Choosing between your Mother Tongue and another language
OK, I know I was warned, but what can I do? I had this question for a very long time. I have decided where to write (platform like computer or notepad), I am in the middle of deciding my way of writing, but the most important decision is still to make, "Language".
I am struggling to choose between my "Mother Tongue" and "Other Language"!
To be more specific, I am a Hindi speaker, North Indian, and my entire education till 10+2 was in Hindi. I studied English as foreign language, and then went for computer engineering (Not literature). I had all my interest in writing and I have been writing since 2004, in both English and Hindi.
I have never really focused on my language as I went with the flow. But now, as I have started taking this seriously, and want to make money with writing. It's really important for me to be clear about what language I should choose.
Another thing worth mentioning here (though it is not a roadblock) is, that I prefer a computer to draft my compositions and I am skillful in typing in English.
Considering the facts above, which language do you suggest I choose for my writing? I have been scratching my mind for a very long time over it. Then thought discussing it with experts will be better before taking any final decision. Please take some of your precious time to help me out with this. I really appreciate your patience and suggestions. Thanks a ton.
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I am in a similar situation, where I alternate between english and french (my native tongue).
I know my english is not good enough to write an entire novel, but I often write short stories and exercise writing in both english and french. I don't know how hindi compares to english, but I assume it's pretty different in it's structure.
Writing the same story in different languages can drastically change it's pacing and tone; one language being moreable to handle certain kinds of writing styles. At least that's what I've gathered from my experience.For example I love writing /reading science-fiction in english while I strongly prefer french for thriller-type stories.
For now I'd say experiment writing the same stories in both languages and see how it turns out. Chances are you'll find what languages goes best with the type of stories you want to write.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/12199. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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This depends in part on who your audience is, as already noted. It also depends on what kind of editorial support you'll have and on what your goals are.
I've seen lots of work, both drafts and published work, by native speakers that doesn't really measure up. English is a difficult language full of quirks and borrowings from all over the place, and I imagine it would be much worse for somebody learning it as a second language. (I'm a native speaker.) If you're working with an editor who can take the time to help you deal with those quirks then writing in English could work out for you, but without an editor you'll be more challenged. (Your question, for instance, contains some things that would need to be edited before publication. Please don't take that comment amiss; your question is quite understandable and your English is way better than my second language.)
If your goal is to get published, and particularly if you can't hire an editor, then I recommend writing in your native language for these reasons. If, on the other hand, your goal is to grow as a writer, then I recommend writing in English because you're obviously interested in doing so and you'll be able to interact with more people. There are many online writing groups and sites in English.
I don't know anything about tools for typing Hindi. For English there are lots of different tools and approaches -- different software for typing, but also different kinds of keyboards, and voice-to-speech software to avoid (or reduce) typing. Maybe there are other tools that could better support Hindi than what you're currently using?
Finally, beware the challenges of translation, particularly for creative work. Unless you have professional translators available, you should plan to write in the language in which your work will be published.
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I would apply two points of view:
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Project management / Energy management
Your ultimate goal is to publish your work. The best way to publish is to finish your work. What is the best way to finish your work for you? Are you "faster" in Hindi or in English. What do you enjoy more? What is just "plopping" out of your mind instead of having the need to actively think about things.
In the beginning you might also be able to write in two languages to get a feel for it. But at some point you will realize that you are essentially having double the workload all the time. So you need to decide sooner or later.
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Reach in numbers
I do no know about your topic even. If you write about a native Hindi story, you know what the way would be, obviously.
Collect some data: If you write in Hindi, how many people can you potentially reach (e.g. all northern India / everyone who understands Hindi) and how many can you probably reach, e.g. who is interested in your book.
And then do the same for English (who/how many people in the world can read English texts and then estimate how many of them will read your book).
Afterwards you have "hard data". No need to speculate anymore. You can look at the numbers to come to a decision. But the numbers do not dictate your decision! It is still plausible that you decide against the picture the numbers are conveying to you.
Ultimately, you need to feel comfortable. Because if you are not comfortable with it, it will hamper you all the time.
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