Writers, Bloggers and Translators

I'll go back to work now, y know worra mean loike x

Thank you for everyone's opinions :)

lol, sorry Glyn, it was meant to be a light-hearted discussion about people's opinions of the use of regional dialect.. my original question was.. does anyone understand 'Brummie'.. no offence intended!!

And as I stated earlier, if you write in a Birmingham accent most of your readers won’t understand the language, so your plot will become a bit pointless.
Seems you already had decided on the answer before you asked the question.

Brian, the point regarding translation is very interesting. You are right, the idea of regional dialect would be very different in that instance

Because the characters are Brummies in Birmingham and if I gave them nice, Queens English, it wouldn't work Glyn..

Well, I don't think it would, which is why I wrote the article ;)

How would a regional dialect be essential to a plot?

Philip Kerr has obviously researched his Bernie Gunther books very thoroughly. What is actually most imprecise is his version of the very distinct Berliner dialect. It is the German I speak most comfortably nowadays. The translated versions in German have used people who are fluent in the dialect with the result that whole passages of his books are entirely different. Imagine somebody trying Cockney rhyming slang in French? However, using them makes the characters come to life. Imagine writing a Broomie who couldn't Brum on paper but we readers are supposed to hear him or her speaking it. Don't work do it luv? Know wot I mean?

Hi Guys, Thank you for your thoughts.. Bruce, this is exactly my point.. I think that regional dialects are very difficult to understand. But, of course, they are essential to the plot and must be included.

It can be distracting, yes, this is why it is a difficult subject ;)

Ahem Glyn. Written SCOTS. It is a language anyway, has dictionaries, grammar books and umpteen dialects that defy those texts ;-)

Vannessa,

I thought I'd give you somewhat of a contrarian opinion. I don't read a lot of fiction so people like me might no count and one of the plusses of communicating via email is I won't hear you tell me to get stuffed. I have always found the use of of dialect distracting, especially in the context of one, like Brummie, that I'm not familiar with. Some Americans write this way, and I found it frustrating to try deciphering what specific word the speaker was using. On the other hand, this is the way people talk and anything else is inauthentic. I think for me it's the phonetic spelling. Some words I can figure out, others not.

Maybe I'm just too thick. Or maybe it's that almost every time I've encountered this in American literature it's been a white writing black dialect, or at least their conception anyway. These days, however, I have a hard time trying to figure out what even Americans are saying.

Vanessa, you've got to be very careful using regional dialect.

a. Will your readers understand it. DH Lawrence's Son and Lovers is quite difficult because of its dialect. And I find written Scottish impossible.

b. You also have to be consistent throughout the novel. And that could be a pain.

When I was writing my novel 'The Doctor and The Dipsomaniac' (available as a download from Amazon kindle) my intention was to use a Leicester dialect throughout. Another author advised me against for the reasons above. What I did was use the occasional Leicester slang, for example, 'Eh up, me duck', and so on. Enough flavour of Leicester was given then.

Well said, Brian.. thank you for your opinion :)

or should i say "Tar verrie much mayte"

Vanessa, I won't pretend to understand Brummie. My first two years of university were shared with a room mate from near Birmingham who had a thick Midlands accent/dialect which I got used to. However, it is extraordinary how many countries have tried to kill off regionalism through education which is cultural barbarism. In all the years I spent yoyo-ing between England where my school and then my university had striven to standardise my English (not successfully) and Germany where I learned my second local dialect and to imitate others and certainly the former was never discouraged, I know my preference. I have through work come to see how many attempts have been made to kill off dialects and minority languages and how many problems that causes in some places. Just think, there are people fighting the authorities in Corsica because of language and culture now (Corsican is on UNESCO's most endangered languages list) who the French call 'terrorists' or 'bandits' but who call themselves Corsican resistance. In one's work, to answer your specific question, if it is the common language of the majority it should be in that dialect to begin with. Imposed values have often been the justification for genocides so it is hard to accept them at any level. Och, lest I ferget, ma ane origins are Hieland Scots speakin' and I widnae gie up that pairt o' ma life masell, sae why sould any ither fowk?

How does everyone feel about the use of regional dialect in one's work... Can any of you understand 'Brummie'? :)

http://wp.me/p352us-1m

I am on a bit of a roll now, with the rewrite of the story I shared with you all last week... see further down :)

Over the weekend, I have worked on Chapters 4-6.

Thank you for following me, for your supportive comments and encouragement!

btw.. Although these chapters are rewrites, they are not fully edited or proofread, so apologies for any errors in advance ;)

http://wp.me/P352us-19

Thank you for sharing that Vanessa - I will read it over the weekend. I'm sure your Nan is very proud of you. xx

I know I'm a day late, but Happy Valentine's Day, hoping you all had a romantic time. Being a (retired) florist, I find this time of year lovely and quiet :)

On a sad note, my lovely Nan passed away 4 years ago on Valentine's Day and it has not really been the same since then, for any of us in the family.

Inspired by this, though, I picked up a novel again. One that I have been writing for ages. The book is based upon a family 'story' that Nan related to us from an early age.. I'm sure every family has those stories.. you get snips and snaps, a fascinating tale that you never know of how much is true.

As a girl, I used to imagine what life must've been like for that branch of the family, their story rolled around in my head for years.

Yesterday, inspired by Nan, I rewrote the first three chapters and posted them on my blog. It was lovely to see some encouraging comments, so I think I will carry on.. Thanks Nan, love you always xxx

http://vanessagill.wordpress.com/world-war-in-birmingham/

If your blog is not yet on the blogroll make sure you add it to the BLOGROLL thread - NOT here and I will post it. I will also be adding a publications page - so add them in the new discussion thread called, wait for it, publications!

What is your Philosophy about Football.

"As a referee what is your philosophy about football?"

This question, put to me recently, had me stumped for a moment.

Frankly, I'd never bothered to think of having a philosophy about football until I'd retired from the field. Then, I thought about how the game has dominated my life and wrote down the following;

As a child, to have a ball at my feet was magic. It was my best friend, always available for play anywhere. A pleasing object which was obedient, mirrored my talent, did not laugh at my faults, or applaud my good play.

I learned that, with a ball, a thousand dreams are possible; opening up a bright world to blot out everyday cares. To experience the wonder of true happiness, it is enough to look into the eyes of a child with a ball.; to hear the giggles and joyous shouts of freedom. Add color, movement, the ebb and flow of play, and football becomes an exciting spectacle. That's the true beauty of the Game.

As a match official I guess my philosophy was to help the players to play well, not get hurt, and have fun. At school and youth levels that task was not difficult. Referees say they would like to use the whistle only to start the game, end the first half, start the second and end play, with everybody having a good time. But, as a virile team sport, involving athletes, challenge, varied degrees of physical contact and skill, that is not an option.

Football at pro level is another dimension. The fun element is not as evident as in kids kick-about games.The players are streetwise older, motivated to win, almost at any cost. Sporting ideals of fair play, discipline and respect, are blurred by ambition to taste the glamour of fame and fortune.

That attitude needs a firm hand to keep soccer as a healthy, exciting, and character forming leisure activity.

Or, briefly, the game is essentially for the players. The match officials role is to protect the players and guard the sport from any abuse.

If you are a football fan, what is your philosophy?

My latest digital publication SOCCER FAN + KEY FAIR PLAY PARTNERS is available from Amazon; price £1.94. Click on - http://www.amazon.co.uk/SOCCER-plus-Fair-Partners-ebook/dp/B00AC6ZZVG/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360089362&sr=1-2