: Re: How to interpret a language from a non-speaker's perspective? I want to create a believable conversation between a character who speaks Mandarin and English and a character who speaks English

@Cofer669

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A good approach is how you would perceive this in a language that you don't know. Maybe watch some foreign language tv and see how much of the conversation you can guess from context, intonation, and gestures. Quite a bit, I have found, but only very basic things.

So when you write your story, think of how the non-Mandarin speaker will perceive the situation and the other person, and what he might read into was was being said. He might be able to guess the meaning, if the situation is straightforward and the Mandarin speaker is open and without guile, but if the conversation is difficult, the situation is unclear, or the intent of either of the two speakers is problematic, then misunderstandings are likely even among two native speakers, and it will become rather impossible to guess what a person says in a foreign language.

In short:

Understand the situation and the motivation of the two characters.
Look at the situation and the other person from inside the listener.

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