Psychological thriller set in BASINGSTOKE (Hampshire)
The over use of foreign language in novels
25th February 2020
Undeniably, the use of foreign language in books can be amazing, and especially from TripFiction’s point of view, give location an extra boost. It gives a level of authenticity and imagination which doesn’t happen when a book is only written in one language (in this case English).
But how much is too much?
I’ve just finished reading American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and, all well-discussed criticisms aside, the main point I took away from it was the over use of Spanish. For example:
‘Before Luca had to pee, he and Adrián had been kicking the balón around with their other primos. The mothers had been sitting around the table at the patio, their iced palomas sweating on their napkins’
And this really isn’t the only example. Honestly, nearly every page has a Spanish word written in italics. So when is a good use of language and when is simply irritating? In my opinion, names often work brilliantly in foreign language. Like ‘Abuela’ and ‘Mijo’ in American Dirt. You have a voice of that character in your head, so it only makes sense that they call their family in their natural tongue, as well as adding another level to the characters’ relationships. A crucial part is that it also doesn’t impede understanding. Even if I hadn’t known what ‘Abuela’ meant, the context was clear. And that’s crucial.
But what about the sentence “The old woman waves at Luca. ‘Un regalito.’ She says. ‘Para la suerte’. OK, so not the most important sentence in the book, but if I hadn’t spoken Spanish I wouldn’t have known that. The old woman could have said anything, and there was no translation or context afterwards. And in the first example, there’s actually no need to write ‘balón’, ‘primos’ or ‘palomas’, I don’t feel like I’m getting any extra level of authenticity because they haven’t used the English word. I think part of the problem is also how its written. In my brain at least, words written in italics are read with a certain level of emphasis and when there are three of them in one sentence it’s a bit jolty to read.
Words like ‘hola’ don’t need to be translated, but anything more needs to have an obvious contextual meaning, or somehow made clearer with responses or reactions. The important thing about using foreign language in a novel, is that it has to add something. Suspense, description, relationships, authenticity and of course, location. They can’t just be added with the hope that by saying ‘balón’ rather than ‘ball’ you’re reminded that the book is set in Mexico.
What other examples do you have of foreign words that jar in an English language novel? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Charlotte for the TripFiction team
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I am enjoying picking up a few Spanish words as I read America Dirt. It is two clicks to Google these things.
I also enjoy branching off to Google Maps and Street View now and again on a nook in a foreign setting.
I don’t agree that all use of foreign language is just to give local colour or to act as an unnecessary reminder of where the book is set.
Our book of short stories, ‘M is for Spain’, is about expatriates living in Spain. The stories closely follow the viewpoint of one main (British) character: their thoughts, observations and reactions to what happens to them. It is natural for this to be written in English, but what about conversation with Spanish characters? It is quite likely that, at least sometimes, dialogue would be in Spanish, and we decided to make the use of the different languages realistic, and hope that the meaning is clear because of the context. Code or language switching is very common in bilingual families and communities and we hope to reflect that as well.
For example, in this scene an English mother, Jenny (who is married to a Spaniard), is meeting her son from his Spanish primary school:
“Have a good day?” Jenny asks.
“Bien,” replies Nicholas, in Spanish and smiles. This is the pattern of their communication, except for when they have been alone together for a while, and then Nicholas slips into English. Jenny doesn’t force anything; she is just glad he doesn’t object to her speaking to him in English in front of this friends.
“Are you ready for your sandwich?” she asks.
“¿Qué hay?” Nicholas sounds suspicious.
“Peanut butter on granary bread.”
“Ha-ha.”
“I’m only joking. Ham and cheese on a baguette roll, just like your friends’ sandwiches.’
We hope it is obvious that ‘Bien’ means ‘OK’ and ‘¿Qué hay?’ means ‘What is on the sandwich?’!
1 Comment
Hi Gillian, thanks of your comment! I completely agree, and think that the example you give is a perfect use of language because the Spanish is obvious and the meaning is clear from the context. Have you read American Dirt? It would be interesting to know what you think about the use of language in that – for me the Spanish wasn’t always obvious and just felt a bit forced in points!