[Tutorial] Using translations/commentary in Writer

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RoryOF
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[Tutorial] Using translations/commentary in Writer

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A Translation or Commented text in OpenOffice Writer

Frequently an OpenOffice User wishes to show a translated text, showing the original and the translation side by side, or to comment a text on a sentence by sentence basis, showing the original and the attached commentary. These are substantially the same problem, and a number of different ways exist to tackle this.

Note that OpenOffice does not have an inbuilt translation mechanism, so if you are expecting to pour a language into OpenOffice and have it emerge as another, this is not possible. This tutorial is concerned only with displaying a text original and either an independently translated version, or a text and an extensive commentary on it. It also does not discuss the niceties of formatting provided by OpenOffice Writer, relying on your knowledge of formatting in OpenOffice, and the design requirements of your document.
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OpenOffice Columns

Most Users’ immediate inclination is to use a page divided into columns.

This is not a good method, as columns in OpenOffice, be they full page or in an OpenOffice Section, permit the text to flow from a filled left-hand column into the next column to the right. Any adjustment of the text, such as correction of a spelling error or insertion of an omitted word, may cause the text to flow, and the commentary or translation may move out of alignment.

In the following example "aliam Aquitani," was omitted in Columns example 1, then inserted in Columns example 2; you can see that the translation on the right has now moved out of alignment with its original text. You can insert blank lines or adjust above/below spacing to rectify this, but in a long document this becomes tedious, and any edit can undo your careful work.

Columns example 1
Comments1.png
Columns example 2
Comments2.png
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OpenOffice Comments

Another method is to attach a Comment/Annotation (/Insert /Comment) to each sentence, and place the translation text in the comment. Although you can attach a Comment to a range of text, this has been known to cause problems leading to a damaged file, especially in circumstances where a file is using /Edit /Track Changes, or being revised in different editors, so it best to attach such comments systematically to each sentence (perhaps to the first word) rather than to a range.

Comments example
Comments3.png
Here the Comments are systematically applied to the first word of each sentence. If many Comments are used on a page, it may be necessary to scroll up or down to see them all, so this may not be the best method; also, OpenOffice prints the Comments at the page end, so the relationship between the text and its comment will be lost; LibreOffice can print comments in relation to their text. An inbuilt limit exists of 16,000 characters in any one Comment, although it will be better to avoid such an extensive Comment. Also, each Comment box displays your name and the date of the Comment – you may not wish such information to be known. Because of these caveats applying to Comments the Table method may be preferable. However, for private use, such as reminders of things to do, using Comments may be useful.

OpenOffice Tables

The most reliable and recommended method is to use a Table; in the following example the text column is on the left and the translation column on right. Into each left hand cell enter the appropriate text – Copy and Paste is a good method. Each row of the table will expand to accommodate the text.
Long tables, extending over many pages, can cause problems with files, so you should consider using smaller tables, perhaps each of no more than a chapter, extending over a small number of pages.

Table example
Comments4.png
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OpenOffice Rubies (inter-linear insertions)
Another method may be to use interlinear comments, known as Ruby insertions.

Rubies example
Comments5.png
To get these to work, you have to change a setting in Writer /Tools /Options /Language Settings /Languages

[On a Mac, Preferences is under OpenOffice, and Preferences is the equivalent of Options. Thus to open the options dialog:
Mac: OpenOffice → Preferences or LibreOffice → Preferences.].

Under Enhanced Language Support, check “Show UI elements for East Asian writing”. Now on /Format menu a new entry will appear “Asian phonetic guide”; clicking on this will open a dialog box to insert an interline entry, automatically line spacing the text to accommodate the insertion. Options are available in that dialog to select position and style of the entry: many of these options may be set globally in /Format /Styles and Formatting (or F11 key); press 2nd icon from left to select the list of Character Styles; right click on “Ruby” and select “Modify”.

A Rubies interlinear insertion is often used to indicate pronunciation of the associated word, or in music to indicate a chord structure.

It is up to you to select the method you think best. For any long work, the Table method might be clearest. For private reminders, Comments can be useful. The Rubies method allows localised comments attaching to a word(s), without greatly disturbing the flow of text.

The grey shadings shown behind the insertion in the Rubies example above may be turned off by unchecking /View /Field shadings; the ¶ (Pilcrow) characters marking “end of Paragraph” may be turned off by unchecking /View /Non printing characters. Coloured backgrounds and borders have been used to distinguish the examples from the text of this note. It is a matter of personal taste whether you use such colourings in your document.

Warning: Be aware that a little care is needed when using tables, If a row is higher than the printable area of a page, OpenOffice will not be able to break it. It is best to ensure that no row is that high: in any case, a paragraph long enough to require such a very high row may be too long for easy comprehension. It is your text, hence your responsibility, to do some minimal adjustment to extreme layout conditions. Don't expect OpenOffice to be smarter than you are!

If you have a query arising from the methods outlined here, please go to the Writer subforum and click on “New Topic” button at bottom left and indicate your problem.
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.15 on Xubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
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