Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Creating a bilingual Word documents with two columns Thread poster: Vitor Souza
|
Hello, A good customer of mine has just sent a company policy to be translated. Instead of delivering a clean document as usual, they want me to produce a two-column Word file, with source in the left column and target in the right column, and I can't find a way to do that. I have already discovered that a table would work better than the Column function. Nevertheless, the document contains, unsurprisingly, a lot of numbered paragraphs. I can't make Word to number paragraphs in the ... See more Hello, A good customer of mine has just sent a company policy to be translated. Instead of delivering a clean document as usual, they want me to produce a two-column Word file, with source in the left column and target in the right column, and I can't find a way to do that. I have already discovered that a table would work better than the Column function. Nevertheless, the document contains, unsurprisingly, a lot of numbered paragraphs. I can't make Word to number paragraphs in the two colums separately. In other words, I need (left column - right column): 1 - 1 2 - 2 3 - 3 but instead I am getting 1 - 2 3 - 4 5 - 6 At first, I hoped that I could use the RTF bilingual export that MemoQ produces, but the document contains a lot of tags (e.g. tabulators, cross-references) that appear in as (MQ) in the export so this is not an option either. Does anyone have an idea? The document has almost 30,000 words, so I need an elegant solution, not a slow manual method. ▲ Collapse | | | Jean Lachaud United States Local time: 08:07 English to French + ... low tech solution | Oct 15, 2012 |
I would translate the text, then create a two-column document, and copy-paste the source in the first column and the target in the second column. Although low-tech, this takes only a minute or two. | | | How about going in for Excel | Oct 15, 2012 |
It lends itself to this column business.The client should not mind as he is getting the two columns. Perhaps because of his ignorance he is asking for Word file.Do educate him. Regards, N.Raghavan
[Edited at 2012-10-15 21:55 GMT] | | | Darmali Indonesia Local time: 19:07 English to Indonesian + ... Agree with low tech solution | Oct 16, 2012 |
Agree with JL01, but I think it would be better to create a two column document first, then copy/paste the source document in both columns, and use the right hand column to translate the text. This preserves the original format.I do this often, and it is easier, especially with long texts, because you can keep the source and translation side by side. Hope this helps. Angela | |
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to answer, but I can't make it work. Creating a new document with two identical English columns is naturally the very first thing I tried, but it always gets renumbered. I doubt it will be any better if I translate the document first and then copy and paste it in the respective columns. Excel kills a lot of formatting, and I doubt the client will like it. For example, the cross-references to other paragraphs, which are rather important in t... See more Thank you for taking the time to answer, but I can't make it work. Creating a new document with two identical English columns is naturally the very first thing I tried, but it always gets renumbered. I doubt it will be any better if I translate the document first and then copy and paste it in the respective columns. Excel kills a lot of formatting, and I doubt the client will like it. For example, the cross-references to other paragraphs, which are rather important in this document, did not survive. Moreover, the document has multi-level numbering, going from Arabic numbers over letters to Roman numbers, and each level has a defined indentation. Not least, the client indicated that they might later send me the bilingual document with tracked changes in the English column. In other words, Excel is not an option either. ▲ Collapse | | | Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 14:07 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ... Are you sure? And a potential trick | Oct 16, 2012 |
Darmali wrote: I think it would be better to create a two column document first, then copy/paste the source document in both columns, and use the right hand column to translate the text. This preserves the original format. Are you sure that works for you (with regard to numbering)? As soon as you paste the second column, MS Word automatically renumbers all the numbers in *both* columns to the format that the original poster had indicated. Vitor Souza wrote: Instead of delivering a clean document as usual, they want me to produce a two-column Word file, with source in the left column and target in the right column ... I can't make Word to number paragraphs in the two colums separately. Here's a trick that I discovered but haven't used extensively, so try it out: add a blank row to the bottom of the one-column table, then make a copy of it in a temporary file, then (in that temporary file) delete the blank row at the bottom and add a blank row at the top. Then copy and paste that column back into the original file as the second column. This will mean that the second columns rows are out of sync with the first column's rows, by one row. Then delete the blank cell at the top of the second column. In my tests, the numbering of the second column then remained intact. Say, do you know how to copy and paste whole columns in MS Word? If you have two one-column tables in two Word files, you can select a whole column by hovering your mouse just above the first cell of the column until a little down arrow appears, and then clicking once -- it will select the entire column. Then copy it (Ctrl+C, for example). Then, in the other file, hover your mouse above the right-hand edge of the very top of the table, until the arrow appears, and click once -- it will select the "edges" of each cell. Then simply paste (Ctrl+V, for example). | | |
Wow, an interesting approach. Sadly, it failed. Although the rows were out of sync, the document was renumbered as follows: 1 2 - 3 4 - 5 Nevertheless, thank you for trying. | | | Tony M France Local time: 14:07 Member French to English + ... SITE LOCALIZER Is there a way...? | Oct 16, 2012 |
If there exists a way of doing it, I'd have thought the easiest way would have been to 'freeze' the paragraph numbering in the source text before you start, then as you translate, the frozen numbers will simply go through as normal. Getting your translated text into the 2-column format can be achieved relatively easily after translation by one of the several methods already described (here, and in another thread, qv) — personally, I usually use the paste columns in a table ... See more If there exists a way of doing it, I'd have thought the easiest way would have been to 'freeze' the paragraph numbering in the source text before you start, then as you translate, the frozen numbers will simply go through as normal. Getting your translated text into the 2-column format can be achieved relatively easily after translation by one of the several methods already described (here, and in another thread, qv) — personally, I usually use the paste columns in a table method. OK, just tried an experiment, and it worked! Original numbered sequence of paragraphs Copy of same below (could have been translated) — numbering continues Click in para number field (greyed) a starte of second block of paras, then right click 'recommence numbering' — numbering of bottom group of paragraphs re-starts from 1 Convert TOP sequence of paras into 1-column table Insert column to right (numbers will appear, don't worry!) Cut sequence of translated paras from below and paste into r/h column Hey presto! The re-started numbers are retained!
[Edited at 2012-10-16 08:32 GMT] ▲ Collapse | |
|
|
Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 14:07 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
Tony M wrote: Click in para number field (greyed) a starte of second block of paras, then right click 'recommence numbering' — numbering of bottom group of paragraphs re-starts from 1... If I understand your workaround correctly, you'd have to right-click and select "restart numbering" for every numbered list. If a piece of text of e.g. 30 000 words contain 100 such lists, you would have to right-click and select that option 100 times, right? Samuel | | | Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 13:07 Member (2008) Italian to English Tell your client to do it | Oct 16, 2012 |
Vitor Souza wrote: Hello, A good customer of mine has just sent a company policy to be translated. Instead of delivering a clean document as usual, they want me to produce a two-column Word file, with source in the left column and target in the right column, and I can't find a way to do that. This is not part of your work as a translator. Potentially you could spend hours trying to find a way of doing it that works. My suggestion: politely inform your client that you don't know how to do it in Word, and after consulting colleagues, that nobody really knows how to do it in Word. Very expensive DTP software might do it, but you don't possess any such software. Therefore (still being polite) say that you will deliver the translation as a stand-alone file, in the usual way, and that it's then up to your client to do whatever they want with it. Life is too short......(etc.) | | | Jaroslaw Michalak Poland Local time: 14:07 Member (2004) English to Polish SITE LOCALIZER Possible solution... | Oct 16, 2012 |
I am not sure it will work in your case, but try this: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Convert_number_list_to_text_Microsoft_Word If it works, you will have the same numbers, but inserted as text, not automatically. Naturally, your client would need to approve of this, as it removes some of the functionality from the document, but I do not think the... See more I am not sure it will work in your case, but try this: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Convert_number_list_to_text_Microsoft_Word If it works, you will have the same numbers, but inserted as text, not automatically. Naturally, your client would need to approve of this, as it removes some of the functionality from the document, but I do not think they would mind... ▲ Collapse | | |
Jabberwock wrote: I am not sure it will work in your case, but try this: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Convert_number_list_to_text_Microsoft_Word If it works, you will have the same numbers, but inserted as text, not automatically. Naturally, your client would need to approve of this, as it removes some of the functionality from the document, but I do not think they would mind... Thank you but I won't even propose this. Imagine that you want to insert a new section 2. They would have to renumber the whole document manually, and, once again, the cross-references would not work. I have already told them I was not able to do it, as Tom suggested. I proposed that they could print a bilingual document from two monolingual documents. Basically they will need to insert the sheets of paper in the printer twice - first to print the left (xource) column, then the right (target) column. If they want to work with both electronic texts, they will have to use two files unless they can come up with a brilliant solution. Thank you everoyne. | |
|
|
alexmills United States Local time: 08:07 Italian to English + ... I think you can get it in MemoQ using Export Bilingual | Oct 16, 2012 |
>>Two-column RTF (from Project View) | | |
alexmills wrote: >>Two-column RTF (from Project View) As I wrote in my first post, I can't. The numbering disappears and the document is littered with (MQ) tags. | | | Tony M France Local time: 14:07 Member French to English + ... SITE LOCALIZER
Vitor Souza wrote: If they want to work with both electronic texts, they will have to use two files unless they can come up with a brilliant solution. The solution might actually be very simple (though I haven't tried this yet) — it might be possible to simply create a single-column table for each language, and then paste the translated text column as a table (i.e. not as a column in the same table) alongside the source text. Yup, just tried it, and it works perfectly! Shame you gave up too soon! I don't actually agree with the previous contributor who said it's not our job; whilst of course we can't be expected to get into heavy post-processing involving specialist software, I think we owe it to ourselves and our customers to have at least a basic command of office applications like Word and to know a few of the workarounds available. I know that one of the things my customers appreciate is the fact that I offer them translation 'solutions', and am prepared to go that extra mile to solve their problems; OK, so it's not always something I can make an extra charge for — but it certainly does pay off in the long run!
[Edited at 2012-10-16 13:37 GMT] | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Creating a bilingual Word documents with two columns Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
| Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |