Parallel Corpora Spanish (PaCorES): A collection of multifunctional parallel corpora

Abstract

This paper introduces PaCorES, a compilation of parallel bidirectional corpora with Spanish as the focal language. It is currently comprised of four corpora in German/Spanish, English/Spanish, French/Spanish, and Chinese/Spanish, which are accessible online without restrictions. The aim of this paper is to provide adequate documentation for the PaCorES project and its contents for the corpus research community, while underscoring its multifunctionality. First, gaps are identified in existing parallel bi- and multilingual corpora featuring Spanish as one of their components. Then, the criteria underlying the design and architecture of the PaCorES corpora are outlined. The main section of the paper is devoted to the different steps in the compilation of the corpora, with special emphasis on the alignment process and its review. Finally, attention is directed towards the three search levels available for querying the corpora and the display features. This renders PaCorES corpora a valuable resource for a wide range of applications and user groups across diverse linguistic fields, as well as language teachers, practitioners, and language learners alike.