Hello fellow people who don't speak English, just think of this as another weird thread. Being in Tapas, I see people from various nationalities and background —even when most of us write in a common language: English. I appreciate non-English speakers who put effort into translating/writing their works in English for the accessibilities of international readers, even though their attempts are imperfect and sometimes bellitled. Every language is different, every person also is; as long as you have tried your best and strive to better your work, you are doing it right.
How to participate:
- Just put your unstranslated work or the one which has been translated back (if your work is written in English first) here, may it be comic page or novel passage.
- You can add linguistic and technical remarks regarding the difference in English and non-English version
What is better and what os worse, what is gained and what is lost. Actually, add any comment about the languages of you wish.
- Plug in your work because this is actually another shameless promo thread. Haha!
I will give example before someone call me a coward:
Example in my native language
Kata-kata itu membatukan Kôra hingga ke serat otot rangkanya. Sarafnya membeku oleh kenyataan ini; jantungnya berpacu, keringatnya membanjir, napasnya tercekat. Makhluk dari dalam cermin itu memiliki suara lembutnya, tetapi dipelintir dengan logat yang tak lazim namun terdengar akrab. Ngeri.
"Kau tampak akrab," simpulnya setelah mengamati Kôra dengan kepala dimiringkan. Tersenyum.
Makhluk itu mengunci gerak Kôra di atas ranjang dengan secepat kilat; masih mengamatinya. Wajahnya nyaris sempurna semirip Kôra, kalau saja sorot matanya tak serupa benda mati. Anak itu pernah melihat mata yang sama pada bangkai hewan, atau pada palsunya tiruan atas benda hidup. Tatapan mereka saling mengunci dan berulang, berulang terus jatuh seakan pada tak berujungnya jurang. Debar jantung Kôra makin menggebu, kelu lidahnya tak sanggup memaksa untuk mengucap doa. Bahkan tubuhnya tak mampu bergerak untuk mengelak.
My writing in my native language sounded rather stiff and kind of archaic(?), it is even stiffer than my English according to my perception. Maybe it is because I translated it back from English, which is the language my series is written directly in. I did not translate it word by word or trying to be as exact as possible, also please excuse the spacing as I cannot fix it.
However, I feel like I have more fun writing in it due to the lax grammatical rules and familiarity. I actually like it more than my English one, it also sounded better.
English version
Those words petrified Kôra to the miniscule fibers of his skeletal muscles. His nerves was frozen by such reality; palpitating, perspiring, almost breathless. That reflection had his mellow voice, twisted in a peculiar accent that evoked a sense of familiarity. Eerie.
"You look familiar," the thing concluded after examining the boy with a tilted head. Smiling.
The being pinned him to his bed in a flash movement; still inspecting him. Its face was a flawless copy of his, if not for the eyes which resembled dead things. Those were the same eyes that Kôra saw on dead animals or on forgeries meant to mimic the living. Their gazes locked and reciprocated into a repeating abyss. Kôra's heartbeat raced to a new acceleration, his tongue pushed words of prayers to no avail. His body did not even twitch in anticipation.
Excerpt is taken from my novel:
Thank you for reading participating!