Forum: Author Hangout

I have a story where the characters are having a meeting where they don't trust each other. They all speak English. In certain circumstances where two of the characters are from Central America, they converse in Spanish. So an example would be one person says in Spanish "We don't need these people." The actual Spanish would be something like "No necesitamos a esta gente."

If I use the Spanish language, how do I let the reader know what they are actually saying?

I will have several of these types of dialogues. For instance, in this case there is one person that does not understand Spanish. So he asks in Italian to his partner, "What did they say?" The Italian would be something like "Che hanno detto?"

Just wondering if there are suggestions on how to handle this?

Thanks

I put foreign languages inside guillemets. If it's in a non-Latin alphabet, I put the transliteration in parentheses and italicize it. The translation follows the sentence/paragraph in parentheses, but not italicized.

See, e.g., my series 'A Well-Lived Life' (especially Book 3) and 'Good Medicine' (any of the first six books).

Here's one way I did it in my novel "High School Massacre." In the scene, Steele is the POV character and doesn't speak Spanish. They are standing outside Bella's house. Perez is the drug lord. Manuel is Bella's husband.

"Let me go in first," Bella said.

"Okay. If everything's all right inside call out 'All clear' and I'll be right in. If Perez's men are in there, keep quiet and somehow get your family away from the men. I'll be coming in shooting."

Bella entered the house and closed the door behind her. Steele heard children shouting "Mama, Mama," and then a barrage of words in Spanish he didn't understand. Steele waited and soon heard the "all clear" call from Bella. He went into the house with his gun in hand just in case.

"¿Y quién es ese?" Manuel said with his eyes fixed on Steele.

The man didn't seem to be a threat so Steele dropped his gun to his side.

Bella was pressing her children to her legs, one on each side. They both stared up at Steele with wide eyes. Bella looked at Steele and then her husband. "Speak English. He's an American who is going to help us."

First, Spanish was spoken that Steele didn't understand. I didn't bother writing what the children were saying.

But when he entered the house, the husband said: "¿Y quién es ese?" I didn't bother translating it for the reader because Steele didn't know that the man said "And who is that?" which someone told me is the way someone in Mexico would ask who he was. I took care of it with the wife's answer in English: "He's an American who is going to help us."

So her answer in English should tell the reader her husband asked who Steele was. Does that work? *shrugs*

If I use the Spanish language, how do I let the reader know what they are actually saying?

Simple. When introducing, the dialog just say - In Spanish, hedf said... and then write it in English.

There is no one size fits all solution to this. In my "It's always the Germans" universe I have people speaking English, German or Russian. I often leave it ambiguous, which person speaks which language, as most of the characters are fluent in English and German, so the reader can make up his/her mind themselves.

In situations it is an integral part of the plot to point out that someone is speaking German or Russian, I put the text in italics (Russian in this case transliterated). Often I do not provide a translation because

a) I gave it before. That is usually done for characters who have a signature catchphrase.

b) it often is part of the plot that other characters do not understand and only find out as part of the plot

In some cases I do provide the translation in parentheses, dor instance if there is too much foreingn language in quick succession.

This is an excerpt from a story I am currently drafting. This is what I'm doing. I don't claim any expertise in this topic, but I hope it will get the idea across.

"Rhosyn? Beth yw e?" I asked, dropping automatically into my native Welsh. ("Rose? What is it?")

She glanced at me, then went back to staring out of the window.

"Mae rhywbeth yn digwydd yn Gistonis," she whispered in reply. ("Something is happening in Gistonis")

I swapped from Welsh to English.

"What are you saying?" I whispered.

"It's started," she replied, her voice still soft but definite.

...

I don't know any Welsh. I used online translation programs which I know aren't perfect. When I post the story I'll include a blanket apology for any mangling of language I've committed, and invite any native speaker to provide an improved phrasing of equivalent meaning.