He lost his sight in one eye when he was three.

三歲時，他一隻眼睛失明了。

This was the culprit, a sharp tool called an awl which he was playing around with in his father's workshop.

罪魁禍首就是他在父親工作室裡玩的一種叫做錐子的利器。

His eye got infected and the infection spread to the other eye.

他的眼睛被感染，且病毒蔓延到了另一隻眼睛。

By five, Louis Braille was completely blind.

五歲時， Louis Braille 雙眼都失明了。

But he was determined and he went on to win a scholarship at France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth.

但他下定決心要贏得皇家青年盲人學院的獎學金。

At the time the system for reading was pretty basic, just raised letters on a page.

當時讀書系統非常基本，只有紙上凸起的字母。

So he started working on a new code that would be quicker and more efficient.

於是，他開始研究一種更快且效率更高的新代碼。

By the time he was 15, Braille's new system was basically complete.

在他 15 歲時，Braille 的新系統基本上是完成了。

And the first edition was published in 1829.

而第一版出版於 1829 年。

Braille's system was based on a military code called "night writing."

Braille 的系統是基於一種叫做「夜間書寫」的軍事代碼。

Invented by captain Charles Barbier, it was a system of embossed dots and dashes that soldiers could read safely with their fingers on the battlefield at night.

由船長 Charles Barbier 發明，它是由凸起的小點和虛線組成的系統，讓士兵們可以在夜間的戰場上用手指安全地閱讀。

Braille simplified the system, reducing the cells from 12 to 6 raised dots, so that they were the ideal size for a fingertip to feel with one touch.

Braille 簡化了系統，從 12 個凸起的小點減少到 6 個，讓它們的大小是可以只靠一個指節觸碰的理想尺寸。

Braille created his raised dots using an awl, the same sharp tool that had caused his blindness and a flat grill to keep the lines straight and readable.

Braille 用錐子打造凸起的小點，也就是那導致他失明的鋒利工具，以及平坦的架子以保持線條的直線性和可讀性。

It's read from left to right like other European scripts.

它和其他歐洲文字一樣，由左至右閱讀。

Braille is not a language, it's a system of writing, which means it can be adapted to different languages.

盲人點字法不是一種語言，而是一種書寫系統，也意味著它可適應於不同的語言。

Braille codes have been developed for maths and scientific formulae.

Braille 的代碼已發展於數學和科學公式。

Braille loved music and invented a system of Braille for writing music too.

Braille 喜歡音樂，也發明了創作音樂的盲人點字系統。

But the medical establishment was conservative and Braille's innovation was slow to be adopted.

但醫療機構是保守的，Braille 的創新遲遲未被採納。

He died of tuberculosis aged 43, two years before his system was finally taught at the institute where he'd been a student.

他死於肺結核，年僅 43 歲，在他去世的兩年前，他的系統終於在他曾經就讀的學院裡傳授。

100 years later, he was reburied at the Panthéon in Paris in honour of his work.

100 年後，他被安葬在巴黎的萬神殿以紀念他的傑作。

Though his local village insisted on keeping his hands.

雖然當地村子裡的人堅持要保留他的手。

Over time, the system did spread throughout the French speaking world.

隨著時間的推移，這系統確實在法語國家傳播開來。

By 1882 it was in use across Europe and had reached North America by 1916.

到 1882 年，它已在歐洲使用，並在 1916 年時傳到北美。

A universal Braille code for English was formalized in 1932.

1932 年正式制定了通用的英語盲文編碼。

Braille has been revolutionary for many blind people around the world.

Braille 點字法對世界上許多盲人來說是完全創新的。

But with the rise of new technologies, including computers that talk, literacy rates are on the decline.

但隨著新技術的興起，包括會說話的電腦，讀字率都在下降。

In 1999, a second eponym was given to this extraordinary man.

1999年，這個非凡的人又被賦予第二個名字了。

A rare type of asteroid was named 9969 Braille by Nasa.

一種罕見的小行星被美國太空總署命名為 9969 小行星。

A timeless tribute, to a great human being.

一個永恆的致敬，一個偉大的人類。

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謝謝你們的觀看！

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別忘了訂閱，並開啟小鈴鐺接收新影片的通知。我們很快會再見面的！