Drafting and Editing Training Videos

My Tasks

Discover your assigned tasks in Paratext! This video guides you on finding tasks set by your project administrator, ensuring you know what to focus on. Note: This feature relies on project planning and task assignments by the administrator.

Understanding USFMs: Introduction

Explore how Paratext uses USFM (special tags) to establish structure, assist in navigation, and aid in formatting translations correctly.

USFM 2 - Standard view and adding markers

Standard view is recommended for use when drafting and editing a translation. The markers are editable, but they are harder to edit accidentally. One can focus on editing text.

USFM 3 working in Formatted View

Formatted view hides the USFM tags, displaying only formatting of associated styles. Access the USFM character styles menu with backslash, and use the toolbar style chooser to apply styles.

USFM 4 Using Basic View

Basic view in Paratext shows the Bible's structure via USFM tags without allowing changes. Ideal for drafting, it simplifies content entry and editing.

USFM 5 - Unformatted view

In Unformatted view in Paratext, USFM tags and Bible text lack visual distinction, with no tools for tag application. Direct typing allows tag editing, making it suitable for manual adjustments. Not recommended for drafting the translation.

What is Preview?

Preview view looks similar to Formatted view but does not allow any editing of the text or styles at all. It is useful for viewing the text without any risk of editing.

How to type backslash if missing from your keyboard

Backslash key (\) in Paratext, starts USFM tags and opens the marker menu in some views. Use F5 as an alternative key. Find the shortcut in the project menu by hovering over ‘Insert backslash’.

The Best Way to Add Verse numbers

Add verse numbers efficiently in Paratext using 'Insert Verse Number' in the project menu. It ensures accuracy, adds the correct marker, and restricts errors. Shortcut: Ctrl + K.

Markers for Non-Biblical Text

Learn to mark non-Biblical text in Paratext. Translators often include extra text for introductions, topic shifts, or different events in narrative. This video guides you through the process.

Show all chapters

You can load more than one chapter at a time into a Paratext window, so that you can scroll up and down between chapters. We can control whether Paratext loads an entire book into a project window.

Change Text Size with Zoom

You can change the size of text in any Paratext window using the zoom feature. This is found on the menu for the window. You can alternatively change the text size using Ctrl + and Ctrl -.

Required Paragraph Markers

When you start typing a new book in Paratext, you may see only chapter and verse numbers. You can start inserting the verse text, but you must add paragraphs to your text also.

Insert, View and Edit Footnotes

How to insert, edit, view, and delete footnotes in your Paratext project, and how to use the footnote pane.

Book Introductions

Learn about the essential standard format markers for adding an introduction to a book.

Find and Replace

Search for a particular word (or "string") in a project or resource. If you have editing permission, optionally replace it with another word (or "string") .