MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Thoughts on how to format a dual-language book for learners?

MacEachaidh · 03-06-2014, 12:59 PM

Hi folks,
I'm looking to format some ePubs of stories for language students, and ... well, I'd be grateful for thoughts/ideas on how best to do it.

What I'd like to do is have the Gaelic text visible, so the students can try their understanding of the language directly, and then have the English nearby for them to refer to as needed.

In print form, with static formatting, I'd probably break the page into two columns, and have the Gaelic in one column and the English in the other, with lines matching up. But in an eBook?

Alternating lines in the two languages, I think, would make it too hard to read either language, and different font or screen sizes would make a mess of it instantly, What about alternating paragraphs?

Anyone have better ideas? I'd be grateful to hear them.

03-06-2014, 12:59 PM	#1
MacEachaidh Browser Posts: 745 Karma: 578294 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura HD	Thoughts on how to format a dual-language book for learners? Hi folks, I'm looking to format some ePubs of stories for language students, and ... well, I'd be grateful for thoughts/ideas on how best to do it. What I'd like to do is have the Gaelic text visible, so the students can try their understanding of the language directly, and then have the English nearby for them to refer to as needed. In print form, with static formatting, I'd probably break the page into two columns, and have the Gaelic in one column and the English in the other, with lines matching up. But in an eBook? Alternating lines in the two languages, I think, would make it too hard to read either language, and different font or screen sizes would make a mess of it instantly, What about alternating paragraphs? Anyone have better ideas? I'd be grateful to hear them.