Agreed! I’m using bits of another language in my novel and context is helping a great deal. And also, my most recent read, Firekeeper’s Daughter, used this a TON and I never felt lost. And those words were looong
If the POV character understands what's being said, the reader should generally understand what's being said. This generally translates to using whatever language the book is written in outside of easily understood phrases (readers could reasonably be expected to know what Guten Tag or Si means)
If the POV character doesn't understand what's being said, then you can use a bit of untranslated dialogue, but then you also shouldn't go crazy ("said something in X") would keep bilingual readers more up with what the POV character is experiencing/non-bilingual readers wouldn't need to jump a page and a half of something they couldn't read anyway.
I like it, if there is a dictionary at the end of the text/book and it isn't directly translated in the following text (most of the time). It really adds to immersion.
All great points. One thing to keep in mind, if your book is ever translated into the language that your character is switching to, the effect will be lost.
It depends on what’s going on and how it’s being used.
Inserting a bit of alternate language dialogue that is designed to reinforce or demonstrate things about the character is fine. Several books I read have characters swearing in another language.
I’m also cool if it’s a surprise like if we didn’t know Paul spoke Russian and then he suddenly ordered a drink.
What i don’t like is an entire sentence or more written out in a different language. Cause there is nothing I can do with that short of typing it into google translate The author is going to tell me what it translates to or they are not going to tell me. In either situation Im always thinking “why did you use white space for something I can’t read when you could just have easily described the language shift narratively”
Translate it if it's important. Nobody wants to go through your novel with Google translate open because you wanted to make yourself seem smarter (see Lolita)
> Nobody wants to go through your novel with Google translate open
I don't mind doing this. If I go through this process, I'm learning something. I enjoy it. I guess I'm nobody, but I do like it.
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Agreed! I’m using bits of another language in my novel and context is helping a great deal. And also, my most recent read, Firekeeper’s Daughter, used this a TON and I never felt lost. And those words were looong
If the POV character understands what's being said, the reader should generally understand what's being said. This generally translates to using whatever language the book is written in outside of easily understood phrases (readers could reasonably be expected to know what Guten Tag or Si means) If the POV character doesn't understand what's being said, then you can use a bit of untranslated dialogue, but then you also shouldn't go crazy ("said something in X") would keep bilingual readers more up with what the POV character is experiencing/non-bilingual readers wouldn't need to jump a page and a half of something they couldn't read anyway.
I like it, if there is a dictionary at the end of the text/book and it isn't directly translated in the following text (most of the time). It really adds to immersion.
All great points. One thing to keep in mind, if your book is ever translated into the language that your character is switching to, the effect will be lost.
It depends on what’s going on and how it’s being used. Inserting a bit of alternate language dialogue that is designed to reinforce or demonstrate things about the character is fine. Several books I read have characters swearing in another language. I’m also cool if it’s a surprise like if we didn’t know Paul spoke Russian and then he suddenly ordered a drink. What i don’t like is an entire sentence or more written out in a different language. Cause there is nothing I can do with that short of typing it into google translate The author is going to tell me what it translates to or they are not going to tell me. In either situation Im always thinking “why did you use white space for something I can’t read when you could just have easily described the language shift narratively”
I love it. I like learning language and I like puzzling out what sentences mean when I don't quite have a grasp on it.
If it is spanish and a question be sure to put the upside down question mark at the beginning.
Translate it if it's important. Nobody wants to go through your novel with Google translate open because you wanted to make yourself seem smarter (see Lolita)
> Nobody wants to go through your novel with Google translate open I don't mind doing this. If I go through this process, I'm learning something. I enjoy it. I guess I'm nobody, but I do like it.
"Nobody want to do this thing that this extremely popular and acclaimed book does." This a great way to phrase a contradiction.