Foreign languages in stories.

What's the proper protocol for conversations in a foreign language? Would it be better to use the language and include a translation at the end of the chapter, or should I write the conversation in English, and add an indication that it's in another language?

Comments

[Kagitaar]

What you've been doing seems to work out okay, you just have to make sure that there is enough context to understand the dialogue. Unless it's a solid conversation consisting of nothing other than say, French, context works. To me, just saying, "It's French, trust me" is like people who ignore AJ's accent; it just feels icky. The only conversation I can think of that could get a bit confusing if you have no working knowledge of any Romantic language is in your first story, the part when Toola and her dad are saying goodbye.

Side note, I didn't forget the PMs, I've just been busy with work.........and GW2.

[Kipakuta]

332117

The conversation that you reference is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Two characters who share a non-english language. Both are living in, and talking within the borders of the country where said language is the dominant tongue. However, the reason I pose the question, is because English seems to be the default language among the fandom, maybe even the Internet itself.

[Kagitaar]

332222

The default language of something does tend to be where it started, and both the internet and ponies started in America, so you have to expect that.

In the case you describe, you'd have to put it in English or else you'd have pages of footnotes and confused readers. Maybe use italics or something to show it's another language, but any long conversation, more than a handful of lines, is going to require readability.

[Dusty Sage]

What you're doing in Umbratara: The Garden of Shadows seems perfectly reasonable to me; then again, my tendency, when confronted with a language I do not know, is to continue on and see if I can figure it out by context. I'll get to the footnotes eventually. (Then again, that's just me; it may not be ideal for anypony else.)