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USE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
by
EL MAXWELL
We've all seen this phenomenon before. We've all read a story that used
bits of foreign language. But have you ever written such a story? If
you haven't, this article might be just the right thing for you.
Foreign language makes your writing a bit more interesting. The use of
bits and pieces in another language will add some depth to your story
and your characters. A reader might be intrigued by it and will hurry
to read on. This is exactly what we strife for. To draw the reader into
the story and make him enjoy it.
But there are several things to be considered and dangers you need to
look out for.
First of all, the choice of the language to use. You need to consider
your own resources. Let's assume you're a native speaker of English.
Perhaps you have got another native language or have studied a foreign
language in school or at college. Try to rely on those languages you
know yourself. You don't have to be fluent in them, by no means. You,
however, should understand how they work. This is a very important
matter. What you use of a language, might it be a word or a complete
sentence, needs to be correct. Otherwise you run risk to make yourself
ridiculous in the eyes of the reader.
If you want to use a language you don't speak, though, I recommend
looking for native speakers to ask instead of using free online
translation sites such as Bablefish. Especially, here, when you don't
have any clues how that language works and you haven't got any means to
know if it's really correct, rely on sources you can ask specifically
for things, sources you can trust to be right.
Additionally you should research that language thoroughly, even if you
haven't got the intention to study it seriously. Learn about the
grammar a bit, the history of the language and the country or countries
it's predominantly spoken it. This will give you a certain "feeling"
for the language, so you can use it better.
In any case, whether you speak the language or not, look for a native
speaker for advice. Nobody's perfect and at least I can work better, if
I know that what I'm doing is correct.
Now that we've determined which language you'll use, let's take a look
at how to use it.
No matter what you do, there has to be a purpose. The reader needs to
understand why you chose to use a foreign language here rather than
plain English. This doesn't have to happen concurrently with the use,
but make sure that you clear it up somewhere in the story. Having your
character order in Italian in an Italian restaurant is pretty much
self-explaining. Having your character sprout random sentences in
Russian is not and warrants an explanation. Here's the point where your
characters come into play.
A character might win a lot of depth because of this. But you need to
explain why this certain character speaks exactly this language. Maybe
it's their native language. Maybe they studied it in school or at
college. Maybe they love the original country. There are many ways to
explain it and it's up to you which one you choose.
Whatever you do, you mustn't forget to put the foreign language into
context. The character in the restaurant already has his valid reasons.
The random one doesn't.
Something else to be taken into account is the question whether your
reader actually understands that foreign language. To a certain extent
you can assume they do. Try and figure this out. My tip: terrorise your
friends. If five of them can assure you that they understand, feel
save. But if there's only one and even they say they only have a vague
idea, you should consider adding more information. Look for ways to
integrate the explanation into the story smoothly.
If you take care of these problems, you should be fine.
I haven't talked about another important thing yet: the use of
conlangs. Some people love them and do one for each new plot bunny. For
those unfamiliar with this expression: a conlang is a "constructed"
language writers make up for their stories. This is a phenomenon
restricted mostly to fantasy and science-fiction novels.
Basically the same rules as for "real" languages apply here, too.
However, the problem with understanding is much more present with
these. Nobody has seen this language before, but you, and so no one,
but you, will really understand it. Also take into account that your
conlang might still be a WIP, when you start writing. Any consistency
mistakes in the language itself will make it harder for the reader. You
should be able to understand any given random sentence in that language
you ever wrote instantly. If you don't understand it, then no one else
will, either.
In both cases, however, whether it's a conlang or a real foreign
language, try not to overdo it. Use languages sparsely and don't make
it the predominant feature in the story, unless you're writing a story
about a specific language. Think of language as a spice. A hot one,
rare and expensive. A little bit of it might increase the flavour of
your story, yet too much of it will spoil it.
Copyright © Sabine Hunsicker,
2004. All rights reserved.
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