Translating stories into English

[KryptoniteEyes]

Hi guys,

I'm currently writing a German story. Because the majority of the users here speak English, I would like to post this story in English, too. I saw some non-native English speakers doing this. And I wonder how they (or you ;-)) translate your stories.

Do you do this all by yourself? Or do you use some kind of translation tool like Google translator.

I'd love to do it by myself, on the other hand, I do not feel so confident with my English that I can guarantee the same quality as with my German writings.

Any ideas (would love to hear opinions from non-native English speakers, because they're supposed to know best).

 

[DarkSoulDrinker]

Personally, if a story looks interesting enough, I just use Google translate (built into Chrome) to translate the non-English page and just accept that will cause a few grammatical mistakes. I've been doing the with The New Life and it's obviously not perfect, but it still allows me to enjoy the story even though its only written in French. That being said, I've seen other commenters on the story complaining about it being French. So...I think the key is that if you try to do something with a language you are not fluent in, you make it clear at the start that is the case and accept the fact that some people will still complain and that those people are assholes.

 

[Hvast]

Hi guys,
I'd love to do it by myself, on the other hand, I do not feel so confident with my English that I can guarantee the same quality as with my German writings.

As someone who wrote 1000+ chapters here, starting from cringe barely English and getting to mediocre English now, I recommend you do your best and enjoy the process of writing.

Yes, form is important for some people, and they won't read you (or even express their valuable opinion on your bad Grammar and what a stupid degenerate you are) but, in my experience, people value a good plot, interesting characters, and hot scenes more than proper Grammar and rich vocabulary.

As for translations... I suggest loose rewriting in English instead of translating. Ask yourself, do you really need a perfectly accurate translation of your story? Writing is more fun than editing translation, especially translation done by some software. Even AI translation tools are crude. And by doing it this way, you may even get an idea or two to edit into the original.

 

[TheLowKing]

people value a good plot, interesting characters, and hot scenes more than proper Grammar and rich vocabulary.

Agreed. There is a limit below which I'll get annoyed, but @OP, judging by your post, you're well, well above it. Go forth!

 

[GyroscopicGraphite]

The only real major point with translating languages that I think you need to keep in mind (beyond what's already been said) is that if there's any German sayings or wordplay/puns you made, then it may be necessary to make an Authors Note detailing what it means because it is unlikely that there will a suitable English equivalent that would fit in well.

Also, if you're really worried about your English, you can always read some other works to get reference of what 'good' English looks like. I don't have any personal recommendations for what you should check out, but random scrolling is how a lot of gems are dug up. Also, when I'm unsure how a word is supposed to be spelled, I literally just search up whatever I typed and it usually gives me the correct spelling, so feel free to do that too.