I primarily engage with fiction, particularly fantasy literature, and occasionally delve into non-fiction.
As long as the translations are good and you’re enjoying it/learning, I don’t see an issue.
Why would it be?
English is often a bit shorter than other western languages, so it’s slightly more sustainable and more efficient. On average, the books weigh less, take up less space and are also slightly quicker to read. You can compare books you have in the same language, with similar layout to see for yourself.
I like to read in the original language as often as possible, and when that’s not available I tend to assume the English translation might be better. Not necessarily though; If you’re Spanish and reading a French book, the Spanish translation might be closer to the original than the English one.
I do, however, want to read more literature written in my mother tongue. It has a different feel from English, and it’s like holding the key to an amazing world of literature that’s not open to everyone.
Afaik, if you’re into fantasy, you might as well read it in English since that’s what the majority of fantasy is published in originally. Waiting for translations is a pain in the ass, and might not even happen.
And, like any translated book, it’s not usually the same experience because not everything translates well. Certainly not as well as being able to read the original language fluently.
That goes both ways, btw. English translations of books from other languages are a crap shoot.
Now, if you’re ignoring authors in your language, that seems a poor choice, but it’s your choice, and not inherently negative (imo). You may have very good reasons to make that choice.
If I wasn’t totally brain dead when it comes to other languages, I’d definitely prefer to read most poetry in the original form. Most fiction too. There’s an older book I enjoy, The Master and Margueritta. It’s originally in Russian, and the translation has some clunky bits that I suspect would be better in Russian.
Besides, one of the best ways to achieve fluency and maintain it is by using the language.
Just wanted to say that I recently finished the Master And Margarita (P&V translation) and absolutely loved it. It’s a masterpiece!
It really is :)
One of the most surreal and unique books ever
It depends.I used to read a lot of books in my native language (Finnish) but for years most of the stuff I’ve been reading and watching has been in English, I also use a lot of English at work. At some point I realized that my active vocabulary in my native language was atrophying. So, I decided to go back to reading books in it. So, be mindful about that :)
Same here! Negative side: Not all books are available, especially a bit nicher ones, such as philosophy. Libraries can be great though.
Most books are written in English, and if your English is good then it’s better to read the original rather than a translation.
I live in an English speaking country and English is my second language, but i still default to English version of a book even if it’s translated rather than my native language. Of course books in my native language, i would read in original.
Perhaps i should start reading books in my native language to practice my language skills while living abroad.
I’d say no. Especially in contrast to reading translations. Translations are often clumsy and all languages don’t work equally well in different contexts with different jargon.
Fantasy in particular is written a lot in English and many writers use resonant roots from rich older lore. Which was in English. Translations often shoehorn in more or less unrelated terms that existed on completely different lore.
If you’re worried about not reading in your own language, you could try to find authors who wrote in it, and see if any of their work looks interesting. Maybe in some completely different category.
Actually, non fiction should be particularly good for original language reading if the writer was good.
I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing. If it works for you, good. But if the book is in your native language, my advice would be read it in that language.
I tend to favor my native language for a few reasons though. I live in a foreign country so it helps me keep in touch with my language. Also if the book is old (like 100+ years) a translation in my language would make it easier to understand. Finally if it’s an audiobook, I find it easier to follow without zoning out if it’s in my language.
As someone in the same situation I can’t imagine what would be bad about it. Sure, I might not have 100% understanding of everything, but I’m ok with that knowledge.
