SignPuddle: More Questions from Malta

Tue May 20 23:47:39 UTC 2008

SignWriting List
May 20, 2008

Hello Maria and Everyone!
Thank you for your questions...see below...

Maria wrote:
> Would you mind if I give you a concrete example of what I'm asking,  
> just
> to make sure I'm clear? Say for example I'm signwriting a simple  
> sentence
> 'BOY-WOKE UP-MORNING'. After signwriting BOY I'd then like to simply
> insert the sign WAKE-UP, that is saved as separate entry in the  
> Puddle.
> Can this be done? I think, from what I've understood above, that it  
> can't
> be done.

Let me give you a very long answer to give you a picture...

YES. The sign for WAKE-UP can be inserted for sure, but NOT using the  
Translate Feature...You cannot PASTE it from the dictionary...you will  
have to re-write the sign for WAKE-UP and insert it where you want it...

Re-load the SignText document you already created and then write the  
sign for WAKE-UP from the beginning, inside the SignText Editor, and  
then INSERT that sign into the sentence between the sign for BOY and  
WOKE-UP, if that is where you want it...

Signs are inserted between other signs all the time in SignText...It  
can be done and is done everyday, BUT it is NOT done using the  
TRANSLATE feature...You will have to re-write and manually insert the  
sign yourself in SignText, which is fast and just as easy as using the  
Translate Feature. (I rarely use the Translate feature at all anyway,  
and usually write all my documents directly anyway, without pasting  
any signs from any dictionary...that is my personal style of writing)...

How would I insert that sign? I would write the sign from scratch,  
while I am working with the sentence in SignText...

1. I re-load the saved sentence into the SignText Editor in Firefox.
2. I write the sign I want to insert in the SignBox from scratch.
3. I then push the Insert Button, and the sign is inserted exactly  
where I want it.
4. I then Save the sentence and now that sign is in the saved document.

So we do not have a way to use the translate feature, to capture one  
sign from the dictionary to insert into the middle of a sentence that  
has already been created...

Just like I am typing this email letter by letter in English, symbol  
by symbol, without pasting words already written for me from an  
English dictionary, it is not that different in SignText...the less we  
paste from a dictionary the better, so it becomes a real writing  
system that you feel comfortable writing directly in...

If you feel you have to paste all signs, then you could re-do the  
entire document, using the Translate Feature, if you feel you have to  
use the exact signs from the dictionary...

Or you can open two web browsers at the same time...Use Firefox to  
create your documents, but open Netscape or Internet Explorer to view  
your dictionary at the same time while you are writing your SignText  
directly, so you can re-write a sign exactly the same as it appears in  
your dictionary, if you are worried that when you re-write it, you  
will not write it exactly the same...using two web browsers gives you  
two windows into the same dictionary, which is an amazing experience...

>
> I'm asking to double-check that the answer is no. I'm asking again  
> mainly
> because I was thinking about the ASL Bible in Puddle; besides  
> creating the
> documents they also saved all signs seperately? I thought that maybe  
> they
> could insert signs, that might be repeated in other verses (for  
> example
> the sign JESUS), when necessary?

Nancy is excited about helping you by the way, so I will introduce you  
through email shortly...Nancy Romero is the person who has written the  
documents in the Gospel According to John in the ASL Bible Puddle...we  
call her documents the "Romero" translation...we are starting the  
editing process now and it is a lot of fun....

A lot of the signs that are being used in Nancy's translations are  
already individual signs in the dictionary for sure. Nancy is doing  
one of the techniques that I mentioned above...probably re-doing any  
sentences by just starting from scratch using the Translate Feature...

>
> Sorry to bother you again with this question. It's not at all a  
> problem if
> this feature is not yet available in SignPuddle.

That is correct. The feature is not available in SignPuddle, so it is  
good idea to learn to write directly in SignText from time to time!

> I'll just go on working
> and adding more work, I just want to make sure I clearly understand  
> you,
> that's all:))

You have understood....

Try writing a sentence without the Translate Feature...it is fun!!

Val ;-)

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