Markdown translation template: one passage in two languages

A translation page holds a short passage twice: once in its original language and once in another language. This Markdown translation template keeps those two versions in one file, with the original first and the translation immediately after it. A final note records one choice made while translating.

The pair shares a passage, a paragraph sequence, and a title. Each heading names a version of that passage. Nothing in this example continues a second, independent story.

What the translation page contains

Start with a title that names the passage. Beneath it, write a line naming the original language and the language of the translation, in that order. The language line in the example reads English to Spanish, making the direction explicit before either passage begins.

Put the original text under Original and the translated text under Translation. Those headings keep the two versions distinct without interrupting either passage. After both versions, a Note heading holds a brief explanation of a wording choice.

The filename ends in .md; this introduction explains that ending. Here, the page consists of headings and prose separated by blank lines.

The translation template

Jane Doe and Doe Press are fictional. For this example, Jane Doe composed a short passage for fictional Doe Press, then translated her own words from English to Spanish. The title remains a placeholder so the block can become a page for another short passage.

# [Passage title]

English to Spanish

An invented passage by Jane Doe for fictional Doe Press, translated by Jane Doe.

## Original

The bench stood beneath the oak. Its wood was warm in the afternoon sun.

A narrow path led to the gate. Beyond it, the courtyard was quiet.

## Translation

El banco estaba bajo el roble. Su madera estaba tibia bajo el sol de la tarde.

Un sendero estrecho llevaba a la puerta. Al otro lado, el patio estaba en silencio.

## Note

I chose "en silencio" for "quiet" because this passage describes the courtyard's lack of sound.

Replace the title placeholder with the name of your passage. Change the language line to name your two languages, and replace the identifying sentence with a sentence about your own text. Then replace both passages together, keeping the original beneath its heading and the translation beneath the next heading.

The invented attribution belongs to this example alone. When reusing the block, write your own identifying sentence rather than leaving Jane Doe and Doe Press attached to a different passage.

Matching paragraph breaks

The bench occupies the first paragraph of each version. The path occupies the second. A reader moving from the first original paragraph to the first translated paragraph finds the same part of the passage. The same pairing holds for the second paragraph.

Keep that pairing when replacing the sample. If the original has two paragraphs, give the translation two corresponding paragraphs. Avoid joining them into one paragraph in only one version, since that removes the visible boundary that separates the passage into two parts.

Use an empty line between paragraphs in each section. A line ending within a paragraph and an empty line between paragraphs do different jobs; the paragraph spacing guide describes that distinction. Leave a paragraph gap after each heading as well, so its text begins apart from the heading.

A note about one wording choice

The note explains why Jane Doe chose one word for this particular passage. It points to "quiet" in the original and "en silencio" in the translation, then names the detail she intended: the courtyard's lack of sound.

Keep your explanation tied to a word or phrase that actually appears in the pair. A single short paragraph is enough for one choice. The explanation belongs after the translation, where it can refer back to both versions without becoming part of either passage.

That note is specific to this invented courtyard passage. Another passage using "quiet" would need its own explanation.

Naming the translation file

The filename courtyard-passage-english-spanish.md connects this example's subject with its two languages. Keep both versions and the wording note in that one file rather than separating each version into a differently named file.

Consult filename choices for Markdown when deciding how to separate words in the name. Choose a name that still identifies the passage when it sits beside other translation pages.

Where Sashmark fits

Desktop Markdown reading and editing describe the plans for Sashmark, which remains in development. The intended readers keep .md writing produced by their agents.