: Re: What's the best way to show a foreign language in a manuscript? What's the best way to show a character speaking a foreign language in a fiction manuscript? Should the foreign words be italicized

Foreign languages can add a lot of flavor to a story if used in moderation. Don't put entire dialogues in foreign languages and consider the purpose and function of having those languages there.

Foreign languages are very present in the fiction I write. Some of my fiction is about American ex-pats abroad, another work of fiction is set in New York, which is a polyglot city. In both of these situations, I see language as a flavor of the landscape, and it's not important that the reader understand them. (Bonus points if you do.) The main rule I use is to never put essential dialogue in another language. If you are dealing with a code-switching culture such as Spanglish or the way Lebanese switch between Arabic, English, and French--often mid-sentence, it works especially well.

''Ma shifto bl after-party; think he went to go akel wa7ed with his boyfriend. Kan akho manyukeh! That Iranian DJ from Off On played a set at the hotel. Fady got some K kteer awiyyeh.''

My favorite example of using foreign language to flavor a novel is the underrated classic Kaputt Goes Europe by Curzio Malaparte. As the Germans occupy Europe, we find snippets of Ukranian, Russian, French, German, etc. Amazing prose too.

Load Full (0)

: What are the industry standards of style and formatting? I was reading an Article on The Book Designer called Your Five-Minute Guide to Pricing Your Self-Published Book and in it it said:

@Jessie137

Load Full 1 Comments

: Are there any body snatchers in the present? I'm thinking of an occupation for my protagonist but being a body snatcher is from the past. No more body snatchers caught up digging graves and

@Jessie137

Load Full 4 Comments

: What makes a poem a poem? Warning: long question. To start it off lightheartedly, here is the topic as doggerel. There are plenty of questions with titles like these: "What is this form?" â€”

@Jessie137

Load Full 9 Comments

: In a screenplay/script format, how do you handle several people saying hello or goodbye to each other? In formatting a script/screenplay. How do you handle greetings and goodbyes when there are

: Re: What's the best way to show a foreign language in a manuscript? What's the best way to show a character speaking a foreign language in a fiction manuscript? Should the foreign words be italicized

More posts by @Jessie137

: What are the industry standards of style and formatting? I was reading an Article on The Book Designer called Your Five-Minute Guide to Pricing Your Self-Published Book and in it it said:

: Are there any body snatchers in the present? I'm thinking of an occupation for my protagonist but being a body snatcher is from the past. No more body snatchers caught up digging graves and

: What makes a poem a poem? Warning: long question. To start it off lightheartedly, here is the topic as doggerel. There are plenty of questions with titles like these: "What is this form?" â€”

: In a screenplay/script format, how do you handle several people saying hello or goodbye to each other? In formatting a script/screenplay. How do you handle greetings and goodbyes when there are

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top