Monuments in Mongolian Writing: An Experience of Creating a Parallel Corpus

This article highlights the results of the work on creating a parallel corpus of Buryat sources in Mongolian script. The project is being carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, based on the archival materials from the Center for Eastern Manuscripts and Xylographs of the IMBT SB RAS. The subject of the research is the process of creating a database for the corpus, the specifics of compiling it, particularly the selection of materials. Currently, the developing corpus includes the following documents from the archival funds of the CVRK IMBT SB RAS: texts of historical content—"A Brief Outline of the History of Khori-Mongolian Buryats," "On the History of the Zugalai Region"; an official document "Protocol of the All-Buryat Assembly in Chita in 1917"; an ethnographic composition "Narrative of Samdan Noyon," a medical work "Notes of Tibetan Doctor Donduba Munkuyev"; a work of Buddhist didactic literature "Subhashita" translated by Galsan-Jimba Tuguldur. General scientific and source study methods were applied to the analysis of handwritten, printed, and xylographic texts in Mongolian script. The processes of material selection, their transliteration and translation, as well as substantive (thematic, lexical) and technical aspects (typos, pagination, numerals) were examined. The parallel Russian-language version is being created by the research group. The authors emphasize the significance of creating a parallel corpus as a resource for further research in the field of Buryat linguistics, translation studies, and cultural studies, as well as its role in promoting Old Mongolian script among the general public and preserving the intangible heritage of the Baikal region. The corpus represents a unique database for further research in various fields of science, etc. The texts considered will serve as a basis for the development of machine translation algorithms, and the work being conducted at this stage will help future developers create more effective algorithms. The creation of a specialized database that is open not only to researchers but also to representatives of the educational sector, professional translators, and anyone showing a scientific or cultural interest in written heritage appears promising.

Mongolian script, parallel corpus, written sources, Buryatia, Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs, Baikal region, intangible heritage, machine translation, digitization, text corpus