Well, my own problem is, that I can translate into English - and German is my natural language.
This is the point : Translate something from your first language (the natural one [although in Belgium this could be difficult <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> ] ) into the second. Then watch how the people react towards your translation and compare this reaction with reactions you get with the same story, but in your first language.
If possible, even with the same audience.
The problem is, that I do not know the first language of many forummembers here as my own first language, so unfortunately I can *never* be in the situation / place to be able to do / perform the above described thing.
Which leads me to the thought that people who do not know my own first language as their first language are unfortunately never be able to do / perform the above described thing. And therefore not be able to tell what actually *was* lost / distorted during a translation.
What might sound silly or weak might be better formulated in the own natural language, but be lost during the translation process because of lack of words, simply. I must live for several years now to be able to properly translate into English.
It's really an interesting experience for me.
By the way, I think I mzust point this out :
English isn't my native language; I've met a number of writers whose mother tongue is not English, either, and they still write perfectly well.
I never sdaid I could "write perfectly well". I'm just content with my English and thought it would be good enough for a greater audience.
You've proved me otherwise, Winterfox. You've won. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
By the way, I'm currently browsing through an interesting discussion :
Feedback : The good, the bad, and the ugly.Honesty is the best policy : Constructive CriticismAnd as an addition my reply to the first thread :
Hello, I'm currently going through a thought ...
If I write a story with my heart, need I to dissect it, then ?
Or would the feeling of Heart be destroyed, then ?
I mustadmit that I cannot describe what I mean. The thing goes a bit like this :
- Dissecting something is a logical, rational, materialistic approaxch to something. It will deal with everything that can be perceived through the Ration, through logical thinking, through an materialistic point of view.
- However, if I decide to "build" somthing while using a different point of view - I mean the emotional way of perceiving things - then I might get a different result.
What might be brilliant and stimulating from a rational, logical, materialistic point of view might be just clean dumb from an emotional point of view.
And vice versa.
That's just an example to explain what I mean.
Therefore, could a rational dissection of a story - thus totally negating the emotional content of the story - be desastrous to a story ?
And vice versa ?
That's just what I'm currently pondering about. I'm still undecided.
