Hiatus explained--not essential reading

 

This blog, yes, disappeared for a bit. The reason was that feedback indicated two "consumer" interests, interlinear short passage translations and the same format for longer works, as in novels and non-fiction/academic articles,. In addition, chatbots, as I have called them, and all manner of other AI translation options flooded the scene--the choices and developments became too much to manage. 

My inability to keep up with the above as well as developing and testing my own modest server-side efforts based on what I then knew, and found wanting, well, you see why hiatus.

As of this date, with the help of advances in AI coding capabilities on offer and my own take on how sophisticated a product needed to be to meet the needs of what I have identified as the rest of us, I am back and have progress to report on several fronts (about that not in this post).

During the hiatus and now still, translation view (make 'em) tools and corpora of works/literature, other than scriptural--"interlinears" for the rest of us--are few and far between. Some noteworthy possibilities there are. For example,

(gathering urls, come back in a day or two for links)

 What might be a reason for this? Something to do with reader purposes and comfort and efficiency. (See https://interlineardotworld.blogspot.com/2025/08/language-learning-and-translation.html)

The development a tools for creating/having one or another kind of interlinear translation view has evolved into two tech alternatives and a new set of options under the broad title of interlinear.

Accessible to all via web applications will be either client- or server-side solutions. (Earlier server-side solution proponents over-hyped and -promised their ways, which were many and in the final run proprietary! Silly and yikes!) 

As of this writing, I have a basic client-side demonstration web app to share (see separate post). And I will develop a server-side solution that will take advantage of improved AI-assisted coding and the build-once, run-anywhere criterion (wish me luck).

Finally, a proposed change in the rest-of-us categories for what we might find a best fit and more loosely construed notion of interlinear.

•  line by line
•  sentence by sentence
•   word/phrase by word/phrase
•   aligned
•   inline
•   per paragraph, over under
•   from side by side to a form of interlinear

The original idea is represented by this early draft of the project, so-called, in '24.

 Hiatus' end. Onward

 

Language learning and translation displays

QUESTION. Is there research about language learning using translations displayed
or printed in different ways, for example side by side versus in interlinear fashion?*

RESPONSE: [T]here has been research into the effectiveness of different translation
display formats, such as side-by-side (parallel text) and interlinear text, for language
learning. These studies generally focus on how the arrangement of translations can
impact comprehension, retention, and the learner’s ability to acquire new vocabulary
and grammar structures. Here’s a brief overview of findings related to these formats:
### 1. **Parallel (Side-by-Side) Texts**
- **Advantages**:
- Allows the learner to compare the original language and translation easily.
- Enhances understanding of structure, as learners can see how ideas are expressed
differently across languages.
- Encourages active engagement as the learner switches between languages to
decipher meaning.
- **Disadvantages**:
- Can cause learners to rely heavily on the translation, reducing the need to
struggle with the original language.
- Switching focus between two columns can slow down reading fluency and
comprehension in the target language.
**Research Findings**:
- Learners often benefit from side-by-side texts when they are at a beginner or
intermediate level, as it facilitates understanding and reduces cognitive load.
- A 2017 study showed that parallel texts help learners notice differences in
sentence structures and word usage, improving grammatical understanding.
### 2. **Interlinear Texts (Word-for-Word Translation Below the Original)**
- **Advantages**:
- Gives a word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase translation, which can help learners
focus more on sentence construction and vocabulary acquisition.
- Learners do not need to switch between two columns, allowing for smoother
reading of the original text.
- **Disadvantages**:
- May interfere with comprehension since the translations are more literal, which
can make understanding the natural flow of the target language difficult.
- Learners may become dependent on the direct translations rather than processing
the meaning holistically.
**Research Findings**:- Interlinear texts are more effective for acquiring vocabulary, especially for
learners at an early stage, because they expose them to the structure and syntax of the
target language.
- A 2019 study indicated that learners using interlinear texts often focus more on
individual word meanings and syntax, which can slow down comprehension but
deepen understanding of linguistic patterns.
### 3. **Cognitive Load and Efficiency**
- Research into *cognitive load theory* in language learning has found that how
translations are displayed can affect how much mental effort is required to learn new
material.
- Studies suggest that interlinear texts can reduce cognitive load for beginner
learners, but parallel texts are often more useful as learners advance and need to focus
on broader context and meaning.
### 4. **Mixed Methods (e.g., Bilingual Reading with Occasional Interlinear
Assistance)**
- Some studies propose using a hybrid approach, where learners use parallel texts
for general comprehension and interlinear texts for detailed vocabulary or grammar
studies.
- A 2021 research paper indicated that switching between these formats can be
especially effective for learners who struggle with comprehension but are ready to
move beyond beginner vocabulary.
In summary, both side-by-side and interlinear formats have their strengths depending
on the learner’s level and the goals of the language learning task. Interlinear texts are
often better for detailed linguistic study and vocabulary building, while side-by-side
texts are helpful for general comprehension and sentence structure comparison.
__________
* https://chatgpt.com/share/67160e03-5980-8009-b225-48bdba63de25
generated 21.10.2024 (link may not be available as of this post)

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Detect languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAssameseAymaraAzerbaijaniBambaraBashkirBasqueBelarusianBengaliBhojpuriBosnianBulgarianCantonese (Traditional)CatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Literary)Chinese SimpChinese TradChuvashCorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDariDhivehiDogriDutchEmojiEnglishEnglish United KingdomEsperantoEstonianEweFaroeseFijianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrench (Canada)FrisianGalicianGandaGeorgianGermanGreekGuaraniGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHill MariHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIlocanoIndonesianInuinnaqtunInuktitutInuktitut (Latin)IrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKazakh (Latin)KhmerKinyarwandaKlingon (Latin)KonkaniKoreanKrioKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Sorani)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLingalaLithuanianLower SorbianLuxembourgishMacedonianMaithiliMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMariMeiteilon (Manipuri)MizoMongolianMongolian (Traditional)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianNyanjaOdia (Oriya)OromoPapiamentoPashtoPersianPolishPortuguese (Brazil)Portuguese (Portugal)PunjabiQuechuaQuertaro OtomiRomanianRundiRussianSamoanSanskritScots GaelicSepediSerbianSerbian (Cyrillic)Serbian (Latin)SesothoSetswanaShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTagalogTahitianTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTibetanTigrinyaTonganTsongaTurkishTurkmenTwiUdmurtUkrainianUpper SorbianUrduUyghurUzbekUzbek (Cyrillic)VietnameseWelshXhosaYakutYiddishYorubaYucatec MayaZulu

EnglishDutch-------- [ All ] --------AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAssameseAymaraAzerbaijaniBambaraBashkirBasqueBelarusianBengaliBhojpuriBosnianBulgarianCantonese (Traditional)CatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Literary)Chinese SimpChinese TradChuvashCorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDariDhivehiDogriDutchEmojiEnglishEnglish United KingdomEsperantoEstonianEweFaroeseFijianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrench (Canada)FrisianGalicianGandaGeorgianGermanGreekGuaraniGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHill MariHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIlocanoIndonesianInuinnaqtunInuktitutInuktitut (Latin)IrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKazakh (Latin)KhmerKinyarwandaKlingon (Latin)KonkaniKoreanKrioKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Sorani)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLingalaLithuanianLower SorbianLuxembourgishMacedonianMaithiliMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMariMeiteilon (Manipuri)MizoMongolianMongolian (Traditional)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianNyanjaOdia (Oriya)OromoPapiamentoPashtoPersianPolishPortuguese (Brazil)Portuguese (Portugal)PunjabiQuechuaQuertaro OtomiRomanianRundiRussianSamoanSanskritScots GaelicSepediSerbianSerbian (Cyrillic)Serbian (Latin)SesothoSetswanaShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTagalogTahitianTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTibetanTigrinyaTonganTsongaTurkishTurkmenTwiUdmurtUkrainianUpper SorbianUrduUyghurUzbekUzbek (Cyrillic)VietnameseWelshXhosaYakutYiddishYorubaYucatec MayaZulu

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It matters

The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, "his" Peace Prayer, among its titles over the years, became my go-to for meditation in the 1980s, and often still is. However, when I learned passage meditation and began practice, the version of the prayer was not as I knew it growing up in a rather strict Catholic family and my fourteen years of parochial* schooling. With the new version I adopted and use, the last line has given me pause, and acts as distraction, in my modest attempts at ascendancy.

The line I knew was: "and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." The line as given by my spiritual teacher was: "It is in dying to self [or Self] that we are born to eternal life."

The difference makes a difference, for when I think back, two members of my family held dear the version we knew, and no doubt they prayed with those words. One of those people wished for death to come soon, and I thought she expressed that wish by embracing that prayer. This is conjecture or opinion, I admit. Perhaps this difference is only significant in my own mind.

The difference is different, however, because both versions are incomplete translations of the French original. (To complete the deception, there is no evidence it was a prayer we can attribute to the historical St. Francis.)

Am I too old or stuck to learn by heart the original in French or its English translation? I can give it a try, as I reflect on the importance of getting words/meanings as close to correct as possible from the start. It is important to translate accurately with meaning and intent the full original source to the target language of choice and text's adoption for use. Agree?

In short, it matters. Interlinear translations quickly reveal whether or not meaning and intent have been faithfully rendered if one knows the target language and is familiar with or is more than comfortable reading in the source language. And even if this is not the case, it matters whether for Christians the Virgin Mary was a virgin and in what sense.