multiple style sheets for different languages

[djstormer]

I am making an epub for a collection of essays, about half of them written in English, half of them in Japanese. I am creating a separate file for each essay.

I am still near the bottom of the learning curve when it comes to CSS, but understand that epub allows multiple style sheets. Would two style sheets, one for the English essays, one for the Japanese, be the best solution for the language-related issue I face here?

BTW, I don't have Adobe InDesign, but am basically doing everything from scratch, just using Dreamweaver for tagging the essay files.

Any help appreciated.

[Toxaris]

That can work, just link the correct stylesheet to the corresponding XHTML file.

Be aware that not all readers support RTL.

[djstormer]

Thanks Toxaris, will do that then.
BTW, the Japanese in the book is laid out LTR, so that won't be a problem.

[Earthlark]

Hey, djstormer, have created a stylesheet that formats the Japanese text vertically? I can't figure out a simple way to do this. If you could point me in the right direction, that'd be great.

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by Earthlark

Hey, djstormer, have created a stylesheet that formats the Japanese text vertically? I can't figure out a simple way to do this. If you could point me in the right direction, that'd be great.

Liz Castro had a fairly interesting talk on EPUB3 and Japanese typography, including an example Epub (3) showing how to do markup for TCY, Kenten, and Ruby, and of course showing the setup for vertical writing.

She posted the slides and the epub on her blog: http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/20...1_archive.html

Be aware however that since this is epub3 there is a limited pool of reading systems that currently support this.

[djstormer]

Originally Posted by Earthlark

Hey, djstormer, have created a stylesheet that formats the Japanese text vertically? I can't figure out a simple way to do this. If you could point me in the right direction, that'd be great.

Earthlark, no, the Japanese text in my file was horizontal because, as Jim Lester pointed out, not many reading systems support it. Things have just changed with the release of the Japanese Kindle, but I haven't yet had a look at the new formatting possibilities that accompany it.