: Re: How do authors incorporate languages they don't speak? In many, many English-language novels I've come across characters who speak other languages, most often French for whatever reason. In many

Research, research, research. I can't state it enough. Research is the key and the backbone to writing a successful knowledge. If it's a language you can handle phrases of on your own after simply looking up the grammatical rules, go for it! If not, I suggest you find an expert.

If it is a simple language (aka a well-known language) such as french, Spanish, or another language with an English-looking alphabet, you may use it sparingly. I don't think you should overwhelm your reader with entire paragraphs in a foreign language. Simply saying, "John slipped into French..." and throwing in a few key words in the language should be sufficient.
Tough languages, where the reader would not recognize the alphabet at all, should be avoided if possible. If you absolutely must have a Japanese-speaking character, tell them that he's speaking Japanese and then through in a few words that have been translated into English characters. Try not to confuse your reader, or they won't want to continue in the book

I hope I've been helpful and have a great time writing!

Load Full (0)

: Email to request copy of paper I want to email the author to get the complete paper. He's published a version with proof sketches, but I need the whole proofs. My draft: Subject : Paper Request

@BetL639

Load Full 2 Comments

: How can I deal with an overload of writing projects? I'm formulating a habit where I create too many writing projects. I'll work on a project, and things will go fine, until I have this incredible

@BetL639

Load Full 4 Comments

: In addition to reading voraciously as has already been suggested (especially, but not only, in the genre/field you want to write) you might want to check out Stein on Writing by Sol Stein.

@BetL639

Load Full 0 Comments

: Using LaTex medium to enhance writing I asked my Calculus Professor for a recommendation. He said, "Sure. No problem. But write me an essay about yourself and since you're a computer guy,

: Re: How do authors incorporate languages they don't speak? In many, many English-language novels I've come across characters who speak other languages, most often French for whatever reason. In many

More posts by @BetL639

: Email to request copy of paper I want to email the author to get the complete paper. He's published a version with proof sketches, but I need the whole proofs. My draft: Subject : Paper Request

: How can I deal with an overload of writing projects? I'm formulating a habit where I create too many writing projects. I'll work on a project, and things will go fine, until I have this incredible

: In addition to reading voraciously as has already been suggested (especially, but not only, in the genre/field you want to write) you might want to check out Stein on Writing by Sol Stein.

: Using LaTex medium to enhance writing I asked my Calculus Professor for a recommendation. He said, "Sure. No problem. But write me an essay about yourself and since you're a computer guy,

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top