engl. fanfictions

[lukadron]

in 9 cases out of 10, incorporating german phrases in a character's speech sounds not only pretentious* but also really retarded**.

just don't do it.

period.

*especially when done with an online translator
**when written by a fluent german speaker
  } or vice versa

Comments

[mcruthless]

yyyyeah this goes for pretty much every language. I hate stories where the characters start spouting out foreign catchphrases.

[lukadron]

Amen.

:C It really sounds retarded, especially if you speak that language yourself. It always sounds like from a very bad fanfiction.
Which they usually are. GNAH. People can sometimes be so unsubtle.

[hideincarnate]

I agree with this post. Unless it's a proper noun, it has an English or your native language that you are writing in equivalent.

Or I guess if it's a folk song or something. XD; I can't see a German song being sung in English in a fan fic...unless it's 99 Red Balloons or songs by Genghis Khan. XD; And those are NOT folk songs.

[lukadron]

They might as well be.
Tho nobody really likes these songs, except when drunk while doing karaoke. Then it's ok.

I mean, I can see why people in APH-Fandom would want to interlace little sentences of the character's native language into his speech now and then. To make it more characteristic, to remind people perhaps, that this character is special because he/she is FOREIGN.
But usually it's done so blatantly and into-your-face that you just want to facepalm. I don't mind it, but it has to be done tastefull and with finesse.

[hideincarnate]

Awww I like them! XD But then I like cheesy karaoke music hahaha.

Yeah, doing it tastefully is the key here. You can't have some situation where, oh I don't know, Germany and Italy walking down the street and then Germany just goes "Blahblahblah" in German to Italy. That's awkward. Now if they're walking, Italy distracts Germany, and Germany steps in dog shit and it pisses him off, you could have him cuss in German. That seems more... believable. Now if it's tasteful or not, I can't really say. XD;

[schreckschraube]

Ich sag nur: Alte amerikanische Kriegsfilme.

"Mach los, Hans!"

Tolle Sache :D

[lukadron]

Haha ja geil XD
Aber da ist's schon wieder lulzworthy.
(Indiana Jones war da eine Goldgrube!)

[lukadron]

It is grammatically correct, actually.
Translation here would be "What do you mean to Mr Lucca?"
I can't honestly say. I think I am his beloved, mostly. He constantly swears I am the only star in the universe to shine eternally with grace and actual intelligence. I am his little shooting star.

j/k.
But oh man, Babel fish. It's like... where most people get their language skills for their characters. INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS OF ASKING ONE OF THE MILLION USERS IN THE INTERNET WHO ACTUALLY SPEAK THE LANGUAGE. I can see why that'd be too much hassle....... especially if you just want to get this fucking kink-meme fill cranked out in half an hour and then afterwards declare it's not this good and it was late and maybe it could have been better WHY THEN SUBMIT IT. EDIT IT ASSHOLE. 'S NOT SO HARD.
(Capslock, I love it so ♥)