I have a reading list but I some books are harder to read in English for me (Spanish is my native language), especially if they use more complex language or if the setting is a bit different. For example, I’m good with contemporary fiction, but I know if I tried reading Jane Austen in English I would simply not get through a single chapter.
Since I’m interested in reading more fantasy/or not contemporary books, I wanna know how complex they can be. I usually prefer reading books in their original language if possible since translation can miss details (sometimes honestly bc I prefer the eng ver. cover or bc they’re cheaper lmao) but occasionally, even though I comprehend what I’m reading, it may slow down my process and overall understanding of the world in which the book takes place.
So, if you’ve read any of the following books (especially if you’re a non-native speaker) I would like to know your input, should I read them in their original language or look for their Spanish versions?
• The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black.
• Babel by R. F. Kuang.
• The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (not fantasy I think but still wanna know).
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
by xmv13
2 Comments
I think that Babel and The Broken Earth are both extremely complex without reading them in your native tongue so I’d skip those. Broken Earth especially has lots of new words etc that I struggled with so I would definitely pick them up in Spanish!
Folk of the Air and Six of Crows would be fine, I think, and I think Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow would be okay too except just keep in mind that it’s pretty long and as literary fiction a bit more dense than the others. But nothing about the language itself is complex.
Haven’t read that particular Gaiman so can’t comment.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the one I’ve read and am guessing has the simplest language though I haven’t read the others. Teachers of language generally agree the complexity matters but if you can find something you are so interested in that you’re motivated enough to read with a dictionary open, then thats exactly what you should be reading, complexity be damned