I believe that italicizing foreign words is convention.
The way I see it, if - TVTROPES LINK TVTROPES LINK WARNING WARNING - translation convention is in play, then I don't see any reason that it can't apply to units of measurement, as well. I mean, a dwarf using "Thursday" really isn't any more jarring than a dwarf using any English word, since pretty much all English words have their root in real world history.
As for the feel of the story, I think that can be accomplished in other ways, such as with the use of unique idioms. Or with other unique aspects of the setting. Like, if everyone's blue and the world is ruled by a committee of wizards who are actually lizard people, then using span instead of mile isn't necessary to set the tone.
Though I think what is and is not translated can depend on the story. Like, if the days of the week are just background noise, then a dwarf saying "See you next Thursday." isn't really a problem. But if each of the days of the week in the story are named after a god that the dwarfs worship, and dwarf religion is sufficiently delved into in the story, then speaking about Garzday and Zorzday is more acceptable.
But if non-English (or non-what-have-you) words are going to show up in the story, I think the skill of the author matters greatly. A Clockwork Orange is filled to the brim with made-up slang words, but the reader is easily able to pick up their meaning. And The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns both incorporate non-English words smoothly.
You beat me to it with Clockwork Orange. The nadsat language is brilliant! I read the whole book without realising there was a glossary at the back - I never needed it. But you'd have to be as gifted and as technically skilled as Burgess to get away with it.
The way I see it, if - TVTROPES LINK TVTROPES LINK WARNING WARNING - translation convention is in play, then I don't see any reason that it can't apply to units of measurement, as well. I mean, a dwarf using "Thursday" really isn't any more jarring than a dwarf using any English word, since pretty much all English words have their root in real world history.
As for the feel of the story, I think that can be accomplished in other ways, such as with the use of unique idioms. Or with other unique aspects of the setting. Like, if everyone's blue and the world is ruled by a committee of wizards who are actually lizard people, then using span instead of mile isn't necessary to set the tone.
Though I think what is and is not translated can depend on the story. Like, if the days of the week are just background noise, then a dwarf saying "See you next Thursday." isn't really a problem. But if each of the days of the week in the story are named after a god that the dwarfs worship, and dwarf religion is sufficiently delved into in the story, then speaking about Garzday and Zorzday is more acceptable.
But if non-English (or non-what-have-you) words are going to show up in the story, I think the skill of the author matters greatly. A Clockwork Orange is filled to the brim with made-up slang words, but the reader is easily able to pick up their meaning. And The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns both incorporate non-English words smoothly.
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