In an industry that is constantly evolving, so too must the technology that supports it. As demand grows for automating the production of complex content, such as scientific, technical, engineering and medical (STEM) materials, technology providers must continue to evolve and adapt.

One of the major challenges in STEM publishing is creating an end-to-end production workflow that supports and generates complex equations in varing formats, such as MathML in digital content. Since the enforcement of the European Accessibility Act, this has become more important than ever.

‍

At Easypress, our in-house Atomik products are continuously being improved to meet a wider range of content, particularly in STEM textbooks. Recent enhancements to our production software Atomik eStylist and production platform Atomik ePublisher have focused on how to better handle MathML objects in our workflow to support STEM publishing.

‍

What is MathML?

What is MathML? MathML (Mathematical Markup Language) is an XML-based language used to encode mathematical and scientific notation and algorithms. It is designed to present equations accurately in digital form while making them navigable for assistive technologies such as text-to-speech (TTS) for read-aloud devices.

For many reasons, including accessibility, using MathML is recommended for equations in digital content. Preferred over images with alt-text, MathML has become standard practice among global STEM and non-fiction publishers.  

However, during the testing phase of development, the Easypress team noticed a big problem – most TTS programs cannot accurately handle MathML.

Problem 1: Text-to-Speech Programs

On the surface, TTS can read plain text with ease and is a great tool for visually impaired readers. Yet, when most screen readers reach MathML equations, they really struggle.

When Easypress tested multiple popular TTS programs, the issues were glaringly obvious: equations were read partially or incorrectly, and some MathML content was skipped altogether.

That’s not to say that effective screen readers don’t exist, because they do. However, for everyday readers using standard eReader platforms, including their default read-aloud features, MathML objects are often handled poorly.

While researching better-equipped TTS platforms to support MathML, the Easypress team found that MathCAT, an accessible library for screen readers to help produce high quality speech and/or braille from MathML, offers users of assistive technologies a great solution.  

MathCAT aims to allow authors and publishers to express their intent when using mathematical notation. When that intent is conveyed through the MathML, MathCAT can use it to generate more natural-sounding speech.

However, Easypress recognises that this may present additional challenges. One of MathCAT’s most valuable features is greatly determined by authors and publishers themselves. While larger STEM publishers may have the resources and budget to handle an extra stage in the digital production process, small- to mid-sized publishers may not.  

Even if more effective TTS platforms, such as MathCAT, became more widely available in mainstream eReaders, the onus would still be on authors and publishers to ensure visually impaired readers can make full use of the technology.

As publishers work to comply with the European Accessibility Act, will small- to mid-sized businesses also be able to accommodate TTS libraries? With the industry under increasing pressure to do more with less, it seems unlikely.

Although software providers such as Easypress are implementing methods to utilise MathML, its effectiveness will always be determined by the capabilities of TTS platforms and those who author and publish the content.

‍

That said, even with continuous research and development, Easypress is not there yet. In recent weeks, we have encountered InDesign server limitations in the final stages of testing.

‍

Problem 2: Adobe InDesign Server Limitations

Despite Adobe advertising support for MathML features across a range of its products, issues remain following recent updates to their server. As it stands, these limitations mean users are unable to create new MathML objects. However, this is still possible through the desktop application.

What does this mean for publishers? Simply put, although the desktop version of InDesign supports existing MathML objects, such as complex equations already contained within a file, it is not currently possible to create new ones on its server. We are confident that Adobe will rectify this issue in a future release, but for now a workable solution remains elusive.

Easypress continues to work closely with Adobe to ensure users will be able to fully utilise MathML within its server-based products in the near future.

‍

For more than 20 years, Easypress has been tackling the challenge of seamlessly processing MathML in STEM print books and ebooks.

‍

Easypress believes in persistence and, through continually improving its tools, has finally cracked the automated application of MathML in published books and ebooks.

Easypress can offer impressive demonstrations of what will later become fully integrated MathML support. If you would like to chat to our team about your publishing challenges and how Easypress can help, please contact us.

Alternatively, you can schedule an online meeting for a time to suit you via our Calendly page.

‍