Language Barriers

When I was in high school, I attended a French immersion program. The next fall, I started AP English.

My first essay was kind of a mess. The teacher didn’t appreciate the French influence on grammar.

Anecdote aside, I’m a language nut. Linguaphile. Even so, it’s only recently that I’ve become aware of how rarely I see multi-lingual settings. SciFi stories often use some sort of universal translator to smooth over language barriers. In fantasy, everyone speaks “Commyn” or some other lingua franca.

In those types of settings, language barriers only appear to emphasize the foreignness of a people. It others them: sets them apart and makes them not-quite-human, whether sub-human or super-human.

One of my favorite things about visiting a larger city is the ability to walk down a street and hear half a dozen languages. Why don’t we see more of that? Multiple languages – and language barriers – is an often overlooked dynamic that can go a long way to enriching a story.

If including that dynamic seems difficult, it is. But not as hard as you’re imagining. And avoiding something solely because of difficulty settings is lazy writing.

But won’t it add too much exposition? No. It will add exactly as much as you want it to. No need to keep hammering on it; you’ll just lose readers. It can be as simple as, “She switched languages.” Three words. And once you’ve established who speaks what, a lot of it can be implied.

Remember that every word has a point – it serves a purpose – so don’t toss in words just for the sake of having them. They have to be more than flavor.

My favorite is to write language barriers. I love tossing my characters in over their heads. Surrounded by people speaking a language she doesn’t know, she has to catch other clues to figure out what’s going on. (And maybe she doesn’t figure it out, which is fine, but I have to know exactly what’s being said.) It reminds me that there is so much more to human experience than what usually makes it on the page.

I’m taking a pause from a scene where my main character is fluent in both languages being spoken, but the same can not be said for two other characters. These two often hold the upper hand in terms of power – one through physical strength, the other through political. They are antagonistic towards each other, and neither speaks the other’s language.

Suddenly, the balance of power has shifted. They can’t understand each other, but she can understand both perfectly. For the moment, the main character holds the greater power.

It won’t last. Trust me.

Multiple languages and language barriers can be great tools to use and, like any tools, they require practice.

If you know any stories that use these – and, better yet, use them well – please leave a comment

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