Here at Transcription City, we provide expert translation services, subtitling services typing services and transcription services to a range of industries and sectors. We ensure that every project is carried out as quickly and accurately as possible, always ensuring that we use typists or translators who are experienced within your industry. With that in mind, one of our experienced transcriptionists/translators has written us a few lines about her love of typewriters.
Typing Services and Transcription Services – A Singing Typewriter
I have long had a love of typewriters. This helps when you actually earn a living being a transcriptionist (providing both typing services and transcription services), although these days the benefits of auto correction and formatting makes it so much more seductive to use a computer instead. Obvously! It is also not very practical to send a paper transcript to the client by postal pigeon.
Now and again I come across unusual typewriters that I read about. These might be really old ones. Or models, that may look very different, because they don’t use the traditional QWERTY arrangement of the keys on the keyboard that is the most used on a computer or laptop keyboard. Now and again I might come across a typewriter that was used for something else entirely and therefore looks completely different to an ordinary typewriter altogether.
This happened last week, as I came across an article that featured a musical typewriter. A musical typewriter? What is that? Can it sing? Play an instrument? I was very intrigued indeed. What could this be? To my amazement it was a typewriter with which you can type musical notes and symbols accurately onto music sheets. Genius. I guess these days this can all be done on the computer or there may even be an app on your phone, but this one came from the nostalgic olden days of course. The machine is called a “Keaton Musical Typewriter” and was first patented in 1936. It is mounted on a thin wooden board and enigmatically has a round keyboard, with keys arranged in two lines going all around the circle, plus a larger key roughly resembling a space bar on a keyboard we are familiar with, being placed in the same place and serving a similar function.
Originally this musical typewriter consisted of only 14 keys, but was later updated’ to 33 in 1953. One row contained the bar lines and ledger lines, while the other row had the notes as well as other musical signs. The bar and ledger lines always stay in the same position, while the notes can move around on the paper.
Only a few of these are still in working order these days, unfortunately, but they are very sought after as when they appear in auctions now and again. They certainly look intriguing. And so different. It is very refreshing coming across things like that now and again. After all, somebody designed this, planned this, manufactured it, advertised and sold it. Simply fascinating even though it can’t sing after all.
Our Typing Services and Transcription Services
For more information on our translation services, subtitling services, virtual assistance, typing services and transcription services, why not get in touch today? We are available 7 days a week and always happy to help.
