Dear BAKERY: Lost in Translation
We’re continuing our Dear BAKERY series with another desperate blogger in need of some serious Abby-caliber advice!:
Dear BAKERY,
I am not a blogger yet and thinking about it since ages…and I know that I NEED to START! BUT my dilemma is: I don’t know which language I should write it in!!! I am based in Austria, German being my mother tongue…but more or less the “audience” and community is “international”. So, should I write in English, risk some grammar and spelling issues, but benefit from more understanding? Or write in German, have no grammar issues, but “lose” or exclude (local) audience?
Help!
Sincerely,
Bilingual Blogger
Dear Bilingual Blogger,
First of all— eek! I love bilingual people! Such smarts. Good for you.
Secondly, I commend you for thinking ahead— this is a very important topic that doesn’t get nearly as much coverage as it should. Here’s my suggestion:
Blog in your native tongue, simply because I’m assuming you’re much more comfortable in this language. Because you want your voice to maintain originality and [dare I say] spunk, it’s very important to have a strong relation to your words, which may not be entirely possible in a second language.
Placing restrictions from the get-go could be frustrating, causing you to blog less often, and perhaps sacrificing the content itself.
Might I suggest you offer an English translation for each post after you blog in your native tongue? You could include the translation in italics at the end of your post, or set up an entirely different page for your English readers, a la Garance Dore. It will certainly prove to be a bit more work on your part, but will ensure your content is available internationally!
Another option is to add a gadget to your website like Google Translator.
I do hope this helps— in the mean time, “Viel Glück wunsch ich dir”!
Love,
BAKERY
Offer the translation in italics, definitely.
Even if you decide to shorten the translated text or even write something that just states the content in your native language, I think it makes your reader feel welcomed. And, at the same time, you can give your native language the importance it deserves, by being placed first in your blog.
I read some nordic blogs and I enjoy the fact that I can read them in english and even learn new words by relating with the original text.
this is great advice! i read a few blogs that are in two languages and look at others for visual inspiration even if i don’t understand a word. i’m an arm chair traveler in nyc and love to learn about other places. if i’m really curious, i’ll use a translator. the important thing, in my opinion, is compelling content. have fun!
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THANK YOU for picking up my question!!! Your advice is soooo appreciated!!!! The blog post title “lost in translation” is sooooo excellent….maybe I should start my 1st blog post with this title and find some creative ways around that problem…All the best, Christine Aischa
I already read blogs in different languages and I don’t think that is a problem. I think the content is much more important! If I love the blog, I make an effort to translate it!
Not to mention it’s good to learn and practice a word or two of foreign language!
It is important to consider the purpose of the blog as well. If the blog serves as a marketing tool to promote one’s business, and if the business itself is catering an international audience, then providing a tool like Google translation can be a shot in the knee (actually, in the foot – only the German metaphor shoots in the knee!)
For once, because artificial intelligence renders a lot of misunderstandings on a regular base; but there should never be misunderstandings between you and your potential customers.
For another, providing an English translation of each non-English blog post also shows that you’re willing and able to communicate with your readers in more than your native tongue, which ultimately signals them that you’re also able to communicate with your customers when the talk is about orders and money.
Being based in a German-speaking environment, and probably being a business owner there as well, many of your customers and readers will be German speakers; however, especially people in the German-speaking regions of Europe are a bit shy when it comes to communicate in foreign languages. It would be a pity to alienate them.
Greetings from Germany!