Non-English words? |
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Calantha
NYC Midnight Groupie Joined: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 189 |
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Posted: 17 Oct 2020 at 3:47pm |
So... the gods of NCY Midnight blessed me with Historical Fiction.
As a South African, my mind went straight to Apartheid history...so now we're in a blacksmith workshop on a bench on Liliesleaf Farm plotting to overthrow the apartheid government. I digress. After 3 years of living in America and suppressing a good half of my lexicon, there are so many gorgeous Afrikaans and Xhosa words that would fit in my story. Of course there are translations, but has anyone got experience in using footnote translations of single words? Boep is such a great word for "beer belly", and impimpi is far more descriptive than "traitor" Would it be too contrived to use them?
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taaaylor
NYC Midnight Black Belt Joined: 14 Jul 2018 Location: Idaho Status: Offline Points: 6946 |
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I think you should run with his idea! I would definitely say include those words, but maybe give enough context that you don't need the footnote to define it? They seem like they would provide great texture and realism. The footnotes might be a bit jarring, imo. I have seen some great novels from African writers (my mind is wandering to Ben Okri, even though he's Nigerian) where context alone could carry the definition of a non-English word. Good words and good luck! I'm looking forward to reading your entry if you choose to post to the forums :)
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kolohe
NYC Midnight Addict Joined: 25 Jan 2020 Status: Offline Points: 1000 |
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I wouldn't do the translation, just use the words in a way that the reader can at least make a good guess at the meaning based on the context. I used a number of Hawaiian words (not common ones ;)) in my round one hist fic and didn't do any translations, and nobody (judges or forum readers) had any negative comment on it.
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Calantha
NYC Midnight Groupie Joined: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 189 |
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Thanks that's really encouraging! And a good way to think of context clues. The linguistic breadth of a country with 11 official languages has my 9y/o character doing delighted cartwheels and bollemakiesies on the lawn in front of the manor house :)
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Lynne M
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 11 Jul 2020 Location: Florida Status: Offline Points: 80 |
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That sounds like a wonderful idea! On my last entry, I used a couple of Haitian creole words (even my title was due to the location being set in the French Quarter). The judges didn’t mark me down because of it (I only placed 10th, but that was because of poor character development). Good luck!!!
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http://tinyurl.com/y9upqv9e] GoodLuck
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MikeWG
Newbie Joined: 25 Sep 2020 Status: Offline Points: 13 |
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I came across translations mainly in my work. I often fly on business trips to Europe. I can still talk with the dictionary. But translating reports is a nightmare for me. I was recommended a site https://isaccurate.com/vietnamese-translation-services and decided to consult with experts. Thanks to this, I was able to translate all the documentation correctly. I made a conclusion for myself that you need to learn foreign languages.
Edited by MikeWG - 12 Jul 2021 at 11:12am |
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BrNorton007
Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2021 Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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Thanks for info!
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JanetRodriguez
NYC Midnight Newbie Joined: 09 Jun 2021 Location: Sacramento, CA Status: Offline Points: 83 |
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Hi there! I love this question~ not only because I lived in Jozi for 7 years! I agree about Afrikaans and Xhosa, but (as with every micro story) the word has to pull its weight for the piece. If you decide to do this, will you please send it to me? Janet
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Ksoucy416
NYC Midnight Regular Joined: 26 Jan 2020 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 332 |
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Definitely looking forward to reading this piece. I agree with everyone else, I think the authentic word can absolutely stand on its own if its used properly, and it adds culture and weight to the characters and story. Please post!
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