However, when reading a printed parallel text I always wondered how the foreign language would be pronounced. At first I set out to find a tablet-based parallel reader that would pronounce a sentences or words on demand. I found a few promising systems, but they had their shortcomings. Most only included texts from centuries past, and many did not read texts aloud.
One major difficulty was that the tablet readers relied on "alignment:" their input had to have each passage prematched with its corresponding sentence in the other language. This would seem a simple task for automation, but in reality automation is not fully possible because translators (rightly or wrongly) often do not translate a text one sentence at a time.
Having struggled with this issue for several years, I realized that the printed texts I enjoyed did not have sentence alignment yet I was still able to use them. So in biReader I dispense with sentence alignment and rely instead on line spacing and synchronized scrolling to display corresponding sections of two texts in parallel.
While at first this may seem like a step backwards, it actually encourages me to look beyond words to sentences and paragraphs as elements of meaning. I find it gives me a greater grasp of the translation than systems which spoon-feed me a sentence at a time.
It also allows a greater range of source material since texts do not need to be aligned before use. Hence biReader allows users to select, drag-and-drop, or paste material of their own choosing into its reading panes for immediate use.
If you find biReader enjoyable, or have suggestions for improvement, let me know at info@code-read.com.
biReader is currently an open source project, found at: https://github.com/code-read/biReader.
Sample text
Load files from biReader's online library of parallel texts. | ||
Save contents of left and right panels to files on your computer. | ||
Alter settings such as font size and text-to-speech speed. | ||
Show information about current system status such as voices available, files loaded, your native language. | ||
This help screen. | ||
Click on title areas | Load files from your computer |
Drag-and-drop a file, or paste text here.
Drag-and-drop a file, or paste text here.