Ron McCallum: How technology allowed me to read

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Yu-Sheng Lin

When I was about three or four years old,

當我大約三到四歲大的時候，

I remember my mum reading a story to me

我記得母親唸了一個故事

and my two big brothers,

給我和兩個哥哥聽，

and I remember putting up my hands

我記得我把雙手放在

to feel the page of the book,

書本上碰觸頁面的感覺，

to feel the picture they were discussing.

想像他們正在討論的畫面。

And my mum said, "Darling,

我的母親說：「親愛的，

remember that you can't see

你要記得，你不能看、

and you can't feel the picture

不能對圖片有感觸，

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

也無法感覺頁面上的印刷。」

And I thought to myself,

我暗自在心裡想：

"But that's what I want to do.

「可是那是我想要的啊！

I love stories. I want to read."

我熱愛故事，我想要閱讀。」

Little did I know

我一點也不知道，

that I would be part of a technological revolution

我會成為科技革命的一分子，

that would make that dream come true.

那是會讓我夢想成真的一場革命。

I was born premature by about 10 weeks,

我早產大約十週，

which resulted in my blindness, some 64 years ago.

那讓我在 64 年前就失明了。

The condition is known as retrolental fibroplasia,

就是所謂的晶狀體後纖維增生症 (retrolental fibroplasia)，

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

這個疾病現在在 已開發國家已經很少見了。

Little did I know, lying curled up

我一點也不知道，我蜷縮地躺在

in my prim baby humidicrib in 1948

嬰兒保溫箱中的 1948 年，

that I'd been born at the right place

其實我就出生在對的地方

and the right time,

和對的時間。

that I was in a country where I could participate

我生在一個國家，那是一個能讓我參與

in the technological revolution.

科技革命的地方。

There are 37 million totally blind people on our planet,

世界上有 3,700 萬人全盲，

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

但是我們獲得的科技革新

mainly come from North America, Europe,

主要來自於北美、歐洲、

Japan and other developed parts of the world.

日本，以及世界上其它已開發國家。

Computers have changed the lives of us all in this room

電腦改變了在座所有人

以及全世界的生活。

and around the world,

but I think they've changed the lives

但是我想電腦對盲人生活的改變，

of we blind people more than any other group.

遠大於其他人。

And so I want to tell you about the interaction

因此我想告訴你不同的互動方式，

between computer-based adaptive technology

包含了運用電腦科技

and the many volunteers who helped me over the years

以及這幾年來幫助我的志工，

to become the person I am today.

他們讓我成為現在的我。

It's an interaction between volunteers,

這是與志工、

passionate inventors and technology,

熱情的發明家和科技間的互動，

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

這是每一位盲人都能說的故事，

But let me tell you a bit about it today.

就讓我今天和你分享一點吧！

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

在我五歲時，我上學去學點字，

It's an ingenious system of six dots

那是一種非常巧妙的系統，

that are punched into paper,

運用打印在紙上的六個小點，

and I can feel them with my fingers.

我就能用手指感覺它們。

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

事實上，我想他們正把 我的六年級的成績單放在大螢幕上，

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

我不知道朱麗安．莫若是打哪找到這個的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I was pretty good in reading,

我很擅長閱讀，

but religion and musical appreciation needed more work.

但是宗教和音樂賞析就需要多加強。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When you leave the opera house,

當你離開歌劇院，

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

你會發現電梯裡有點字板。

Look for it. Have you noticed it?

找找看，你有注意過嗎？

I do. I look for it all the time.

我有，我無時無刻都在找它。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When I was at school,

當我還在學的時候，

the books were transcribed by transcribers,

會有人謄錄書本，

voluntary people who punched one dot at a time

志工每次打印一個點，

so I'd have volumes to read,

而我因此能有許多書可以讀，

and that had been going on, mainly by women,

這項工作通常由女性來做，

since the late 19th century in this country,

早在我國 19 世紀末時就開始了，

but it was the only way I could read.

但那是我當時唯一可以閱讀的方式。

When I was in high school,

當我讀中學時，

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

我得到第一台飛利普磁盤式錄音機，

and tape recorders became my sort of pre-computer

自此之後，錄音機就成了我的

medium of learning.

電腦前學習方式。

I could have family and friends read me material,

我可以請親友幫我讀點東西，

and I could then read it back

然後我可以跟著

as many times as I needed.

要唸幾次就唸幾次。

And it brought me into contact

這讓我開始接觸

with volunteers and helpers.

志工和其他幫助我的人。

For example, when I studied at graduate school

比如說，當我就讀

at Queen's University in Canada,

加拿大皇后大學的研究所時，

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

哥蓮士灣監獄 (Collins Bay Jail) 的囚犯答應要幫我。

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

我把錄音機交給他們， 然後他們把內容錄進去。

As one of them said to me,

其中有一個人告訴我：

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

「朗，我們現在哪兒也不去。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But think of it. These men,

但你想想，這些人，

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

他們沒有和我擁有同樣的教育機會，

helped me gain post-graduate qualifications in law

卻幫助我取得法律碩士學位，

by their dedicated help.

全力以赴。

Well, I went back and became an academic

嗯，我回來後任教於

at Melbourne's Monash University,

墨爾本的蒙納許大學 (Monash University) 。

and for those 25 years,

在那 25 年裡，

tape recorders were everything to me.

錄音機是我的一切。

In fact, in my office in 1990,

事實上，1990 年時，我在辦公室裡

I had 18 miles of tape.

就有 18 哩長的錄音帶。

Students, family and friends all read me material.

學生、家人和朋友都幫我唸各種東西。

Mrs. Lois Doery,

露易絲．桃蕊 (Lois Doery) 女士

whom I later came to call my surrogate mum,

我後來視她如母親一般，

read me many thousands of hours onto tape.

幫我錄了上千小時的書。

One of the reasons I agreed to give this talk today

我同意今天演講的原因之一

was that I was hoping that Lois would be here

是因為我希望露易絲能在這，

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

如此一來，我就能向你們介紹她， 並公開向她致謝。

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

但可惜的是，她今天 身體不太舒服，無法前來。

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

不過露易絲，我還是想在 這個舞台上向跟你說聲謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I saw my first Apple computer in 1984,

我在 1984 年時看到我的第一台蘋果電腦，

and I thought to myself,

我心裡想：

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

「這個東西有一面玻璃螢幕， 對我來說沒什麼用。」

How very wrong I was.

我真是大錯特錯。

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

我的長子傑拉德在 1987 年出生的那個月，

I got my first blind computer,

我得到了第一台盲用電腦，

and it's actually here.

其實它就在這裡。

See it up there?

有看到嗎？

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

你可以看到它沒有…嗯， 你們是怎麼說的？螢幕？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's a blind computer.

畢竟這是一台盲用電腦。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's a Keynote Gold 84k,

這是 Keynote Gold 84k，

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

84k 指的是有 84 千位元組的記憶體。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

別笑，當時我花了 4,000 美元才買到。

I think there's more memory in my watch.

我的錶也有很多回憶，

It was invented by Russell Smith, a passionate inventor

這支錶是由一位熱情的發明家 羅素．史密斯 (Russell Smith) 所發明的，

in New Zealand who was trying to help blind people.

他一直在紐西蘭試著幫助盲人。

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

讓人難過的是，他在 2005 年時 逝世於輕航機空難。

but his memory lives on in my heart.

但是他的回憶將永存我心。

It meant, for the first time,

對我來說，這是第一次

I could read back what I had typed into it.

我打出來的文字能夠被讀出來，

It had a speech synthesizer.

他有語音合成器。

I'd written my first coauthored labor law book

我用打字機完成了第一本 勞工法令的合著書籍，

on a typewriter in 1979 purely from memory.

那是在 1979 年時，全憑記憶。

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

現在我能夠聽取我之前寫的東西，

and to enter the computer world,

然後把它輸入電腦世界，

even with its 84k of memory.

即使它只有 84k 的記憶體。

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

在 1974 年時，一位美國偉大的發明家 雷蒙德．庫茨魏爾 (Ray Kurzweil)，

worked on building a machine that would scan books

設計了一台能夠掃描書本的機器，

and read them out in synthetic speech.

並透過合成語音把書讀出來。

Optical character recognition units then

光學辨識裝置

only operated usually on one font,

當時只能在一種字型中運作，

but by using charge-coupled device flatbed scanners

但是透過電聯裝置的平台式掃描器

and speech synthesizers,

和語音合成器，

he developed a machine that could read any font.

他設計了能夠讀取任何字體的機器。

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

他的機器就跟洗衣機一樣大，

was launched on the 13th of January, 1976.

在 1976 年 1 月 13 日發行。

I saw my first commercially available Kurzweil

我第一次接觸到在市面上販賣的庫茨魏爾的機器，

in March 1989, and it blew me away,

是在 1989 年 3月時，當時我震撼不已。

and in September 1989,

在 1989 年 9 月時，

the month that my associate professorship

我的副教授同事

at Monash University was announced,

在蒙納許大學宣佈

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

法學院有一台，我可以使用。

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

那是第一次，我可以想讀什麼就讀什麼，

by putting a book on the scanner.

我只需要將書放上掃描機就可以了。

I didn't have to be nice to people!

我不需要再討好人了！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I no longer would be censored.

我不再會被檢視。

For example, I was too shy then,

舉例來說，我很害羞，

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

其實我現在還是 很不好意思去請任何人

to read me out loud sexually explicit material.

詳細地為我唸出關於性方面的資料。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

但是，你知道，我可以在 深夜裡把書放上，然後…

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

Now, the Kurzweil reader is simply

現在庫茨魏爾閱讀機只是

a program on my laptop.

我筆電上的一個程式而已。

That's what it's shrunk to.

它已經縮小成這樣了。

And now I can scan the latest novel

現在，我可以掃描最新的小說，

and not wait to get it into talking book libraries.

不需要再等待它出現在有聲書圖書館裡，

I can keep up with my friends.

我可以跟上朋友的流行腳步。

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

在我的生命裡，有許多人曾幫助我，

and many that I haven't met.

很多與我是從未見過面的。

One is another American inventor Ted Henter.

其中一位是美國的發明家 泰德．亨特 (Ted Hunter)，

Ted was a motorcycle racer,

泰德是摩托車賽車手，

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

但是 1978 年時，他出了車禍而失明了。

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

這還蠻嚇人的，如果你正打算騎機車。

He then turned to being a waterskier

然後他轉身成為滑水運動員，

and was a champion disabled waterskier.

並且成為滑水運動身障者的冠軍。

But in 1989, he teamed up with Bill Joyce

但是在 1989 年，他和 比爾喬依絲 (Bill Joyce) 合作，

to develop a program that would read out

開發了一個電腦程式，能夠唸出

what was on the computer screen

電腦螢幕上的東西，

from the Net or from what was on the computer.

透過從網路或是電腦螢幕上的東西。

It's called JAWS, Job Access With Speech,

它稱為 JAWS，意即透過語音工作，

and it sounds like this.

聽起來就像這樣。

(JAWS speaking)

（JAWS 語音）

Ron McCallum: Isn't that slow?

朗：會不會太慢？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

你看，如果我用這種速度唸，自己都會睡著。

I slowed it down for you.

我為了你們慢慢說話。

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

我現在想用我唸的速度來播放，

Can we play that one?

請播放。

(JAWS speaking)

（JAWS 語音）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

朗：你知道，當你為 學生的論文打成績時，

you want to get through them fairly quickly.

你會想飛快地解決它們。

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

This technology that fascinated me in 1987

這項科技在 1987 年時讓我著迷，

is now on my iPhone and on yours as well.

現在它也出現在你、我的 iPhone 裡了。

But, you know, I find reading with machines

但是，你知道，我發現和機器一起閱讀

a very lonely process.

是一個非常寂寞的過程。

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

我的生長過程中有家人、朋友陪我閱讀，

and I loved the warmth and the breath

我喜愛那種人們閱讀時的

and the closeness of people reading.

溫暖、呼吸和親近感。

Do you love being read to?

你喜歡聽他人為你朗讀嗎？

And one of my most enduring memories

我印象中最久遠的回憶之一

is in 1999, Mary reading to me and the children

是在 1999 年時，瑪麗為我和孩子

down near Manly Beach

在曼利海灘 (Manly Beach) 附近

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

朗讀了《哈利波特：神秘的魔法石》。

Isn't that a great book?

那是本很棒的書吧？

I still love being close to someone reading to me.

我到現在還是很喜歡 有個人在我身邊為我朗讀。

But I wouldn't give up the technology,

但是我不會放棄科技，

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

因為科技讓我擁有更好的生活。

Of course, talking books for the blind

當然，談到為盲人做書的日子

predated all this technology.

遠早於這項科技。

After all, the long-playing record was developed

畢竟，長時間唱片 (LP) 的發明

in the early 1930s,

是在 1930 年代早期，

and now we put talking books on CDs

現在我們把有聲書放在 CD 中，

using the digital access system known as DAISY.

運用數位資訊無障礙系統，稱為 DAISY。

But when I'm reading with synthetic voices,

當我用合成語音閱讀時，

I love to come home and read a racy novel

我喜歡在家裡讀言情小說，

with a real voice.

用真人的聲音讀。

Now there are still barriers

但是現在還是有障礙

in front of we people with disabilities.

在我們這樣的身障者眼前。

Many websites we can't read using JAWS

許多網站不能使用 JAWS

and the other technologies.

或是其它的科技來讀。

Websites are often very visual,

網站通常著重視覺效果，

and there are all these sorts of graphs

但是所有這類的圖片

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

都不是標籤和按鈕，

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

那也是為什麼全球資訊網協會 (World Wide Web Consortium 3)，

known as W3C, has developed worldwide standards

就是我們熟知的 W3C， 已經開發了世界標準

for the Internet.

的網際網路。

And we want all Internet users or Internet site owners

我們希望所有的 網路使用者或是網站擁有者

to make their sites compatible so that

都讓他們的網站與此相容，這樣一來

we persons without vision can have a level playing field.

沒有視覺的人也被公平對待。

There are other barriers brought about by our laws.

我們的法令也帶來了許多障礙。

For example, Australia,

例如在澳洲，

like about one third of the world's countries,

就像世界上其它 1/3 的國家一樣，

has copyright exceptions which allow books to be brailled

在著作權保護法方面，提供例外給點字法

or read for we blind persons.

或是唸書給盲人聽。

But those books can't travel across borders.

但是這些有聲書不能傳到國外去，

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

例如在西班牙，有十萬本

accessible books in Spanish.

西班牙文的有聲書，

In Argentina, there are 50,000.

在阿根廷有五萬本，

In no other Latin American country

在非拉丁美洲的國家中

are there more than a couple of thousand.

不過幾千本。

But it's not legal to transport the books

但是從西班牙傳送有聲書到阿根廷

from Spain to Latin America.

是不合法的。

There are hundreds of thousands of accessible books

有成千上萬的有聲書

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

在美國、英國、加拿大和澳洲等國家，

but they can't be transported to the 60 countries

但是它們都不能被運送到 世界上的其它 60 個

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

以英語做為第一和第二個語言的國家。

And remember I was telling you about Harry Potter.

記得我和你提到關於哈利波特的故事，

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

因為我們不能傳送有聲書到國外去，

there had to be separate versions read

就必須重複的閱讀製作

in all the different English-speaking countries:

在每個同為英語系的國家：

Britain, United States, Canada, Australia,

英國、美國、加拿大、澳洲

and New Zealand all had to have

和紐西蘭都必須

separate readings of Harry Potter.

重新讀出不同版本的哈利波特有聲書。

And that's why, next month in Morocco,

那也是為什麼下個月在摩洛哥

a meeting is taking place between all the countries.

會舉行一場國際會議，

It's something that a group of countries

那是場聚集各個國家

and the World Blind Union are advocating,

和世界愛盲聯盟 (World Blind Union) 共同呼籲

a cross-border treaty

應訂立跨國條約，

so that if books are available under a copyright exception

如此一來，如果有書籍 取得著作權保護的例外，

and the other country has a copyright exception,

其它國家也同樣能享有例外，

we can transport those books across borders

我們就能夠跨國運送那些書本，

and give life to people, particularly in developing countries,

帶給人們生活，尤其是在那些發展中的國家，

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

沒有書可以讀的盲人。

I want that to happen.

我希望這件事能夠成真。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

My life has been extraordinarily blessed

我這一生非常幸福，

with marriage and children

我有婚姻、小孩，

and certainly interesting work to do,

還有很有趣的工作，

whether it be at the University of Sydney Law School,

不管是在雪梨大學法學院，

where I served a term as dean,

我在那當了一學期的院長，

or now as I sit on the United Nations Committee

或是像現在我任職於聯合國

on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in Geneva.

位在日內瓦的殘疾人權利委員會 (Rights of Persons with Disabilities)。

I've indeed been a very fortunate human being.

一直以來，我都是非常幸福的人，

I wonder what the future will hold.

我不知道未來會如何。

The technology will advance even further,

科技會有更進一步的發展，

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

但是我還是會記得我的母親在 60 年前曾說：

"Remember, darling,

「親愛的，你要記得，

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

你永遠都不能用你的手指讀書。」

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

我很高興透過與點字轉錄員、

volunteer readers and passionate inventors,

朗讀志工和熱情發明家之間的互動，

has allowed this dream of reading to come true for me

讓我還有全世界的盲人朋友們

and for blind people throughout the world.

能夠實現讀書的夢想。

I'd like to thank my researcher Hannah Martin,

我想謝謝我的研究員 漢娜．馬丁 (Hannah Martin)，

who is my slide clicker, who clicks the slides,

他幫我播放投影片，

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

還有我的太太瑪麗．庫克教授 (Mary Crock)， 她是我生命中的亮光，

is coming on to collect me.

讓我的生命因她而完整。

I want to thank her too.

我也想謝謝她。

I think I have to say goodbye now.

我想我現在得跟各位說再見了，

Bless you. Thank you very much.

祝福你們，謝謝！

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Yay! (Applause)

耶！（掌聲）

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

好了，好了，好了。（掌聲）