I primarily engage with fiction, particularly fantasy literature, and occasionally delve into non-fiction.
I also only read English for a long time instead of my own language.
I picked up some books in my native language and was pleasantly surprised.
The language in itself doesn’t matter but I could notice the writer was from my culture. There’re slight cultural references in books written by people from my culture.
In books from American writers theres also these cultural references which I understand because I grew up on the internet but still it’s not my culture.
I would recommend to check if you’re country/culture has some literature award prizes and check out some of the top books. Make sure to try a couple as a well reviewed book might not mean it’s a good fit for you.
If you don’t mind me asking, were you raised speaking English, too? As a monoglot, it blows my mind when people are fluent enough in a second language to enjoy reading fiction in that language. I’ve tried to learn Spanish, and would love to get to that point, but I really wonder if I’d be able to enjoy reading for leisure in another language, or if it would feel like a chore.
Due to pop culture (movies, shows, games, etc.) I learned English. I also picked up two other languages due to school and influences from vacations.
So I’m fluent in three languages (Dutch, German and English) and can speak enough French to manage on vacations.
I read most of my books in English because I like to read books in their original language. I read a lot of hard scifi, this is a pretty specific genre and there’s little books in Dutch hard scifi books.
In Dutch I read general novels with no specific genre.
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I’ve tried to learn Spanish, and would love to get to that point, but I really wonder if I’d be able to enjoy reading for leisure in another language, or if it would feel like a chore.
It’s a pain at first, don’t get me wrong, but if you start with a decent amount of knowledge you should be fine. Definitely not something to do before you have confidence in your command of the language, though.
Source: Learning Japanese, been there.
I also mostly read books (or consume media in general) in English and I was not raised speaking English. I had English in school but most of my English skills come from watching movies/TV shows in English with subtitles in my language. After a while I switched subtitles to English too.
It was not easy to take the plunge, first few books were definitely harder to read but I got used to it after a time - it also really helps your English to consume the media in it. I see it as easier alternative to go living in English speaking country - by far not on par, but was good enough for me (I’d not say I’m fluent though)
Afaik, if you’re into fantasy, you might as well read it in English since that’s what the majority of fantasy is published in originally. Waiting for translations is a pain in the ass, and might not even happen.
And, like any translated book, it’s not usually the same experience because not everything translates well. Certainly not as well as being able to read the original language fluently.
That goes both ways, btw. English translations of books from other languages are a crap shoot.
Now, if you’re ignoring authors in your language, that seems a poor choice, but it’s your choice, and not inherently negative (imo). You may have very good reasons to make that choice.
If I wasn’t totally brain dead when it comes to other languages, I’d definitely prefer to read most poetry in the original form. Most fiction too. There’s an older book I enjoy, The Master and Margueritta. It’s originally in Russian, and the translation has some clunky bits that I suspect would be better in Russian.
Besides, one of the best ways to achieve fluency and maintain it is by using the language.
Just wanted to say that I recently finished the Master And Margarita (P&V translation) and absolutely loved it. It’s a masterpiece!
It really is :)
One of the most surreal and unique books ever
I like to read in the original language as often as possible, and when that’s not available I tend to assume the English translation might be better. Not necessarily though; If you’re Spanish and reading a French book, the Spanish translation might be closer to the original than the English one.
I do, however, want to read more literature written in my mother tongue. It has a different feel from English, and it’s like holding the key to an amazing world of literature that’s not open to everyone.
I think it largely depends on what you’re interested in and what your native language is.
For fantasy, the genre leans very English-centric because it was invented by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or if you want to take it back to brass tacks, Edmund Spenser and the Fairy Queen.
That’s not to say other languages don’t have fantasy, notably the Witcher series in Polish or (I’d argue) the Night Watch books in Russian (dark fantasy).
If you can read Polish or Russian, I suggest both those series, if you can’t, well, they are translated into English. :)
Polish or Russian??? Let alone English!!! 😆 Thanks for the suggestions
I think that’s the brilliant part of learning English, the best books get translated to English, but may not necessarily be translated into your native language.
For science fiction, I’d be LOST trying to read Stanislaw Lem in Polish or Roadside Picnic in Russian. No idea if any of that is in your first language.
Take a look at the Cemetary of Forgotten books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon as well, translated from Spanish, or in Spanish if you can read them. Not really fantasy, more like gothic romance, all quite good.
“Cemetery of Forgotten” sounds like my type. I’ll have a look. Thanks
Sorry, my bad… forgot a capital:
“Cemetary of Forgotten Books” :)
It depends.I used to read a lot of books in my native language (Finnish) but for years most of the stuff I’ve been reading and watching has been in English, I also use a lot of English at work. At some point I realized that my active vocabulary in my native language was atrophying. So, I decided to go back to reading books in it. So, be mindful about that :)
Same here! Negative side: Not all books are available, especially a bit nicher ones, such as philosophy. Libraries can be great though.
yeah, that’s I am worrying about. Can’t deny the benefits of reading in English though.
Why would it be?
Good point. I’m wondering if it is a bad thing? Like, even though it does no harm, it reaches to the point that I tend to understand more in English than reading in the official language of my country, which we learn it from Grade 1. Maybe I consume too much Western Media? Hence the question. I would like to know if there are others who experience like me and know the downside of reading extensively in English rather than their native language. Maybe there’s no downside?idk
I would say it depends. Some books really shine because of the translation and maybe adaptation, others seems to be the exactly same shit.
English is often a bit shorter than other western languages, so it’s slightly more sustainable and more efficient. On average, the books weigh less, take up less space and are also slightly quicker to read. You can compare books you have in the same language, with similar layout to see for yourself.
It’s harder to refer to things in your native language when you don’t know how they were translated exactly (or whether some details/connections survived translation).
Vice versa, it’s easier to discuss the books in English-speaking online communities. Your general English is going to be improving. If the original language is English, you don’t have to suffer through a Zemblan translation.
I read mostly English because English books are easier to get online (I mostly read classics from Gutenberg). It really helped me improve my English. If you want to get better in your native language, then it may be a good idea to read more in that language, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you.
I’d say the language doesn’t matter as much as the author. For example I read some B. Sanderson books in French and other in English, and I see no point in reading it in English because there’s nothing special to it and the translation is very good. I’ve read P. Rothfuss in English though and it was well worth it because it was so well written.
I feel it’s easier to read in my native language and I’m less likely to miss a cultural reference when it’s in my own language. But it can be worth it to read in English sometimes.
Most books are written in English, and if your English is good then it’s better to read the original rather than a translation.
I live in an English speaking country and English is my second language, but i still default to English version of a book even if it’s translated rather than my native language. Of course books in my native language, i would read in original.
Perhaps i should start reading books in my native language to practice my language skills while living abroad.
As someone in the same situation I can’t imagine what would be bad about it. Sure, I might not have 100% understanding of everything, but I’m ok with that knowledge.
Read A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (preferably in English). It’s a sci-fi novel that describes this kind of feeling, so it could resonate with you and perhaps even help you find some answers. I personally think it’s perfectly ok to read books in any language. You don’t have to be interested in those in your mother tongue.
I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing. If it works for you, good. But if the book is in your native language, my advice would be read it in that language.
I tend to favor my native language for a few reasons though. I live in a foreign country so it helps me keep in touch with my language. Also if the book is old (like 100+ years) a translation in my language would make it easier to understand. Finally if it’s an audiobook, I find it easier to follow without zoning out if it’s in my language.
