Adding Foreign Languages to Your Story: Romance

Occasionally, especially if you're writing a romance, you may be tempted to add the dialogue of another language into your story to make it more exciting. What's a racy romance without your hunky guy not having a sexy foreign accent or unique way of speaking? Just to clarify, we're talking about authors who are tempted to use terms or whole sentences in another languages such as French, Spanish or Italian, not British slang.

Although you might be tempted to use Google Translate or any other online translator, languages are finicky things and have many variables that cannot be translated into foolproof formulae. Translators are not dependable. There is a high probability that whatever you put into it is wrong or could have been said better. Obviously, someone who speaks the language fluently is more apt than someone who doesn't.

Some people might be wondering why they should care if what they write is accurate? Well, people who know the language better than you do will laugh at you and leave nasty reviews about how you are insulting their language and so on. Then they'll tell their friends about it and their friends will laugh at you and leave nasty reviews. Capisce?

Here are some ways to get help translating:

• Find someone, like a friend or a beta reader, who speaks the intended language as well as yours to help you translate. I recommend getting several people to work on this to get people's different opinions. People who study or are passionate about language will give you the best help with this. Simply getting someone who can speaks the language, won't cut it, because they won't care about the quality they are giving to you and they might not understand the finer nuances of their language.
  
• Go to the forums at WordReference.com and ask for help by explaining what you are trying to do and how you would like help. An account in the forum is necessary, but you will have more exposure for your inquiry and it will be easier and quicker for you to get help because thousands pass through that site everyday. Be sure to follow the forum's policy and rules, such as using proper grammar when asking for help, or else they shall be very put off. After all, they are grammar enthusiasts and they strive for perfection.

Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel