When English isn't your first language...

[KHCombe]

Well, I think the title pretty much says it all. When I searched the forums a similar topic didn't come up, but my apologies in advance if it turns out I missed it. 

 

English isn't my first language; I'd like to think of myself as a native speaker, but let's keep it at 'fluent'. 
All of the stories I've written so far (apart from the one I started recently on GA) have been written in Dutch. Writing in English turns out to be quite a challenge; not only does it take significantly longer to write a substantial amount of words, but I seem to "mentally create" the story in my motherlanguage. 

So instead of thinking in English, I cling on to the story as I would have written it in Dutch. 

 

Anyone else here facing the same difficulties? Wanting to translate sayings literally, being unable to find the right words for the things you want to say etc.? 

 

 

[Former Member]

Well, although English is my first language, I am living in a country where English is NOT the official language, in a city where 90% of people do not speak even a LITTLE english, so I know some of the difficulties.  I think that thinking in your target language is incredibly important.  If you go in adn write everything in your mother language and then try to translate, it's ten times harder, because you have to rearrange the words to match the correct grammar and things.  So I would recommend starting out with simple English and then after the simple english is written, you can go back through and complicate it (for lack of a better term ).  That's just my suggestion though.

 

Happy writing!

[podga]

Strangely enough, I have more of a problem writing romance in Greek than in English.I blame all those Mills and Boon's I used to steal from my sister when I was a teenager.

[CassieQ]

I agree with Myiege.  I used to beta for a writer whose native language was German and he would tell me the exact same thing that you are going through.  He also tried writing the chapters in his native language and then translate it, and that didn't work for him, so he would have to write it in English as he went.  As a person who is not good at languages besides her own, I admire anyone who is bilingual    Hopefully, the more you write, the easier it will get.  Good luck.

[KHCombe]

Thanks for the replies!

Myiege, I've decided I won't write a Dutch overview of every chapter anymore. It really doesn't help with writing it out in English, so I'll just stick to the 'simplified' English for now. Thanks for the advice! 

 

podga, it's funny you mentioned that; one of my classmates, who's a hundred percent Dutch, prefers to speak and write in English because of all the online games she plays. It would be certainly in my advance right now if I was capable of thinking in English, but I still have to write papers in my motherlanguage. So I'll just stick with the slight difficulties that come with writing in English, for now ;-)

 

CassieQ, yep, that sounds exactly like me when I write. I've changed my approach now though; I just make up the story as I write along, without writing out the plot in Dutch first. Thanks for wishing me luck! 

[Henry_Henry2012]

I think the best practice for you is to learn the basic adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.

 

There are some english words that I for one find difficult to remember. Writers tend to repeat words that are comfortable with them, without realising that they've used the same adverbs, adjectives or description, twice, thrice, or numerous times, in a paragraph.

 

And I always read my stories aloud. Reading a story while your speaking the words, cognitively enhances your memory for reading comprehension, at the same time remembering the words in a phrase. Just imagine someone reading to you, or listening to an e-book. However, the downside is, your imagination is hampered, instead, your brain processes the gramatical function stored in your english vocabulary. It's like mental math and adding numbers manually with fingers. Spatial and mental recognition are two different things.

 

On the contrary, reading a story inside your head provides you to imagine further, or understand the hidden context, or provide your own evaluation or relative explanation of the events the proceeds within a story.

 

That's why most readers read silently, and speakers read aloud.

 

When I started writing, my technical writing was superb but when it came to describing things, I failed miserably. I would google search the synonym of a word, or find its antonym, or even the very definition of the word, which is time consuming.

 

However, my memory adapted to the changes that if I read a word that I rarely HEAR, SEE, or often use or hear from someone, my mind gravitates to finding its meaning online or through a dictionary. It's like getting a word of a day.

 

It would be useful for you to read books that defines your story theme. If you're writing a romance novel, why not read Pride and Prejudice before starting to write a few words or two.

 

It doesn't mean that you have to read the whole book, just a paragraph or two to start your brain ticking to function it's language and grammar aspect.

 

There was a short story I wrote about Iraq, as a part of its theme. I haven't visited the country, nor have stepped my foot to enter its lands.

 

So I did my research for a week. Read the part of the country I needed to focus, read articles that described the event or scenario of my picking, and basically remembered the structure of its description.

 

I wrote the short story in 4 hours, which included the editing, and for me, it takes me a whole day to probably write 2000 words or so.

 

My professor in psych told me: "English is basically constructed math. Replace the words with sequenced numbers and you have an equation."

 

And that I believe is true. So practice practice practice.

 

The more words you can describe ONE THING, either an apple, a leaf, your laptop, or your hands, the more arsenal or set of tools you can use to describe the perfect scenario you imagine in your head.

 

So write, read aloud, edit the grammar, read aloud, write, edit the grammar, and the process continues.

 

Well, just my two cents worth. Hope it helps you out.

 

(I'm sorry if the font's a bit large. I don't have my contacts right now.)

Edited July 14, 2013 by Henry_Henry2012

[DavidAB]

Hi.

I'm not a native speaker either, I'm german. But when I started writing, it never really occurred to me to write in my own language, because I love english so much, I'd even say that I'm a little obsessed with it. I watch movies and read books exclusively in english, for over 12 years now. And when I come up with stories in my head, weirdly enough, it's not in my own language anymore.

 

Writing them is still a challenge though, because my english is not really that great. Here are a couple of things that help me. First, I have two notebooks, one is for words that I don't know and for words that I like the sound of. The other one is for expressions/sayings or just clever/funny descriptions I've read somewhere. I go over those notes regularly. I also have a 'vocabulary of emotions', it's a chart I compiled out of a couple of charts I found online and it's divided into categories, like 'Happiness', 'Fear', 'Confusion' and it lists every word that falls into those categories. I don't use it that often anymore, but it's great thing to have and it keeps you from thinking in your native language. Also, I write down everything I'm not sure of, like irregular verbs, so I can always look them up quickly and don't have to google them all over again, in case I forget something. I think it's also a great way to learn. And last but not least, a good dictionary helps a lot too, I use dict.cc, there's also an app available for smart phones. I also google a lot of words and expressions, just to see them in context, to be sure I'm using them correctly.

 

The question you have to ask yourself is, why do you want to write in english in the first place ? Does your writing suffer because of it ? What's the upside ? If you're struggling with it and if it takes the fun out of writing for you, is it really worth it ?

 

I think when you write in another language and then just translate it, there's so much that gets lost. Most of the time it just doesn't sound 'natural' anymore and there are things you can say in one language, but you can't in the other and vice versa, so sometimes even meanings change. And it's a shame and a waste if good ideas get 'butchered' like that.

 

My advice is, if you're determined to write in english, stick with it, commit to it, get a feel for it and try to stop thinking in your native language when you come up with a story. It's harder and it's a lot more work, so you should be passionate about english, or ultimately you might get weary of doing it. And I think writing should be fun, not a chore.

 

I hope I could help, at least a little.

 

Good luck :-)

Edited July 14, 2013 by DavidAB

[KHCombe]

I'll post a more extensive reply tonight, because there are a few more important things I need to do first, but I just wanted to show my appreciation for the extremely helpful comments above. Henry and David, you've given me a few great ideas. 

 

I feel like I need to clear up one thing, though: my writing in English isn't forced, I really enjoy doing it. It's a beautiful language, and it's often more suitable for writing than my 'own' language is. I've read a lot of English literature (lóve Pride and Prejudice, but Jane Eyre a bit more   ), but writing is quite a bit different than just absorbing the text. The columns and books of Stephen Fry have positively broadened my vocabulary, so I might just read them all again.

 

More on this tonight though, I really have to leave now..   

[Former Member]

Just from observation, your English seems really good!  You're very articulate and you seems to have a good grasp of the grammar.  It's true that writing is totally different from reading, because when you write, you use your OWN words, which are often very hard to come up with.  Another piece of advice is to find someone who is a native speaker of English (on this site it really isn't hard ) and have them look it over.  They'll be able to tell if something doesn't sound natural and be able to advise you in how to make it sound better. Joann414 and LJH run the Editor/Beta program.  I'm sure they'd be happy to help you find someone to go over your work if you drop them a personal message.

 

Whatever you do.  DON'T.  STOP.  WRITING!   :D

[KHCombe]

And now that I'm supposed to write an answer, I don't really know what to say...

 

Henry_Henry2012, let me first mention I've noticed your admirable sense of vocabulary. Any native speaker should be jealous of it, let alone someone who hasn't mastered the language that well (I'm not sure whether or not you're a native speaker..?) 

Reading my story aloud has been helpful, though I didn't practised it while writing, for the reasons you've mentioned. I rather make use of it when I've finished a chapter and want to check if my grammar/spelling/vocab. range are meeting my standards. 

 

It turns out to be a bit difficult finding books on, or similar to, my subject. I did come across a movie, however, so that helped (even though it was in German). Mainly I aim for my first story to be close to home when it comes to facts and figures. 

Practice is what I'll do and continue to do so, as is broaden my vocabulary. 

Thanks for giving your advice, and the very best of luck with writing yourself!

 

DavidAB, I recognize the preference for the Enlish language, as opposed to your own. I grew up exclusively watching the BBC, which hasn't changed (apart from the national news). When it comes to literature, though, I think I can safely say I was a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to you. When I was about fourteen my interest was sparked by Huxley's Brave New World. I've read a mix of both English- and Dutch literature since. 

 

The notebooks sound great and practical. I'm approaching the summer holidays, so I know what I'll be doing

Like I said in my less-extensive answer: I really like writing in English, I do it with great pleasure, so I'll continue to do it. I won't translate it anymore though; when I come up with an idea that's suitable to be written in English, I'll reserve it to be executed in that language only. No silly Dutch interference anymore

It's a bit complicated to 'just lose' my Dutch processes of thought, but I hope to get better at separating the two languages for different purposes. Thanks again for your answer, and I wish you the best of luck, too!

 

Myiege, your compliments make me grin, because it's great to hear my English apparently is up to at least a modest standard. And what a great idea to ask for an editor! I've seen examples come along as I've stalked GA, but I had no idea whether or not I was allowed to ask for someone to help. I know now, so thanks for that!

 

And. I. Won't. Stop.!
With love

 

-

So yesterday I started a new chapter, but apparently I was on a roll, because I finised two! I love the feeling of making progress, of achieving something. I'm greatful to have found this community. 

[Qboi1956]

Hello KHCombe,

 

I am bilingual in Nederlands/English.  My strength, however lies in my command of English, since I lived in Canada (and now England) from age ten.  I do vaguely remember the difficulty I had at first keeping my languages separate in my head.  I have written only very little in Dutch, since I find it difficult to write about/articulate advanced concepts.  I even struggle to speak about various matters now because I never had to when I was a child and lacked the experience growing up into adulthood.  It would probably help me to read more books in Dutch (I have attempted to read popular fiction in translation but these books are not easy to get a hold of here).

 

I think the strategies provided by other writers in this thread are invaluable.  The only way I can see it working, if you do not want the Dutch to interfere is to immerse yourself completely and 'go with the flow' in English only.  Some very difficult/abstract concepts may be temporary stumbling blocks, but they can be overcome with practise.  To become an expert in anything takes a long time, so be gentle and patient with yourself.

 

Stephen Fry is such an excellent rolemodel!  I am a huge fan of his work.

 

Keep on writing!

 

Q.

[Thorn Wilde]

English isn't my original first language, but these days it kind of feels like it is. I started learning at a very young age and speak English as well as I speak my two first languages, and I write it better. Everyone I talk to in English thinks I'm English.

 

I think in three languages. I can't remember when I didn't... So maybe that's the key. Try thinking in English. And then write lots. Don't write the stories you're setting out to tell. Just do stream of consciousness, write down words as they enter your head. Read the dictionary. Read as many novels as you can. Watch English language movies with English subtitles. And then write some more. 

[thebrinkoftime]

English isn't my first language either. The English alphabet doesn't even factor into my first language. Since I don't live in an English-speaking environment, whenever I write things in English I always choose between two approaches.

 

1) Surround myself with something in the language for a while, whether that's a television show, a podcast, tumblr gifs, forum posts or a novel, or even hitting up an old friend for a conversation. I find I go into English mode when I do this and my writing sounds more like a native. I think a good deal of the posters on this forum and in this thread have had previous and detailed encounters with English. I think some of this gets stored somewhere in a bin in your mind and when you dust off the bin by accessing bits and pieces of it before you write, the dust motes drift off in all directions and come back down to rest on your writing, changing the color of it slightly.

 

2) I intentionally stay immersed in my native language and plunge straight into the English waters. I then take a long look at it after I'm finished and analyze what phrases and words probably came from unconsciously translating into English from my native language. I've been told by others that at times I've used terminology they've never been exposed to before or was new to them, and they found intriguing because of this.  If I slip and write, "He counted da-ru-ma-sa-n-ga-ko-ro-n-da" instead of "He counted to 10" no one will know what I mean, but perhaps it will be interesting if I explain what that means to the reader, or for someone to read, "He sat across the world and thought about its injustices," instead of "He paced everywhere and thought about the world's injustices."

 

As long as it is clear that it is a somewhat tricksy figure of speech, I think it can be an asset to those of us who have grown up perhaps with a different set of linguistic structures for our thoughts and discussions. Other times, it may just be better to submit to the Romans.

[MikeL]

So instead of thinking in English, I cling on to the story as I would have written it in Dutch. 

 

I think anyone who can learn a foreign language and learn it well enough to actually think in that language has really accomplished something.

 

Being an American, I am almost exclusively an English speaker.  The little Italian, Spanish, and French I have learned are barely enough to keep me from starving when traveling.  As for high school Latin, it helps build English vocabulary more then anything else.

 

I thank those GA authors who learned English as a second language for their efforts.  The body of literature here is much richer for your presence.

[Zombie]

I think some of this gets stored somewhere in a bin in your mind and when you dust off the bin by accessing bits and pieces of it before you write, the dust motes drift off in all directions and come back down to rest on your writing, changing the color of it slightly ...

 

... I've been told by others that at times I've used terminology they've never been exposed to before or was new to them, and they found intriguing because of this.  If I slip and write, "He counted da-ru-ma-sa-n-ga-ko-ro-n-da" instead of "He counted to 10" no one will know what I mean, but perhaps it will be interesting if I explain what that means to the reader, or for someone to read, "He sat across the world and thought about its injustices," instead of "He paced everywhere and thought about the world's injustices."

 

... I think it can be an asset to those of us who have grown up perhaps with a different set of linguistic structures for our thoughts and discussions.

 

 

That's very interesting. English is so dominant across the world and I'm ashamed of myself for not bothering to keep up my school-learned French.  One thing that's always intrigued me and that's to what extent language determines thought and, to those GA members who know more than just their native language, how learning a new language has changed or expanded the way you are able to think about and express ideas

 

 

 

.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Zombie

[Thorn Wilde]

English isn't my first language either. The English alphabet doesn't even factor into my first language. Since I don't live in an English-speaking environment, whenever I write things in English I always choose between two approaches.

 

1) Surround myself with something in the language for a while, whether that's a television show, a podcast, tumblr gifs, forum posts or a novel, or even hitting up an old friend for a conversation. I find I go into English mode when I do this and my writing sounds more like a native. I think a good deal of the posters on this forum and in this thread have had previous and detailed encounters with English. I think some of this gets stored somewhere in a bin in your mind and when you dust off the bin by accessing bits and pieces of it before you write, the dust motes drift off in all directions and come back down to rest on your writing, changing the color of it slightly.

 

2) I intentionally stay immersed in my native language and plunge straight into the English waters. I then take a long look at it after I'm finished and analyze what phrases and words probably came from unconsciously translating into English from my native language. I've been told by others that at times I've used terminology they've never been exposed to before or was new to them, and they found intriguing because of this.  If I slip and write, "He counted da-ru-ma-sa-n-ga-ko-ro-n-da" instead of "He counted to 10" no one will know what I mean, but perhaps it will be interesting if I explain what that means to the reader, or for someone to read, "He sat across the world and thought about its injustices," instead of "He paced everywhere and thought about the world's injustices."

 

As long as it is clear that it is a somewhat tricksy figure of speech, I think it can be an asset to those of us who have grown up perhaps with a different set of linguistic structures for our thoughts and discussions. Other times, it may just be better to submit to the Romans.

 

Can I just say, your English is remarkably good for someone whose native language is so completely different... I mean, it was pretty easy for me, I started really young and there is so much Scandinavian in English. But what you've accomplished is pretty impressive.

[W_L]

To be honest, I only recently thought to use my Chinese voice to write stories and that is still in a trial run.

 

In my head, it's like two different languages clashing to make comprehensive sense. On one level, I wish I could share with you guys the idioms and allusions that Chinese vernacular uses. On another level, I like having my own compartmentalized brain that splits the languages that I know.

 

Like Zombie, I also learned French in School (Monsieur Zombie est un beau corps), but rarely ever use it. I just used it a few times in Montreal to ask for directions to a bathroom

 

English is simpler to me, more straightforward, less word plays with similar sounds, and fewer allusions.

[FrenchCanadian]

Well, I'm sure one will be able to guess that my first language is... (drumroll)... french. However, I don't have any issue writing in english; actually  I will actually think about what to say in english without even thinking about french. Maybe it's due to the fact that english is really highly present in Montreal, or that my parent got me used to watching movies and tv shows in english starting at a young age. In all cases, I sure don't complain about it.

[Timothy M.]

It's nice to read the thoughts of other non-native English writers. I think you are lucky that you are writing your stories directly in English. Unfortunately I started out writing stories in Danish (because I published them at a local site). However, most of my reading (books) is in English, so after some time I managed to find sites like Literotica and GA in order to read the kind of stories I prefer. Then I got to the point where I wanted to post some of my own stories, and all my troubles began. Translating also means rewriting and rephrasing and improving, and it takes such a long time. Sometimes I just want to give up, because I feel I've already done all the work (getting ideas and thinking of characters and fleshing out the story lines and coining just the right phrases) and now I have to do it all over again. If only I had done everything in English right from the start.

Anyway, I admire all of you prolific writers here on GA, no matter your background, and actually I very rarely stop to think about whether the writer is not a native English speaker. I've would certainly never have guessed that about you, Thorn and Podga !

[rec]

With regard to Timothy M.'s reluctance to "do it all over again," I sympathize.  A question I have is this: assuming a writer has a fairly good command of English, can he or she use one of the translators -- google or bing -- to get a rough translation of the story and then edit the translation into an English story.

 

That is, would doing so save a great amount of time in making the translation, or are those rough translations so bad that it is better to start from scratch?

[thebrinkoftime]

I'd say it is far better to start from scratch. I can't speak for anyone else's mind, but for me if I am reading my original Japanese I already am fluent enough in English to know the basic English meaning before I even start to seriously translate. If translation's on my mind, it occurs simultaneously. It's almost as if I can see the English words overlayed on top of the Japanese ones as I read them. In that case, the only thing using a machine translation would do is save a bit of time in manually typing it out -- but I should think all the time taken to correct mistakes that wouldn't have been there had I done it myself and re-order the words while thinking of better and more fitting ones would make it harder in some aspects.

 

I sometimes use a dictionary to help me though. This is especially true of words that really have no English counterpart, because there isn't much of an English-based set of cultural words to set them on. For instance, a word like "priest" in English has all sorts of other English words that are connected to parts of English-speaking culture: church, parish, monk, nun, teacher, king, cycle, lamp, sinner, believer, and on and on. They're all connected to each other. There are of course, words like this in Japanese, that have equivalent meanings that can be unemotionally and rationally translated, but whose English counterparts are found to be quite lacking to a Japanese native who knows what they really mean, words like nakoudo, kekkai, yashi, torii, kami, nigiri, hare, shizaa, butai, kohaku, mu and so forth. (English One Piece fans are well aware of a huge controversy surrounding one word in particular, which always make me smirk in amusement, because I've always found it be a rather tame and inconsequential example.) When the surrounding words that give context, meaning and richness to the word standing in their midst are gone, the translation can often ring hollow, because in English the same concepts don't surround that word.

 

I ran into this while doing my post on Mimei Ogawa twice, both in explaining his name and in deciding on a word for the character who buys the mermaid in the story, who is a yashi, and I chose "showman" simply because it was the closest acceptable candidate. Explaining what a yashi is and how hard it is to translate might have taken more words to do than the entire blog entry. There are cases where I just give up and go for the dictionary definition because sometimes the fight really isn't worth it. Other times, I include a note so that maybe the word can spread around and slowly seep into English.

 

One thing that always aggravates me to no end, is that there is usually only one way to spell a word in English. Spelling words incorrectly, is an option, but not one that usually merits critical praise. So "luv" is a common mispelling of English, but unless you use it somewhat humorously, say, like this, "I wanted love from him, not luv," then it doesn't quite gel well most of the time. And unless you're communicating the way someone speaks, forget about spelling love like "loove" or "lofe" or "luuve" or anything like that. There's very little reference for why anyone would do that intentionally, so it would have to be built into the story as something different from the norm and explained somehow to the reader, even if through inference. There's very little to interpret what you mean both subconsciously and consciously at the same time, compared to an example where a word explains itself simply through visual connotation. If you want to communicate a different thing using the same word, you usually have to choose a synonym or get into some metaphorical trickery. In Japanese, the ability to play around with this by spelling words differently as you please, or making up your own spelling and have it be instantly recognized and understood is pretty handy.

 

The closest example I can give to what this is like is the word "cross" in English. I imagine the second somebody says that word in certain instances, a simple visual symbol flashes in many people's mind while they read the word. This is partially why you can write Xmas and Christmas, but in Japanese, saying Crossmas also probably wouldn't have anyone batting an eye.

 

Naturally, on the flip side, English has conventions you can't use very well in Japanese.

 

So more than anything, it's the ability to do different rhetorical tricks in different languages and refer to a different set of cultural norms that makes machine translations more of a hindrance than a help for me.

[Timothy M.]

With regard to Timothy M.'s reluctance to "do it all over again," I sympathize.  A question I have is this: assuming a writer has a fairly good command of English, can he or she use one of the translators -- google or bing -- to get a rough translation of the story and then edit the translation into an English story.

 

That is, would doing so save a great amount of time in making the translation, or are those rough translations so bad that it is better to start from scratch?

 

Thank you for the sympathy, makes me feel better about whining over all the work :-)

 

I've thought about the google translate option too, and I do use it for single phrases when I need to write something in languages that I'm not familiar with, e.g. French or Spanish. But I've seen some pretty bad (but funny) examples of machine translations, so I'm not sure I want to go that way. One of my favorites is an ingredient list translation from English to Danish where cashew nuts came out as 'ready money crazy'. It took me a while to work out what the original was.

 

Anyway, just because you suggested it, I tried with the first paragraph of the story I'm hoping to put on GA once I've gotten the whole thing translated. The result wasn't too bad, but not as good as my own effort I think. And there were a couple of obvious mistakes. But I'll let you judge for yourself.

 

Original Danish text

Normalt handler det om doping, når cykelryttere går til bekendelse offentligt eller i deres erindringer. Men lad mig sige med det samme, at jeg ikke har noget af den slags at indrømme. Det lyder måske utroligt, men eftersom jeg heller aldrig har været en stor stjerne, blot en relativ succesfuld vandbærer med en pæn række løbs- og etapesejre i min lange karriere som cykelrytter, er det måske alligevel ikke så mærkeligt. Imidlertid har jeg på fornemmelsen, at mine bekendelser er langt mere kontroversielle, end hvis jeg ’bare’ havde taget EPO. 

 

Google translate

Normally it is about doping when cyclists go to confession in public or in their memories. But let me say right away that I do not have anything of the sort to admit. It may sound unbelievable, but since I never have been a big star, just a relatively successful water carrier with a nice set of flow and stage wins in my career as a cyclist, it's maybe not so strange. However, I have the feeling that my confessions are far more controversial than if I 'just' had taken EPO.

 

My translation

Often the memoirs of a professional cyclist who has participated in the Grand Tours and Classics in Europe, will contain some sort of confession about doping. However, I have nothing like that to tell. You may find this hard to believe, but I’ve never been a star or won any of the big three. I’ve just been a relative successful but rather anonymous prof cyclist, with some stage wins in Le Tour, Giro and Vuelta, plus a decent number of single day race top three placements. Nevertheless I have the feeling that the confessions I do have, are a lot more controversial than if I had admitted using EPO.

 

Fortryd redigeringer

AlBut

 

[rec]

The Bing translation of the Timothy M. extract, FYI.

 

Usually, it is about doping, when riders go to confession in public or in their memories. But let me say right away that I do not have anything of the sort to admit. It may sound unbelievable, but since I never have been a big star, just a relatively successful Aquarius with a nice range of race-and stage wins in my long career as a cyclist, it is perhaps not so strange. However, I have the feeling that my beliefs are much more controversial than if I ' just ' had taken EPO.

[Thorn Wilde]

Lol! That Bing translation is hilarious! Oddly, the Google one reads quite nicely, all things considered.

 

I think it's sad, though, that you don't formulate the first paragraph the way it was originally, because 'Normalt handler det om doping' is such a fantastic crash start to it. I suppose it's difficult to make it flow well in English if you start out that way...

 

If you need any support with this job, Timothy, I would love to give my input in the translating process. I read Danish just fine, even if I sometimes struggle a bit when I hear it's spoken.

[Thorn Wilde]

Lol! That Bing translation is hilarious! Oddly, the Google one reads quite nicely, all things considered.

 

I think it's sad, though, that you don't formulate the first paragraph the way it was originally, because 'Normalt handler det om doping' is such a fantastic crash start to it. I suppose it's difficult to make it flow well in English if you start out that way...

 

If you need any support with this job, Timothy, I would love to give my input in the translating process. I read Danish just fine, even if I sometimes struggle a bit when I hear it's spoken.