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Fangirl language
May. 11th, 2008 10:47 amI just finished reading "Bless Me, Ultima" the other day, and it's often reviewed and celebrated as being one of the best pieces of Chicano literature out there. So of course, the pages are liberally sprinkled with Spanish. Not all of them are translated within context, mind you-- I had to look up the meanings of many words to really understand just what it was some of the characters were saying.
Now, I know there's a difference between published literature and fanfiction, but in terms of writing in general, why is it acceptable to use foreign languages (e.g. that of a character who is speaking or thinking) in literature, but not in fanfiction? Why does the use of Japanese in an anime fanfic (assuming said fic's canon takes place in Japan... maybe Yu-Gi-Oh! or Sailor Moon, for example) make it "Fangirl Japanese?"
I understand practically every language in the world will have a number of words that don't translate perfectly to English. Even if there is a passable English equivalent, that doesn't mean it'll "sound right" in the context of a particular character speaking/thinking, or in a particular situation.
For example, it's always awkward in Sailor Moon fic when you're trying to emphasize how Usagi's English isn't so great. How can you do that where the reader will understand Usagi's struggle, but the words she says still aren't properly constructed?
I was just as guilty as the next "fangirl" of using Japanese back in the day, but I stopped after
a) I learned Japanese
b) I learned more about writing
c) I realized that most Japanese words and expressions have a perfectly good equivalent in English and, at the time, there was no plausible reason NOT to use the English equivalent
I wonder if there might be certain words that are fine to use in the original Japanese, because they don't really translate over as well as people think. I know off the top of my head that miko and kami fit the bill to me-- a "miko" isn't EXACTLY a priestess, and "kami" isn't a god-- not exactly, anyway. Plus, the honorifics don't translate over perfectly: "-san" is not = Mr. or Ms., "-sama" is not = Lord or Lady/Master or Mistress/etc. and many of the others (-dono, -chan, etc.) don't even have anything REMOTELY close to it in English!
So, what's your opinion? When might it be okay to use Japanese --without it being of the "fangirl" variety?
Now, I know there's a difference between published literature and fanfiction, but in terms of writing in general, why is it acceptable to use foreign languages (e.g. that of a character who is speaking or thinking) in literature, but not in fanfiction? Why does the use of Japanese in an anime fanfic (assuming said fic's canon takes place in Japan... maybe Yu-Gi-Oh! or Sailor Moon, for example) make it "Fangirl Japanese?"
I understand practically every language in the world will have a number of words that don't translate perfectly to English. Even if there is a passable English equivalent, that doesn't mean it'll "sound right" in the context of a particular character speaking/thinking, or in a particular situation.
For example, it's always awkward in Sailor Moon fic when you're trying to emphasize how Usagi's English isn't so great. How can you do that where the reader will understand Usagi's struggle, but the words she says still aren't properly constructed?
I was just as guilty as the next "fangirl" of using Japanese back in the day, but I stopped after
a) I learned Japanese
b) I learned more about writing
c) I realized that most Japanese words and expressions have a perfectly good equivalent in English and, at the time, there was no plausible reason NOT to use the English equivalent
I wonder if there might be certain words that are fine to use in the original Japanese, because they don't really translate over as well as people think. I know off the top of my head that miko and kami fit the bill to me-- a "miko" isn't EXACTLY a priestess, and "kami" isn't a god-- not exactly, anyway. Plus, the honorifics don't translate over perfectly: "-san" is not = Mr. or Ms., "-sama" is not = Lord or Lady/Master or Mistress/etc. and many of the others (-dono, -chan, etc.) don't even have anything REMOTELY close to it in English!
So, what's your opinion? When might it be okay to use Japanese --without it being of the "fangirl" variety?
