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Translation to English
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If you reach the level, where editors and proofreaders can polish your work to bring it to a decent, enjoyable English - then why not, but if it'll be less than that then a professional interpreter can be a better option. On a larger scale - it's a more global dilemma between diy and outsourcing. Arguably, one can do everything him/herself - writing, editing, cover design and so on, the question is whether the final result is amateurish or (almost) professional...
I suggest you start by writing in your mother language and then work on a translation proposal you could have a professional translator look into. When I wrote my novel, I considered I could do it in English, being perfectly bilingual (French and English). However, since the story happens during the 19th century in London, I read as much period books as I could to familiarize myself with the different spelling of many words, sentence structure, use of adverbs instead of adjectives, expressions and typical idioms, etc. I was surprised to discover how different British 18-19 century literature could be from the contemporary English language in North America.Most of my beta-readers were British and confirmed the appropriateness and the quality of my writing approach.
The challenge is in constantly thinking and feeling in the other language, something I was at ease with having spent many years of my childhood in the USA and having my parents often speaking with us in French. Later on, my English improved, watching only English TV channels and reading almost all the time English books. Many jobs I had required of me to write in English and work with English-speaking people from other provinces and countries.
So the main question you need to answer is how good your English is.
It's a tough questione, Ege. I wonder what your native language is?I think the answers above will help you but I would add, it is not impossible to reach the level to write well in another language. There is a writer called Joseph Konrad who wrote superb books in perfect English - and he only learned the language by reading many books in English (he was a seaman, so had pleanty of time). It also depends on what sort of book you want to write. Bernard will tell you, even being bi-lingual, it doesn't mean you will have the correct tenor (tone) of the language for a particular story. Just keep reading for the next ten years.
P.K. wrote: "It's a tough questione, Ege. I wonder what your native language is?I think the answers above will help you but I would add, it is not impossible to reach the level to write well in another languag..."
Thanks for the answer! It is Turkish. I read some stuff about Konrad and it was really inspiring. Mostly I try to write on fantasy genre. I read a lot in this genre and as I said I study English Language and Literature in college.
Then you are doing all you can. Keep it up and enjoy the rich legacy of English literature for which we are so grateful. Try to write about what you know; you now have so much to write about regarding Turkey and, I fear, you are going to have even more dramatic events you can record in English over the next few years. Your sentences are good. Good luck.
Faith wrote: "Translated fiction only works when you can find a native speaker who is also a writer or poet..."This seems to be the key for working with an interpreter ...
There is Babelcube, but to avoid hijacking your thread, I posted about that separately.
Good luck with Apple of Discord, Andrew, in Romanian and other languages!
Well done Emanuel. What a huge undertaking. I think your only hope is to get the opera acclaimed in Romania and then get a TV or film company involved. If it's good enough someone will see the potential. I must say, lyrics are not going to be such a huge problem as prose; you don't have grammar to think about. When I was thinking (and still am) about writing an opera I spoke to an associate composer at London's Royal College of Music. He gave me one tip;Don't make the words rhyme. I hope you knew that. Good luck
Emanuel wrote: "Hello!My name is Emanuel Andrei Cosutchi, I am an independent Sci-Fi writer from Romania. I work now on a space opera called Starship "Apple of Discord". I will try to finish and publish the 1st v..."
Your English skills are fairly good if your note is any indication. I'd suggest you translate your book into English yourself, then get an English-native to edit your book into colloquial English. If your market is the United States, get an editor who grew up in this country. He won't have to know Romanian since you're already good enough to handle that part.
When you get done with the translation, drop me a note using my contact page: https://alkalarediting.wordpress.com/.... If I'm not busy, I'll take a look at it and let you know how much it will cost to edit.
P.K. wrote: "Well done Emanuel. What a huge undertaking. I think your only hope is to get the opera acclaimed in Romania and then get a TV or film company involved. If it's good enough someone will see the pote..."Uh, I don't think he's talking about a stage "opera". A "space opera" is a sub-genre of science fiction.
P.K. wrote: "Thanks Al "Tank" One lives and learns"Me too. (Grin). Any day I don't learn something new is a wasted day.
A good philosophy Al. I hate it when I don't achieve something, even a little thing, each day, preferably something physical that is going to outlast me. Winston Churchill said the thing that gave him the most satisfaction was building a wall at Chartwell (his country house). i think it probably reminded him that artisans were really the aristocrats of this world.
I am working on a novel in my mother language. Actually I want to publish it in English and because of that I chose English Language and Literature in college. I believe that I am not good enough to write in English for now. So I have to write in my mother language at this moment. I know, maybe I will never be able to write god mode literary writings but I expect do some good work. Mostly, i see myself as a storyteller. After I finish my work, I want to translate it English. Do you think folks is it possible? Should I write in English when I am able to do?
Thanks for answers!