What is Aligning for?

Top  Previous  Next

Viewer and Aligner > aligning with Viewer

 

This feature aligns the sentences in two files. Translators need to study differences between an original and a translation. Other linguists might want it to study differences between two versions of a text in the same language. Students of different languages can use it as they might use dual language readings, to study closely the differences e.g. in word order.

It helps you produce a new text which consists of the two files, with sentences interspersed. That way you can compare the translation with the original.

 

Example

Original : Der Knabe sagte diesen Gedanken dem Schwesterchen, und diese folgte. Allein auch der Weg auf den Hals hinab war nicht zu finden. So klar die Sonne schien, ...(from Stifter's Bergkristall, translated by Harry Steinhauer, in German Stories, Bantam Books 1961)

Translation: The boy communicated this thought to his sister and she followed him. But the road down the neck could not be found either. Though the sun shone clearly, ...

 

Aligned text:

<G1> Der Knabe sagte diesen Gedanken dem Schwesterchen, und diese folgte.

<E1> The boy communicated this thought to his sister and she followed him.

<G2> Allein auch der Weg auf den Hals hinab war nicht zu finden.

<E2> But the road down the neck could not be found either.

<G3> So klar die Sonne schien, ...

<E3> Though the sun shone clearly, ...

 

An aligned text like this helps you identify additions and omissions, normalisations, style changes, word order preferences. In this case the translator has chosen to avoid very close equivalence.

 

How to do it -- a Korean and English example

 

1.Read in your Korean text, save it as .VWR eg. KOREAN.VWR after checking its sentences and paragraphs break the way you like. Try "Unusual Lines" to help identify oddities.
2.Read in your English text and save it as .VWR eg ENGLISH.VWR after the same processes.
3.Now open your KOREAN.VWR and then File | Merge with ENGLISH.VWR.
4.File | Save AS - Korean and English.ALI (multiple-language aligned file).

 

See also: Aligning and moving