The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2018 - 29

INTERPRETERS FORUM

BY MAHA EL-METWALLY

Microwavable Notebooks and Other Contraptions

A

s a conference interpreter and
university instructor, I'm always
on the lookout for technological
developments that can benefit the
interpreting profession. This includes
devices that will allow the user to transfer
handwritten notes and illustrations into a
digital format.
What's the significance of such
technology for me? In my professional
life, I prepare assignments, teach,
attend professional development events,
and write articles for professional
publications. Over the years I've amassed
a considerable amount of information
that is scattered in digital and analog
formats. It's quite frustrating to know
that I have a useful tidbit somewhere
but can't find it. It would be much easier
to find what I'm looking for if my notes
were accessible in digital format. Here is
some information on a few products that
will help create a digitalized archive for
your notes.

ROCKETBOOK WAVE NOTEBOOK
http://bit.ly/RocketbookWave
For many of us, the combination of pen
and paper is still the ideal way to take
notes. The Rocketbook Wave Notebook
provides the freedom of a traditional pen
and paper notebook while allowing the
user to transfer notes into a digital format.
The notebook is available in two sizes
and comes with a Pilot FriXion pen. Each
page in the Rocketbook features a Quick
Response barcode and seven symbols that
can be used to link to cloud destinations
like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, or
your inbox. Here's how it works:
■■

Download the Rocketbook app to
your smartphone.

■■

Using the Pilot FriXion pen, write or
draw whatever you like.

■■

When you're done, open the app
and point the phone at the page. It
automatically takes a picture of the
notes, which can then be transferred
immediately as jpegs or PDFs to
whichever digital destination you
indicated by marking the appropriate
symbol on the page.

www.atanet.org

■■

Once the pages you scanned have
reached their destination, you'll be able
to share, print, or archive the files.

What if you run out of pages? The
big advantage here is that the paper is
reusable. When the Rocketbook Wave is
full, simply place it in the microwave (yes,
you read that right!) with a mug of water on
top of it and microwave it until the logo on
the cover turns white. The pages are now
wiped clean and can be reused up to five
times. If you have the Rocketbook Everlast,
you can simply wipe the page with a moist
towel and reuse it endlessly. (The folks at
Rocketbook even provide instructions and
a video detailing how you can erase pages
safely: http://bit.ly/erasing-pages.)

NEO N2 SMARTPEN
www.neosmartpen.com/en
While Rocketbook doesn't go as far as
allowing you to edit your notes, the Neo
N2 Smartpen does. It's a combination
of a smartpen, special notebook, and an
app (Neo Notes) that runs on both iOS
and Android. When the pen and app are
paired, everything you jot down in the
notebook is transferred live to the app.
The transcription function allows you to
turn your notes into editable text. You
may be disappointed with this function
if your handwriting is messy. But if it's
legible, you can proceed to edit your
notes. You can control the ink color and
thickness (only on screen, as the pen
will always write in the same ink color
on paper) and highlight important text.
You can share your notes in different
formats through a variety of apps. The
pen allows you up to 14 hours of writing
time on one charge. It's energy efficient
because it turns itself on when you start
writing and switches off when you stop.
If your phone or tablet run out of battery
power, the N2 Smartpen can store your
notes until you can reconnect to the app.
If you have a laser printer, you can
print the special paper for free at
www.neosmartpen.com/en/ncode-pdf.

LIVESCRIBE 3 SMARTPEN
www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/ls3
The Livescribe 3 Smartpen has a
transcription feature that was unavailable in
older versions. This pen is also paired with
an app, the Livescribe+, which transfers
notes into a digital format instantly. This
is an improvement from older versions of
Livescribe, where you had to connect the
pen to your computer to transfer notes.
The pages in the Livescribe notebooks
feature an innovative dot pattern that tells
the smartpen precisely what you've written
or drawn. Livescribe paper is available at
competitive prices in a variety of sizes and
styles, and can even be printed for free from
the developer's website with a laser printer.

EQUIL SMARTPEN
www.myequil.com/home
If you still prefer regular paper and your
ink tips of choice, you could try the Equil
Smartpen. It works on any paper using
your preferred ink tip. This is because
the pen comes with a Bluetooth sensor
that you can attach to any notebook. This
connects the pen to the app: the Equil
Note. Again, this pen can be used without
a smartphone or tablet because its sensor
is capable of storing up to 10,000 pages
that can be transferred to a digital format
when you connect to the app.
In the field of technology, there is
always something new to explore.
Granted, what works for someone may
not work for someone else, but it's always
exciting to explore new gadgets.
Maha El-Metwally is a
conference interpreter for
Arabic, Dutch, English, and
French. She works for a
wide range of international
organizations, including the
European institutions and the United Nations.
She also teaches conference interpreting at the
University of Surrey. In addition to ATA, she is
a member of the International Association of
Conference Interpreters and the Chartered Institute
of Linguists. She also serves on the board of the
Institute of Translation and Interpreting. She has
an MA in interpreter training from the University of
Geneva. Contact: maha@culturalbridges.co.uk.
American Translators Association

29
http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/ls3 http://www.bit.ly/erasing-pages http://www.myequil.com/home http://www.neosmartpen.com/en http://www.bit.ly/RocketbookWave http://www.neosmartpen.com/en/ncode-pdf http://www.atanet.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2018
