A Goodreads user asked this question about The Diary of a Young Girl:
Do you think the book is better to read in German or English?
Julia I was in the same situation as you. I usually prefer to read books in their original language but because I just don't speak Dutch, I had to choose be…moreI was in the same situation as you. I usually prefer to read books in their original language but because I just don't speak Dutch, I had to choose between English and German. In the end, I chose the German version because my thinking was that it might be closer to the original (because of the similarities between German and Dutch).

Interestingly, after reading it I found out that the original German version (the one that was published in 1950) was heavily edited. First of all, it didn't include everything Otto Frank chose not to include (e.g. everything slightly sexual) but also, and more importantly, Anneliese Schütz who originally translated the books, did a pretty bad job. Not only did she completely change Anne's language and style (making her sound a lot older than she actually was) but she also deleted every bit that was insulting the Germans. The newer version was published in 1991 and translated by Mirjam Pressler and is much closer to the original (and also includes the previously censored parts). (less)
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