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Creating a bilingual Word documents with two columns
Thread poster: Vitor Souza
Jean Lachaud
Jean Lachaud  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:05
English to French
+ ...
reinventing the wheel Oct 16, 2012

Hi, Tony!

I think you reinvented the wheel or, rather, my initial suggestion.

I can't understand why the discussion veered toward columns, which have nothing to do with this.


 
Vitor Souza
Vitor Souza
English to Portuguese
TOPIC STARTER
Aha! Oct 16, 2012

Now that sounds interesting! Could you tell me, though, how you created two tables next to each other? I made a quick search and found two methods - creating two columns first (works for small tables only), or making the middle column invisible (won't work for sure).

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
what? Oct 16, 2012

JL01 wrote:

I can't understand why the discussion veered toward columns, which have nothing to do with this.


The title of the whole thread is "Creating a bilingual Word document with two columns".

[Edited at 2012-10-16 15:16 GMT]


 
Tony M
Tony M
France
Local time: 07:05
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Adjacent tables Oct 16, 2012

Vitor Souza wrote:

Could you tell me, though, how you created two tables next to each other?


All I did was create the first single-column table (source text), then adjust the width to 'make room' for the second table.

Having created the second table, I also adjusted its width so it would fit; then (this is the key step!) I placed the cursor anywhere within it and from the dropdown 'Tables' menu I chose the 'select...table' command, then copied it.

I then placed my cursor just to the right, outside the top cell in the first table (it must be OUTSIDE the table, it can be a bit fiddly to get the cursor in just the right place!) and pasted the other table. Because I'd selected it as a TABLE (not a COLUMN), it pasted it alongside, but didn't actually merge them.

Of course, I only did this with a small dummy file, so you might have slightly more trouble with your rather huge document! Also, I have had trouble before selecting tables running across page breaks, so that may be something else you'll need to watch out for; it may be that you'll need to work in 'Normal' rather than 'Page' view?

[Edited at 2012-10-16 16:16 GMT]


 
Tony M
Tony M
France
Local time: 07:05
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Re-inventing the wheel Oct 16, 2012

JL01 wrote:

I think you reinvented the wheel or, rather, my initial suggestion.


Oops, sorry JL!

I have to say that I (and seemingly our Asker too!) had failed to understand your post sufficiently to realize it was the same idea at all; if you want a 'for dummies...' solution, you can count on me!


 
LEXpert
LEXpert  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:05
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
Dump the numbered list, keep the numbers as text using VBA/macro Oct 16, 2012

Either a macro or VBA script should be able to strip out the numbered list attribute and just keep the number as text, if that would work for your client. Do that on source and target in separate docs and combine into a table afterward, as mentioned. I did it myself a while back while working on a patent with tons of numbered paragraphs with claims, but now I can't remember what the script was, though it's not complicated and it did work.
This discussion might get you on the right track:... See more
Either a macro or VBA script should be able to strip out the numbered list attribute and just keep the number as text, if that would work for your client. Do that on source and target in separate docs and combine into a table afterward, as mentioned. I did it myself a while back while working on a patent with tons of numbered paragraphs with claims, but now I can't remember what the script was, though it's not complicated and it did work.
This discussion might get you on the right track:

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6129_102-279799/how-to-convert-automatic-numbering-to-normal-text-in-word/



[Edited at 2012-10-16 17:03 GMT]
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rmackay
rmackay
Local time: 06:05
Hidden text maybe? Oct 24, 2012

I did this a few years back, and it worked fine - using the document with both tables - copy and paste the source table to where the target is to be and then hide the original source table.

The software only found the target table, which could then be translated and once exported the hidden text was unhidden again. - Just found this - it may help

• Select the body of the document and convert it to a sin
... See more
I did this a few years back, and it worked fine - using the document with both tables - copy and paste the source table to where the target is to be and then hide the original source table.

The software only found the target table, which could then be translated and once exported the hidden text was unhidden again. - Just found this - it may help

• Select the body of the document and convert it to a single-column table
o Highlight all text and click Cut
o Go to Table/Insert and create a new single columned/single row table
o Paste the body of the document into the new table
 Highlight and copy this table
o Paste it as a second column beside the first
• Choose which column you want to translate and which one you wish to keep in Source language
• Convert the one to be left in Source language to ‘Hidden’ format
o Highlight the text you wish to hide
o Right-click and select Font…
o In the Effects section, select Hidden
o Click on OK
• The Hidden text may still appear on the computer screen, depending on your view options. To toggle the display of hidden text, follow these steps:
o Click Tools
o Select Options
o Open the View tab
o Under formatting marks, select or deselect Hidden
o Click OK
• Import the document into memoQ, making sure the option to ‘ignore hidden text’ is checked.
• Translate the document as normal
• Open the translated file and convert all ‘hidden’ text to non-hidden.
• There should now be a document with both the Source and Target tables on it.

Hope this helps
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Ashraf Amer
Ashraf Amer  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 08:05
Arabic to English
+ ...
Here is the script :) May 4, 2014

Rudolf Vedo CT wrote:

"... but now I can't remember what the script was, though it's not complicated and it did work."

[Edited at 2012-10-16 17:03 GMT]

- Make two files: Arabic & English.

- Deal with each file separately.

- Open the document in question.

- Press Alt+F11

- Under the title "Immediate" type "ActiveDocument.ConvertNumbersToText" [without quotes]

- Press ENTER

Done!

Ashraf


 
bojan81
bojan81
Serbia
I found a quick and easy solution to your problem! Apr 3, 2016

I found this thread looking for solution, and it just hit me! I did it on Word 2007 in .docx format, but I think it can be done with .doc or other available formats.

1. Create a table with two columns. You can use whatever option you want, just make sure you make empty table on new document (without column breaks or so) and make sure to set your margins/page size how you want them.
2. Select and copy e.g. English text and paste it to the first (left) column. It will spread the
... See more
I found this thread looking for solution, and it just hit me! I did it on Word 2007 in .docx format, but I think it can be done with .doc or other available formats.

1. Create a table with two columns. You can use whatever option you want, just make sure you make empty table on new document (without column breaks or so) and make sure to set your margins/page size how you want them.
2. Select and copy e.g. English text and paste it to the first (left) column. It will spread the text on multiple pages.
3. Select and copy translation text (if there are special characters, just change the language settings for this column to whatever language you will be pasting here) and paste it to the second (right) column.
4. Right click on the table and select "Borders and shadings" option
5. Remove all borders
6. (Optional) Grab a beer/wine/coffee/tea/soda to relax a bit before/during the next step
7. Fine-tune the text
8. Spread the word around if it works for you

Hope it helps!
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amcarlson
amcarlson
United States
translation using outlined 2 column table... outline feature. and paste AS TEXT into 2nd Jul 9, 2020

Vitor Souza wrote:
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.


I use 2 column table... in the left side column, I type my original text using outline feature. Then I copy and paste AS TEXT into 2nd column.... The Outline numbering is pasted as text, so it's not formatted as outline (i.e., does not continue the auto-outline), it's pasted as text and the outline numbers match the text in the 1st column.

THEN translate the 2nd column text to the 2nd language.


 
Paola Olivieri
Paola Olivieri  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:05
Member
English to Italian
+ ...
I am almost there... Please help! Mar 15, 2021

[quote]Tony M wrote:

...then (this is the key step!) I placed the cursor anywhere within it and from the dropdown 'Tables' menu I chose the 'select...table' command, then copied it.


Old post, I know, but I am experiencing exactly the same issue and after so many days trying to find a solution, I finally feel I found one in this thread but cannot exactly understand this key step.
By "within it", do you mean within the second table? Where can I find the "dropdown "Tables"" you mention?
I am working on Office 365 so maybe it is a matter of versions.
I am trying to copy/bring the two tables near to each other without losing any content, but Word keeps merging them into one two-column table and arbitrarily erases/changes the famous numbered lists (among other formatting issues).
I would really be grateful to Tony or the post author or any other contributor who has been able to effectively use Tony's suggestion to help me better apply it.
Thanks much,
Paola


 
Chiyu Xie
Chiyu Xie
China
Good question Mar 22, 2021

Instead of using table, does anyone know how to achieve this modification simply via "layout->columns->two" in Microsoft Word?

 
Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 07:05
English to German
Re Tony's trick Mar 23, 2021

Paola Olivieri wrote:

By "within it", do you mean within the second table?


Yes, of course.

Where can I find the "dropdown "Tables"" you mention?

With my Word 2019 in the standard menu bar a "Table tools/Layout" item is visible, but only while the cursor is sitting in a table. Clicking Layout displays several table menus, the leftmost one allows you to select the second table. When selected you can Copy-and-paste it to the target location. (I have a German Word but I think I managed to translate the menu designations.)

I would really be grateful to Tony or the post author or any other contributor who has been able to effectively use Tony's suggestion to help me better apply it.

I understand Tony's solution but am not able to perform the tricky positioning of the cursor to the right of the first table. Any pasting of the second table results in a fusion with the first table. Maybe this worked with an older version of Word only?


 
Paola Olivieri
Paola Olivieri  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:05
Member
English to Italian
+ ...
I am afraid we will never know :( Mar 25, 2021

Thank you Rolf.
This is becoming really tricky actually. I am so sorry about that since I am frequently asked to create this kind of "tablish" display of my translations and every time it turns out to be a puzzle. A solution must exist because I have seen tables structured this way where the numbered lists are perfectly symmetrical and I do think they were modified manually (we are talking about huge contracts).
Anyway, I will keep on looking for a solution and revert to all of you h
... See more
Thank you Rolf.
This is becoming really tricky actually. I am so sorry about that since I am frequently asked to create this kind of "tablish" display of my translations and every time it turns out to be a puzzle. A solution must exist because I have seen tables structured this way where the numbered lists are perfectly symmetrical and I do think they were modified manually (we are talking about huge contracts).
Anyway, I will keep on looking for a solution and revert to all of you here if I can find one.
Thanks much again!
Paola
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Creating a bilingual Word documents with two columns






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