A deaf and blind woman from Australia has become the first person to make a telephone call using a device that converts speech into Braille. Braille is a form of writing that uses raised dots on a surface that can be "read" by touching it.
澳大利亚一位聋盲妇女成为使用语音盲文转换设备打电话的第一人。盲文是一种凸点书写形式，它可以通过触摸来“阅读”。
The technology is being tested for the first time in Australia and the United States. One test involved a simple phone call between two sisters.
该技术正首次在澳大利亚和美国进行试验。其中一项试验包括两姐妹之间的一通简单电话。
Michelle Stevens is deaf and blind. Ms. Stevens says the braille telephone will end years of feeling isolated, or feeling alone and apart from others. She is one of five Australians who is taking part in the new trials, or tests. These trials will take place at about the same time in Australia and the United States, where the technology was developed.
米歇尔·史蒂文斯（Michelle Stevens）是聋盲人士。史蒂文斯女士表示，这种盲文电话能够结束多年的孤立感。她是参与这项新试验的五名澳大利亚人之一。这些试验将在开发这项技术的澳大利亚和美国差不多同时进行。
Ms. Stevens' vision suffered damage because she was born prematurely, or born too soon. She lost her hearing from serious ear infections.
史蒂文斯女士的视力因为早产而受损，又因为严重的耳部感染失去了听力。
The Braille telephone system, she said, will be a great help to her and others.
她说，这种盲文电话系统对她和其他人会有极大帮助。
Ms. Stevens told VOA's Phil Mercer that this telephone system will be one way to break the isolation of deaf-blindness. She adds that with future developments, the phone system might be able to give deaf-blind people more job opportunities. Not being able to communicate in the office or on the telephone is a major employment barrier for people who are deaf-blind said Ms. Stevens.
史蒂文斯女士对美国之音的菲尔·默塞（Phil Mercer）表示，这种电话系统将能打破聋盲的隔离状态。她补充说，随着未来的发展，这种电话系统可能会给聋盲人士提供更多就业机会。史蒂文斯女士表示，无法在办公室交流或通过电话交流是聋盲人士的主要就业障碍。
However, the phone system is expensive. It costs about $2,500. The phones work by transferring spoken words onto what is called a "dynamic braille display."
然而，这种电话系统非常昂贵。它估价约为2500美元。该电话通过将语音转换到所谓的“动态盲文显示器”而工作。
A similar trial will also take place in the United States in a few months. Christopher Engelke is a director with the U.S. company Ultratec. He will carry out the trial in the U.S.
几个月后一项类似试验将在美国进行。克里斯托弗·恩格尔克（Christopher Engelke）是美国Ultratec公司的负责人。他将在美国开展这项试验。
How does it work?
它是如何工作的呢？
Mr. Engelke says the Braille phone system is an exciting project. He describes the system this way: a deaf person, or one who is hard of hearing, uses the phone just like any other phone. However, subtitles or captions of what is said appear on the phone's touch screen.
恩格尔克先生表示，盲文电话系统是一个让人激动的项目。他这样描述该系统：一位聋人或耳背者像使用其它电话一样使用这种盲文电话，然而他所说的话将会出现在电话的触摸屏上。
"The way that the whole system works is a deaf, or hard of hearing person, who speaks for themselves, would use the phone just like any other phone, except that much like getting subtitles on your TV, you get subtitles or captions to the conversation appearing on the screen, although for a Braille user they could read those captions in Braille bumps on a dynamic Braille display. So they would listen to as much as they can, speak with their own voice and then read everything that is being said to them by reading the Braille on the phone itself."
“该系统的工作方式就是，聋人或耳背者说话时像使用其它电话一样使用这种电话，不同的是，就像电视上的字幕，通话的字幕会出现在触摸屏上，不过对于盲文用户来说，他们可以阅读盲文动态显示屏上的盲文凸点字幕。这样他们就能用自己的声音说话，然后通过阅读这种电话上的盲文‘听到’对他们说的话。”
Mr. Engelke explains that vision-impaired people would listen to as much as they can, speak with their own voice and read everything that is being said to them from the Braille bumps on the phone.
恩格尔克先生解释说，有视力障碍的（聋）人可以用自己的声音说话，然后通过电话上的盲文凸点‘听到’对他们说的话。
Developers of the device say it could change the lives of those who cannot see or hear. In Australia alone, it is estimated there are 330,000 people who are deaf and blind. Some groups say that number is likely to reach 1.2 million by 2050.
这种设备的开发人员表示，它能改变那些看不到或听不到的人的生活。据估计，光是在澳大利亚就有33万聋盲人士。有些组织表示，到2050年该数字可能会达到120万。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥（Anna Matteo）。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)