Communication Access Realtime Translation: CART Services for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People

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.

DWAYNE: 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.