In my story, I have six separate peoples and then decendants from six earth races. However, this presents a bit of a language problem. Obviously, English would be the main language-the universal language, so to speak. However, the earth languages that are used are Russian, Spanish, French, German and Gaelic. The alien peoples were based from mostly Irish legends, so their languages are various Slavic and Gaelic variants: Romanian, Irish, Serbian, Sovak, and Czech. I also a phoneticized version of Armenian for another race.

My first question is: if I use Russian and leave it in Cryllic for the humans of Russian descent, could I still use a phonetic/latinized version of Russian for another race's language? or should I just latinize all of the Cryllic words?

While I'd willingly make up a language on my own, I am in no way an upcoming Tolkien in that regard. Although, if anyone want to volunteer... (Joking.)

Second question: how do I translate it? It's rude to not translate, especially while some characters refuse to talk in English. În mod normal, am traduce ca aceasta (normally, I translate like this). I put the foreign language first and type the translation in parentheses before the punctuation. Does this work?

As I know what they're thinking and what's happening, I don't see all of the snags here. Suggestions and critique are highly appreciated!! Thanks!

So far as Latinizing (actually, I think that's called Romanizing... though I don't remember) goes, the accepted practice seems to be to do so. Personally, I find reading an alien/foreign script to just be frustrating (though a Romanized transcription I find easy enough). I think it has to do with how the new script breaks up the flow of words...

As far as translation goes, that's a more tricky subject, and really depends on the style you're going for. An interesting technique I've seen Timothy Zahn use (when the main character understands what is being said) is to put the phrase in one of the three available parenthetical options, with no actual transcription of the language itself. So it would just be:

(Normally, I translate like this,) Charlotte said.
or
[Normally, I translate like this,] Charlotte said.
or
{Normally, I translate like this,} Charlotte said.

You get the idea. Hope that helps!

Romanizing!!! I knew 'latinizing' didn't sound right! I just knew that I converted it into the Latin alphabet so...

Wow. That's genius!!! Then I wouldn't even have to worry about using another language at all! That would save tons of time...

Thanks! That did help!

* agrees *

Also, if you used Russian for two 'different' languages and just used the Crylic and Latin writing system to differentiate, it would seem a bit disappointing to anyone who figured it out, I think (it would to me anyway ).

I've actually only written one story that includes major portions of it in a different language than English: and it was an earth-set horror spec-fic short story thing, and the other language was German. Not even a fantasy. * laughs and grins * I did it sort of how you did in your first example, only I used italics instead of paranthesis. It had enough clarity that it got accepted for publication in a paying e-zine too, which was incredibly surprising... I thought the whole half-in-German thing was going to make editors avoid it.

I only did it because I was incorporating a lot of... mystic-sort-of and cultural elements into it, and it wouldn't work right without the actual German. I think it's generally best to avoid writing things in another language unless the POVC does not understand the language, and even then only in small doses (it would get pretty tiresome after awhile).

If the POVC does understand the language, I like it best when the narrative states what language it is said in and just writes it out in English. Like this: <"Would you like a cuppa?" she said in the Gaelic.> or <She began to speak Hindi instead of English when she turned to her son. "Where did you go for so long?" she said.> To the POVC, the alternate language is as clear as English is to the reader of the story, so it's appropriate.

So you could use parenthesis like Jak suggested, or you could just put it in normal quotes, as I did up there ^ and as I've seen several writers do.

And word count for the reader to skim through.

* grins * Yeah... I love languages, but I have yet to make an entire one.

I think it's much easier to just act like you've made one up without actually doing it, though, and I love that sort of thing when it's well done. Like Richard Adams did with 'Watership Down'. I have no idea if he actually had more to his languages than what was included in the book, but what he did include was fascinating enough. (I use some of his words in my own vocabulary now. They're useful.)

Your language choices are awesome. There are so many.... o.o How far have you gotten with research and such? Do you know more than one language?

Good point-I never though of that. It would be very disappointing, and i would hate it if I was the reader and the author did that.



That's what my family says-or, at least my sister does. It's just an integal part of the culture of the series though, that I can't get rid of it! Well, I probably could if I really wanted to...



That will probably come in handy in the first books-thanks!! By the later books, there's a lot more races and varied languages. The downside to people inhabiting a world and coming from different nationalities...



I'd like to try someday-but I still haven't learned an existing second language!!!! I guess I'm definitely banking on the fact that no foreign readers will read my books. Although why I hope that I don't know, as a writer, I should want lots to read my books!



Well, thank you very much!! For the humans, it came beacuse I chose some of the most powerful countries on Earth currently-besides China and Japan, because if I'm waffling over a cryllic language, their symbols would be a nightmare!!!! And for the aliens, I needed languages that were somewhat the same but were different to show caste and origins. Yes, there are quite a few... Maybe I'll learn some as I go along!!

Research? Could you please define that a bit more?

Do I know more than one language...I truly wish I did!!!! I know some Spanish, and German; and I'm learning French for school and I'd love to learn Russian, but can't find anywhere to learn it. I also plan on taking Greek and Spanish next year in school and continuing French.

In other words, while I am not fluent in a second language, I am working on it.

For translating conversations to another language, I use Google Translate. Cheating, yes. But it works.