可以將佢讀返，讀幾多次都得

as many times as I needed.

And it brought me into contact

佢令我可以接觸義工同助手

with volunteers and helpers.

For example, when I studied at graduate school

譬如

當我喺加拿大皇后大學度 讀研究生嘅時候

at Queen's University in Canada,

the prisoners at the Collins Bay jail agreed to help me.

Colloins Bay 監獄嘅囚犯同意幫我錄音

I gave them a tape recorder, and they read into it.

我將錄音機交畀佢哋，佢哋錄低聲音

As one of them said to me,

有一個人同我講︰

"Ron, we ain't going anywhere at the moment."

「Ron，我哋宜家無地方去， 我哋可以幫你。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But think of it. These men,

但諗一諗呢啲囚犯

who hadn't had the educational opportunities I'd had,

嗰啲冇同我一樣受過教育嘅人

helped me gain post-graduate qualifications in law

無私咁協助我讀到法學研究生

by their dedicated help.

Well, I went back and became an academic

之後我去咗墨爾本 Monash University 做教職員

at Melbourne's Monash University,

and for those 25 years,

25 年裏邊

tape recorders were everything to me.

所有嘢都係透過錄音機接收資訊

In fact, in my office in 1990,

1990 年我嘅辦公室收藏嘅磁帶 長達 18 英里

I had 18 miles of tape.

Students, family and friends all read me material.

學生、家人、朋友都幫過我錄音

Mrs. Lois Doery,

Lois Doery 女士係我後來嘅代母

whom I later came to call my surrogate mum,

read me many thousands of hours onto tape.

佢幫我讀咗成千上萬個鐘頭

One of the reasons I agreed to give this talk today

其中一個我今日應承講上嚟講嘅原因

was that I was hoping that Lois would be here

係我希望 Lois Doery 佢今日能夠喺度

so I could introduce you to her and publicly thank her.

令我可以介紹佢畀你哋，並公開多謝佢

But sadly, her health hasn't permitted her to come today.

可惜今日，佢身體抱恙，未能夠嚟到

But I thank you here, Lois, from this platform.

但我想喺呢度多謝你 Lois Doery

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I saw my first Apple computer in 1984,

1984 年，我有我第一台電腦

and I thought to myself,

我諗︰

"This thing's got a glass screen, not much use to me."

「呢樣嘢雖然有玻璃屏幕， 但對我冇用。」

How very wrong I was.

我諗得好錯

In 1987, in the month our eldest son Gerard was born,

1987 年，我嘅大仔 Gerard 出世嘅嗰個月

I got my first blind computer,

我終於有我第一台盲人電腦

and it's actually here.

台上擺咗部咁嘅電腦

See it up there?

見到未？

And you see it has no, what do you call it, no screen.

你發現佢冇屏幕

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's a blind computer.

佢係一台盲人電腦

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's a Keynote Gold 84k,

佢叫做 Keynote Gold 84k

and the 84k stands for it had 84 kilobytes of memory.

84k 代表佢有 84KB 記憶體

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Don't laugh, it cost me 4,000 dollars at the time. (Laughter)

唔好笑，當時佢使咗我四千美金

（笑聲）

I think there's more memory in my watch.

我諗我手錶嘅記憶體都多過佢

It was invented by Russell Smith, a passionate inventor

佢係由一個充滿熱情嘅發明家 Russell Smith 發明

in New Zealand who was trying to help blind people.

居住喺新西蘭，致力幫助盲人

Sadly, he died in a light plane crash in 2005,

不幸地，2005 年

佢因為小型飛機墜毀而離世

but his memory lives on in my heart.

但佢永遠喺我心裡面

It meant, for the first time,

講返轉頭，即係話第一次

I could read back what I had typed into it.

我可以將我打出嚟嘅嘢讀出嚟

It had a speech synthesizer.

佢有一個語音合成器

I'd written my first coauthored labor law book

喺 1979 年，我喺打字機上純粹憑記憶

on a typewriter in 1979 purely from memory.

完成我第一部關於勞工法嘅合著書

This now allowed me to read back what I'd written

咁嘅電腦令我知道自己打咗乜嘢

and to enter the computer world,

同埋，就算係得 84k 記憶體

even with its 84k of memory.

我都一樣可以走進電腦世界

In 1974, the great Ray Kurzweil, the American inventor,

1974 年，美國發明家 Ray Kurzweil

worked on building a machine that would scan books

開發一台可以掃描書本嘅機器

and read them out in synthetic speech.

透過語音合成讀出嚟

Optical character recognition units then

而光學字符識別單元 通常剩係展示到一種字體

only operated usually on one font,

but by using charge-coupled device flatbed scanners

但用咗感光耦合元件桌式掃描儀 同語音合成之後

and speech synthesizers,

he developed a machine that could read any font.

佢開發到一台能夠讀任何字體嘅機

And his machine, which was as big as a washing machine,

佢呢部同洗衣機一樣大嘅機

was launched on the 13th of January, 1976.

喺 1976 年 1 月 13 日推出

I saw my first commercially available Kurzweil

而喺 1989 年 3 月

我擁有第一台商業用嘅 Kurzweil 電腦

in March 1989, and it blew me away,

部電腦令人好感動

and in September 1989,

1989 年 9 月

the month that my associate professorship

Monash University 宣佈 聘請我做助理教授

at Monash University was announced,

the law school got one, and I could use it.

法學院有一部 Kurzweil 電腦我可以用

For the first time, I could read what I wanted to read

第一次，我可以讀我鍾意讀嘅

只要將書放喺掃描器上面就可以讀嘞

by putting a book on the scanner.

I didn't have to be nice to people!

我就唔需要求人啦！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I no longer would be censored.

唔好再有人審査我

For example, I was too shy then,

例如，嗰時我好怕羞

and I'm actually too shy now, to ask anybody

其實宜家也好怕求人 幫我大聲讀性禁書

to read me out loud sexually explicit material.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But, you know, I could pop a book on in the middle of the night, and --

但你知啦

我可以喺半夜攞一本書，然後…

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲） （掌聲）

Now, the Kurzweil reader is simply

宜家，Kurzweil 閱讀器 縮細到我筆電嘅一個程式

a program on my laptop.

That's what it's shrunk to.

And now I can scan the latest novel

宜家，我可以掃描最新嘅小說

and not wait to get it into talking book libraries.

唔使等佢擺喺發聲圖書館入邊先聽到

I can keep up with my friends.

我可以同老友記聯絡

There are many people who have helped me in my life,

我生命裏邊有好多幫過我嘅人

and many that I haven't met.

仲有好多我從未見過嘅人

One is another American inventor Ted Henter.

其中一位係美國發明家 Ted Henter

Ted was a motorcycle racer,

佢以前係電單車車手

but in 1978 he had a car accident and lost his sight,

1978 年因為車禍失明

which is devastating if you're trying to ride motorbikes.

對於渣電單車嘅人嚟講非常之慘

He then turned to being a waterskier

之後佢轉咗去玩滑水

and was a champion disabled waterskier.

仲成為殘疾人滑水比賽冠軍

But in 1989, he teamed up with Bill Joyce

1989 年，佢同 Bill Joyce 組隊

to develop a program that would read out

開發一款能夠閱讀 無論網頁定電腦文字嘅程式

what was on the computer screen

from the Net or from what was on the computer.

亦叫做 JAWS

It's called JAWS, Job Access With Speech,

全稱 Job Access With Speech

and it sounds like this.

名符其實

(JAWS speaking)

（JAWS 發聲）

Ron McCallum: Isn't that slow?

講者：係咪好慢？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You see, if I read like that, I'd fall asleep.

如果佢咁嘅速度讀，我實瞓著咗

I slowed it down for you.

其實係我較慢咗啫

I'm going to ask that we play it at the speed I read it.

大家想唔想用我平時聽嘅速度播？

Can we play that one?

(JAWS speaking)

（JAWS 發聲）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

RM: You know, when you're marking student essays,

講者：你要明白，當你批改學生功課

you want to get through them fairly quickly.

您要快速咁讀

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲） （掌聲）

This technology that fascinated me in 1987

呢個 1987 年 曾經令我著迷過嘅技術

is now on my iPhone and on yours as well.

宜家喺同你哋 iPhone 上面都有

But, you know, I find reading with machines

但我發覺用機器讀 係一個好寂莫嘅過程

a very lonely process.

I grew up with family, friends, reading to me,

喺我成長裏面，家人、朋友 都有讀書俾我聽

and I loved the warmth and the breath

我鍾意啲人讀書嗰陣 嗰份溫暖、呼吸同親近

and the closeness of people reading.

Do you love being read to?

你哋鍾唔鍾意有人讀俾你聽？

And one of my most enduring memories

我印象中最深刻一次

is in 1999, Mary reading to me and the children

係 1999 年喺曼利海灘附近

down near Manly Beach

瑪麗喺度讀「哈利波特與魔法石」 俾我同小朋友聽

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

Isn't that a great book?

唔係一本好書嗎？

I still love being close to someone reading to me.

我仲鍾意坐近讀俾我聽嘅人

But I wouldn't give up the technology,

但我唔會因此唔用文字閱讀器

because it's allowed me to lead a great life.

事關閱讀器帶俾我精彩生活

Of course, talking books for the blind

當然發聲圖書比閱讀器更加早出現

predated all this technology.

After all, the long-playing record was developed

畢竟，收錄長錄音嘅錄音帶

in the early 1930s,

喺 19 世紀 30 年代初出現

and now we put talking books on CDs

宜家發聲圖書都入落去光碟入裏邊

using the digital access system known as DAISY.

用簡稱 DAISY 嘅數碼存取系統儲存

But when I'm reading with synthetic voices,

但當我用合成語音讀書嘅時候

I love to come home and read a racy novel

我習慣返到屋企 讀一本內容生動嘅小說

with a real voice.

兼且真人發音

Now there are still barriers

宜家我哋殘疾人士仍然有一啲問題

in front of we people with disabilities.

Many websites we can't read using JAWS

例如有好多網站都冇得用 JAWS 閱讀

and the other technologies.

其他技術都唔得

Websites are often very visual,

又例如網站通常都好多圖

and there are all these sorts of graphs

有啲圖表冇標示

that aren't labeled and buttons that aren't labeled,

有啲按鈕都冇標示

and that's why the World Wide Web Consortium 3,

呢樣正正係世界萬維網聯盟 3 簡稱 W3C

known as W3C, has developed worldwide standards

針對互聯網製定咗國際標準

for the Internet.

And we want all Internet users or Internet site owners

我哋希朢所有互聯網用戶或網主 可以令網站更兼容

to make their sites compatible so that

we persons without vision can have a level playing field.

令我哋盲人都享有一個同等對待嘅環境

There are other barriers brought about by our laws.

我哋嘅法律也帶嚟咗障礙

For example, Australia,

例如

澳洲好似世界三分之一嘅國家一樣

like about one third of the world's countries,

has copyright exceptions which allow books to be brailled

有版權豁免，令書籍可以製成盲人凸字

or read for we blind persons.

或者發出聲俾盲人閱讀

But those books can't travel across borders.

但呢啲書唔能夠喺其他國家使用

For example, in Spain, there are a 100,000

例如西班牙文嘅書籍

accessible books in Spanish.

喺西班牙有十萬

In Argentina, there are 50,000.

喺阿根廷有五萬

In no other Latin American country

但喺其他拉丁美洲國家就少過幾千本

are there more than a couple of thousand.

But it's not legal to transport the books

但如果將盲人凸字嘅書 由西班牙運去拉丁美洲，係唔合法

from Spain to Latin America.

There are hundreds of thousands of accessible books

成千上萬嘅可以用嘅盲人凸字書籍

in the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, etc.,

遍佈喺美國、英國 加拿大、澳洲等國家

but they can't be transported to the 60 countries

但佢哋唔可以運去其他 60 個

in our world where English is the first and the second language.

以英語為第一、第二語言嘅國家

And remember I was telling you about Harry Potter.

記得我頭先講過哈利波特

Well, because we can't transport books across borders,

因為我哋唔可以運書去第二個國家

there had to be separate versions read

所以同一本書喺唔同英語國家

in all the different English-speaking countries:

Britain, United States, Canada, Australia,

英國、美國、加拿大、澳洲、新西蘭

and New Zealand all had to have

就會有唔同版本嘅哈利波特

separate readings of Harry Potter.

And that's why, next month in Morocco,

呢樣亦都係點解，下個月喺摩洛哥

a meeting is taking place between all the countries.

有一個所有國家都會參加嘅會議

It's something that a group of countries

事關個會議關乎到

and the World Blind Union are advocating,

一啲國家同世界盲人聯盟 倡導嘅跨國協定

a cross-border treaty

so that if books are available under a copyright exception

當中講到，如果兩個國家都有版權豁免

and the other country has a copyright exception,

我哋就可以將書 喺兩個國家之間運嚟運去

we can transport those books across borders

and give life to people, particularly in developing countries,

尤其喺發展中國家 為冇書讀嘅盲人重新燃點生命

blind people who don't have the books to read.

I want that to happen.

我想呢樣發生

(Applause)

（掌聲）

My life has been extraordinarily blessed

我嘅生活一直都幸福

with marriage and children

結咗婚又有細路

and certainly interesting work to do,

仲有得意嘅工作做

whether it be at the University of Sydney Law School,

無論喺悉尼大學法學院擔任院長

where I served a term as dean,

or now as I sit on the United Nations Committee

定係宜家坐喺日內瓦 聯合國殘疾人權利委員會

on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in Geneva.

I've indeed been a very fortunate human being.

我自覺係一個幸福嘅人

I wonder what the future will hold.

我唔知將來會點

The technology will advance even further,

但科技必然會更加先進

but I can still remember my mum saying, 60 years ago,

我仲記得阿媽 60 年前講過︰

"Remember, darling,

「記住阿仔，

you'll never be able to read the print with your fingers."

你永遠唔會用手指嚟閱讀。」

I'm so glad that the interaction between braille transcribers,

我好高興呢種我同 凸字抄寫員、志願讀者

volunteer readers and passionate inventors,

同埋熱情嘅發明家之間嘅互動

has allowed this dream of reading to come true for me

令到我同全世界盲人嘅閱讀夢想成真

and for blind people throughout the world.

I'd like to thank my researcher Hannah Martin,

我想多謝我嘅研究員 Hannah Martin

who is my slide clicker, who clicks the slides,

佢一路喺度幫我襟下一張投影片

and my wife, Professor Mary Crock, who's the light of my life,

我要多謝老婆 Mary Crock

佢係我嘅生命之光

is coming on to collect me.

佢會嚟接我

I want to thank her too.

我要感謝我太太

I think I have to say goodbye now.

我諗我要講再見喇

Bless you. Thank you very much.

祝大家平安。多謝曬

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Yay! (Applause)

耶！

（掌聲）

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. (Applause)

好，好，好，好