ParallelBook is a simple, DRM-free, open format specifically designed for aligned fiction books in two languages. It is based on Unicode, supports book metadata, three-level book chapter structure and preserves the original source texts while allowing to store correspondence not only between paragraphs and sentences (as in typical dual-language books and translation memory), but also between fragments of longer sentences.
Currently (as of April 2013) the only software supporting this format is available for Windows and Android. It is called "Aglona Reader". Versions for both platforms are free (ad-free as well) and open source; Windows version has a handy editor allowing to quickly and easily align texts using mouse and keyboard.
The main features of Aglona Reader:
- Three different modes of reading: Normal (texts in two columns with color highlighting), Alternating (both texts mixed on one page in green and black) and Advanced (only one text is shown with the ability to show the translation of any fragment in a popup by clicking on it).
- Reversing left and right texts in all three modes, so that the same English-German book can be read by German speakers who learn English and vice versa.
- Adjusting font size and color brightness
- Browsing book contents
- Displaying book info
Home site of the project: https://sites.google.com/site/aglonareader/home/lang-en