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Q&A Writing in English, from the viewpoint of a non-English-speaking character, how can I convey a language very similar to the character's own?

Two methods I can think of: 1) The character says or thinks what he's understood. "So you want me to go to the hut in the forest and kill the wizard?" He listened as the elders discusse...

posted 7y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:40Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25273
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:45:05Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25273
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T05:45:05Z (over 4 years ago)
Two methods I can think of:

1) The character says or thinks what he's understood.

> "So you want me to go to the hut in the forest and kill the wizard?"
> 
> He listened as the elders discussed the situation. _Do they really want me to go into the Black Forest and take out the sorcerer who's cursed the whole kingdom?_ He wasn't sure if he was up for that.

2) The narration summarizes what the character thinks he's understood.

> The elders spoke for a while. He couldn't follow the entire conversation, but he gathered that they wanted him to go into the great forest beyond the village and either incapacitate or kill the sorcerer who had cursed the kingdom. He wasn't sure if he was up for that.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-11-18T22:58:36Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 3