Using MathType with Duxbury Braille Translator

This guide explains how to convert a Microsoft Word document with MathType equations into braille using Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT), producing a braille-ready document with correctly translated text and mathematical expressions for printing or embossing.

Before you begin

• Requirements: 
  • Microsoft Word.
  • MathType 7 or later.
  • Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) 12.3 or later.
  • SWIFT is installed (for Word integration).

Steps

1. Install and set up DBT — Download and install both  Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) and SWIFT to enable integration with Microsoft Word (this adds the Braille tab in Word).
    
2. Prepare your document — Create your content in Word using MathType for all mathematical expressions, and save it locally as a .docx (recommended) or .doc file. Example document:
   
   
    
3. Open the document in DBT — In Word, go to the Braille tab and select Open in DBT.
   
   
    
4. Review math translation — Use View → Codes in DBT to verify how mathematical content has been translated.
   
   
    
5. Translate to braille — In DBT, go to File → Translate to convert the document to braille.
   
   
    
6. Edit if needed — Make changes in the original Word document and retranslate in DBT for best results.

Options and variations

• If you need better translation quality: Follow Duxbury’s Word formatting best practices (Top 10 Guidelines) to improve output readability.
• If you're using different file formats: Both .docx and .doc are supported, but .docx is recommended for newer versions of Word.

Common errors

• Math not translated correctly: Math written as styled text instead of MathType → Recreate expressions using MathType.
• Braille tab not visible in Word: DBT/SWIFT not installed or integrated → Reinstall or verify integration setup.
• Translation option not available: Using incompatible versions → Ensure MathType 7+ and DBT 12.3+.