Re: [Groff] parallel text processing ; vertical and horizontal mode

[Larry Kollar]

E. Hoffmann <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> Hello *roffers.
> 
> Excuse me if this question has been answered zillions of time,
> or if it is all absurd, but I don't find an answer ...
> 
>   I want to typeset parallel texts, like a translation, the original
> *always* in the left column, the translation *always* right.  TeX has
> the "parallel" package which does exactly that.
> 
>   Is a thing like that possible in groff, any macro package?
> Moreover, is a thing possible not to have vertical columns, but
> horizontal texts, above and below, like
> 
> page 1               page 2
> 
> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa      ...aaaaaaaaaaaa
> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...   aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
> ---------------      ---------------
> bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb      ...bbbbbbbbbbbb
> bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb...   bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
> 
> 
> What would I have to learn to write a page trap macro or a diversion
> &c. to get this effect?  Perhaps a modification of footnotes?

Given the following assumptions:

1) The text in column 1 is more compact than the translated text in column 2.
2) You can interleave the original and translated paragraphs, so that you have 
something like:

        .LP
        English English English
        .LP
        French French French French French

You could set up something like the following (not tested):

.nr COLWIDTH 3i
.nr GAP 0.5i
.nr LM 1i
.nr PD 1.5v
.
.ll \n[COLWIDTH]
.po \n[LM]
.
.de ORIG
.po \n[LM]
.mk
.sp PD
..
.de TRANS
.po \n[LM]+\n[COLWIDTH]+\n[GAP]
.rt
.sp PD
..
.
.ORIG
English text English text English text
English text
.TRANS
Translated text Translated text Translated text
Translated text Translated text Translated text
Translated text
.ORIG
More English text More English text More English text
More English text More English text More English text
More English text
.TRANS
More translated text More translated text More translated text 
More translated text More translated text More translated text 
More translated text More translated text 
.
etc….

Hope it helps!

        Larry