General ⇒ Output in multiple Languages from one Source

[lordjeremias]

Hi folks.

I need to keep multiple language versions of my CV and was thinking of doing it in LaTeX. However, i'm not sure how to do it the way i thought of doing it and that's where i need your help if possible.

My idea was to have one single Tex source file where i could input the specific field data in two languages (grouped by some command as \selectlanguage or so), and then the rendering would construct two output files each, in its own language.

Something like this: (the environment names are completely imagined up)

Code: Select all

...
\begin{document}

\begin{Employment History}

\begin{employment_item}

\employment_date{06/2010, 12/2011} 
\employment_place{Hotéis Nacionais, SGPS}
\begin{employment_description}

\selectlanguage{portuguese}
Gestor responsável pelas unidades hoteleiras do Sul do país, ....

\selectlanguage{english}
Responsible manager for hotel units in south Portugal,...

\end{employment_description}

\end{employment_item}

\end{Employment History}

$bla bla bla other stuff

\end{document}

And the end result would make me two pdf files, where the content would be selected in function of the language and the description files such as employment_date would be translated and fulfilled with the data inserted .

example:

Portuguese.PDF

...
Historial de Emprego
De Junho 2010 a Dezembro 2011: Hotéis Nacionais, SGPS
Gestor responsável pelas unidades hoteleiras do Sul do país, ....

English.PDF

...
Employment History
From June 2010 to December 2011: Hotéis Nacionais, SGPS
Responsible manager for hotel units in south Portugal,...

Am i asking for too much?

(also, i would really appreciate if you could point me to some good looking resume templates!)

Thanks!

[josephwright]

It is possible to do this for example using the comment package. However, if you are translating all of the text of a document, the source is likely to end up very unwieldy. Alternative approaches might be better, for example using a master layout document that reads individual parts from a file, or simply using two documents and a common class file.

[lordjeremias]

Hi. thanks for the reply.

Well, my idea was that i only needed to input some data in two languages, and the LaTeX cls file would contain the multiple translations of the regular fields such as "employment history" and date ranges. The same way as in books and chapters and dates, depending on the babel option, you get translated versions of its main elements.

i was hoping to avoid maintaining multiple versions of my cv document as that is what i have now and there's always some version that is much more outdated and incomplete than the other, so having a simple maintainable source it's my main goal