SayMore Practice

SayMore practice

Here is a simple practice script you can do to help learn about SayMore. It is one of many possible work flows and is not a complete set of typically-accomplished steps.

Hyperlinks in this topic are only provided as opportunities for you to become more familiar with this Help system. Clicking them optional.

Prerequisites

• One or more *.wav files of someone speaking.

• Documents that you can use for informed consent (PDF file is recommended.)

• Picture of a person (optional).

• A microphone you can use to record yourself.

• An appropriate keyboard so you can type transcriptions (optional, depending on the writing system).

Practice Script

1. On the Project menu, click Open/Create Project.

   The SayMore dialog box opens. Notice that is shows existing projects you can open, and a link to create a new project. Also, notice that is shows the version of the program and some hyperlinks to internet sites.

2. Under Create, click Create new, blank project.

3. Type the name you want to call this project, and then click OK.

The Project tab appears with About This Project selected (more).

4. You can edit the project title and then type or select content in each of the other fields. This information is project metadata.

5. Click Access Protocol, and then choose TLA. The choices provided by TLA will be available for selection latter (more).

   • For this practice, look at the other areas, but we will not use them.

6. Click the Sessions tab, and then click the New button (lower left) to add a new session.

7. In the Session tab (lower-right pane), enter or select metadata in various fields (more).

At this point there are no person to select for the People field. So, let's add one.

8. Click the People tab, and then do the following:

   • Click the New button to add a person.

   • In the Person tab, enter metadata about the person (more).

   • Click Add Files and select a picture of the named person (optional).

     Notice that the picture file appears in the top portion of the right pane, and the picture is displayed in the lower-right tab.

9. In the People (left) pane, notice the yellow warning in the Consent column. This indicates that you have not yet added a file that gives this person's consent for the use of the his or her voice or effort recorded in a media file (that you will add to this session). To do this, do the following:

   • Click Add Files to select the file that gives the person's consent, and click Open.

     The file appears in the top portion of the right pane.

   • In SayMore, click that file, and then click Rename.

   • The Rename dialog box opens. Click Informed Consent, and then click Rename.

     Notice that file name changed. It now includes the session Id and the word Consent.

     Notice that the yellow warning has changed to an icon that indicates that informed consent has been provided.

     Let's return to the Sessions tab.

10. Click the Sessions tab.

11. In the Sessions (left) pane, hover your mouse point over the rectangles in the Stages column. Notice that the Informed Consent stage still shows Incomplete. This is because the person has not yet been added to the session. So, we need to do the following:

    • With the session selected at the top of the right pane, look down to the Session tab. Click the down arrow in the People field, and select () the person you added.

    • In the Sessions pane, hover your mouse pointer over the rectangles in the Stages column again, and notice that now Informed Consent is Complete. Also, the corresponding rectangle changed color.

    We now need to add the media file and associated files to the session.

12. Click Add Files, and then select the <name>.wav file that is the source recording for the session.

    • Alternatively, if you have the folder open that stores that file, you can drag and drop the file into SayMore, above the Session tab.

13. Click the added <name>.wav file, and then click Rename. In the Rename dialog box, click Source, and then click Rename.

    Notice that the file name changed, and includes the session Id and the word Source.

    Now, let's add annotations for this source file.

14. Click the <name>.wav file, and then click the Start Annotating tab.

    The Start Annotating tab is only available until there is an annotation file associated with the source file. It lists optional ways to properly get a file with segments into SayMore.

15. Select Use Careful Speech Tool, and then click Get Started.

    The Careful Speech Recorder dialog box appears. It is one of the ways you can add segment boundaries that SayMore can recognize.

16. In the Careful Speech Recorder, insert segment boundaries as follows:

    • Press and hold the SPACEBAR key to listen to the playback, releasing the SPACEBAR key where you want a segment boundary. Then, press and hold the SPACEBAR key while you speak a careful speech equivalent for the segment. Release the SPACEBAR key.

    • Repeat the above step until the entire source recording has segments.

    • While the dialog box is still open (you have not yet clicked OK), you can click individual segments and then listen () to the source file and check your annotation (). If you do not like your annotation, you can erase it (), and then respeak it. If one or more segments is not usable, you can click to ignore it. Ignored segments do not need annotations.

    • Click OK to close the dialog box.

      Notice that now there is an Annotations tab, but not a Start Annotating tab. Notice too, that now there is a <name>.wav.oralAnnotations.wav file in the top-right portion of the Sessions tab.

17. Click the <name>.wav.oralAnnotations.wav file.

    • Notice that the first tab is called Generated Audio (more). The display shows waves for the source recording and careful speech annotations, but there is not yet waves for the any oral translation.

    • We will add the Translation next, but at this time you may want to click Play to listen to the Source and Careful tracks.

18. Click the <name>.wav.annotations.eaf file. Notice that Annotations is the first or only tab. When this tab is selected there is a Oral Annotations Tools button.

19. Click the Oral Annotations Tools button, and then click Oral Translation (more).

    The Oral Translation Recorder dialog box opens. Notice that it has the segments boundaries you previously added.

20. Record oral translations for each segment as follows:

    • Press and hold the SPACEBAR key to hear one segment of the source recording. Release the key.

    • Press and hold the SPACEBAR key again while you speak an oral translation of that segment.

    • Repeat the steps above until each segment of the file as an oral translation.

    • Click OK.

    Now, with the <name>.wav.oralAnnotations.wav file selected, notice the Generated Audio tab, and that it now shows a waveform for Translation.

21. Click Play to listen to the Source, Careful and Translation tracks.

22. Click the Properties tab, and notice the metadata for the selected file.

23. In the top portion of the right pane, click the <name>.Source.wav file.

24. Click the Contributors tab, and enter the name of a contributor; select a role, select a date and add any comments about the contributor you want to include.

25. Click the <name>.wav.annotations.eaf file.

26. In the Annotations tab, do the following to add transcriptions and free translations:

    • Make sure you have an appropriate keyboard so you can type the transcriptions.

    • Click the cell that is in the Transcription column, first row (segment).

    • As you listen to that segment playing repeatedly, type a phonetic transcription of that segment. If necessary, click to pause the playback, and to restart the playback of that segment.

    • Repeat for each row (segment).

27. In the Annotations tab, do the following to enter free translations:

    • Click the cell that is in the Free Translation column, first row (segment).

    • As you listen to that segment playing repeatedly, type a free translation of that segment. If necessary, click to pause the playback, and to restart the playback of that segment.

    • Repeat for each row (segment).

    • Click the Project tab, and the click Progress to review the progress metadata associated with the project.

    Now, lets add another session and media file. This time, we will use the Manual Segmentation Tool to add the segments.

28. Click the Sessions tab.

29. Click New, and enter session metadata in the Session tab.

30. Click Add Files, and the select the desired media file.

31. Click added <name>.wav file, and then rename it to be a source file as described above.

32. Click the Start Annotating tab.

33. Select Use Manual Segmentation Tool, and then click Get Started.

34. In the Manual Segmenter dialog box (more), insert segment boundaries as follows:

    • Press the SPACEBAR key to start the playback, and while you listen press the ENTER key at each location where you want to add a segment boundary.

    • While the dialog box is still open (you have not yet clicked OK), you can click individual segment boundaries to select them. Then you can move that segment boundary, or press DELETE to delete it.

      Notice that the number of segments and duration values are displayed.

35. For this media file, typically, you would now record both Careful Speech and Oral Translation tracks, and type Transcription and Free Translation content for each segment (as described above).

36. When you are ready, you can archive an session to IMDI:

    • In the Sessions (left) pane, click the session you want to archive, and then on the Session menu, click Archive using IMDI.

      For this practice exercise, look at the dialog box but do not archive your practice data.

37. You can export the Transcription and Free Translation data to a file that can be imported into FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx). Do this as follows:

    • Click the <name>.wav.annotations.eaf file that has the Transcription and Free Translation data you will export.

    • Click the Annotations tab.

    • Click Export, and then click FLEx Interlinear Text. In the export dialog box that appears, select the writing system used for the transcription and free translations, and then click Export.

    • In the Export to File window, navigate to an appropriate folder. The File Name and Save as type boxes should not need to be changed, so click Save.

    • In FLEx, go to Texts & Words, and then click Interlinear Texts.

    • On the File menu, point to Import and then click FLExText Interlinear. Select the file, and the click Open.

    • Now you see the path to the file in the FieldWorks Interlinear (FLExText) file dialog box. Click OK.

      The transcription data appear in the Baseline tab, and in the Word line of the Gloss and Analyze tabs. The Free Translation data appear in the Free lines of the Gloss and Analyze tabs.

Related Topics

Getting Started

Glossary of Terms/Symbols