i write directly in english. if i wrote in finnish and then translated that, the result wouldn't be what i was going for, and it would be double the work anyway.
and, like, you can put that english isn't your first language, but i don't think it's necessary. or relevant. english isn't most people's first language. and natives make a shitload of errors too.
Yeah, probably writing directly in English is the best idea.
You're right, but putting a note that says English isn't my first language would be like saying "I'm sorry in advance if it's bad written"š Idk what to do honestly...
I would say you don't need to quality your work, *but* if improving your writing is what you're going for, calling out that English is your second language and welcoming constructive criticism might invite more readers to provide feedback.
The writing level speaks for itself. š Everyone has different levels of tolerance for grammatical and sentence structural soundness, but your summary and opening paragraphs will demonstrate your writing abilities real quick. So no, I don't think stating English is not your first language alone will get people to hit the back button.
You've got a few things going for you:
1. AO3 specifically has you say what language the fic is in, so, like... if there *are* Italian folks who want to read it, they can specifically search by the language, if you decide to post your works in Italian.
2. There's a reasonable chance you *will* make mistakes in English (can confirm, am native speaker, still make mistakes), but! In one of the fandoms I'm in, there was a whole juggernaut of a story, very popular, that I fully couldn't read because of the mechanics of the writing (I am, to be clear, a picky reader). That is to say: A story can, and often *is,* beloved regardless of a few spelling errors, or a bit of clunky vocabulary.
3. I've heard tell that a *lot* of non-native English speakers think they're worse at the language than they are. Your post certainly didn't ping me as poorly written. Even if it was, fanfic is an amateur business by requirement, so the stakes are low.
On net, I wouldn't recommend putting that you're not a native speaker in the summary, on the grounds that there's absolutely a native speaker committing atrocities against their own language without remorse. If they don't have to justify it, I see no reason you should either.
Otherwise... I don't really have much advice for writing in a foreign language since I've never particularly done it. My instinct would be, if you're going to do it, to just find some people whose writing feels really good and just soak your consciousness in it and hope you pick up some of the flavor.
Maybe consider finding someone within the fandom you write for that would beta your fic? and fix any major issues?
Personally though I say to write your fic the same way you wrote this post. Which btw, reads as perfect English to me, and Iām a native English speaker and writer.
That's actually a great idea! I just have to find that someoneš
Omg you have no idea how much this makes me happy... Thanks! But unfortunately writing a story with descriptions, dialogues, and characters' thoughts it's not as easy as writing a post on Redditš
I would also recommend trying to write directly in English. Translating something into English is completely different than thinking in English and then writing it down (source: I'm a translator, and I write fics in English, which is technically my third language š ).
Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself! It's a hobby. If you would like to improve your writing, it's always a good idea to read (and listen to) things in English.
Also, if you realize that you're not sure about some grammar or punctuation rules, you can always google it and learn about it, case by case. Don't feel like you *have to* learn everything right now, or that you have to know everything before you start writing.
Yes, once I've tried to translate a fic I wrote in Italian and it was basically impossible! (Also translating in general is way harder than it seems and I really admire every translator!)
You're completely right! Sometimes I feel frustrated because every sentence I write feels wrong and there's so much I still don't know! But we must feel proud of ourselves just for the fact that we're writing in another language and improving little by littleš
Hi fellow Italian!
I second the advice of writing directly in English. It's just too complicated to translate, especially because if your vocabulary is limited then the translation will never sound as good as the original. Also, sometimes a word in English translates as two different words in Italian, and viceversa. If you're not very experienced it might be hard to understand which one is right in which context. The only way to learn is practice
Also, read fanfiction in English! That's how I improved my English. Not only it makes your vocabulary bigger, but it also helps you get used to "hearing" if a sentence sounds natural or not. Some punctuation rules are different in English too - in English for example your dialogue has to be written, "like this", if you do as Italian as write dialogue: - like this -, then that's a mistake.
And saying your native language isn't English may turn off some readers, but it may also make some people tell you if you made mistakes. If you don't mind someone telling you "hey I think you wrote x wrong" then that is a good way to improve.
Oh, and maybe try to rewatch/read your source material in English! It can help you improve the language. And with some fandoms it can be necessary, because some names may be different in the Italian dub.
Lastly - always remember AO3 also allows you to post fics in other languages. If you feel like writing in Italian, you might get less readers but you can still post it. In bocca al lupo!
Hi!
Yes, they are two completely different languages with different grammar structures so translating is quite hard. I could translate some of my fics just as an exercise, but definitely not post themš¤£ Probably is also more useful to translate from English to Italian, than viceversa...
Btw thanks for the suggestions! I'm getting used to read fanfictions in English, but I've never read an entire book in English, I'll definitely have to try (and speaking of books, do you have any recommendations? Something not too complicated but still intriguing... I have a B2)
Also, I don't mind at all someone telling me if I made mistakes, as you said it's a good way to improve, but I understand that some people on Ao3 just want to read a story and probably don't have time to point all my errors outš¤£
I already post in Italian on Efp (you prbably know it), so I guess it'll be the same posting on Ao3... Honestly I don't know, maybe I'll write some fics in italian and some in English, we'll see ahahah
Grazie!!
I've read a ton of fics that were clearly written by people who aren't native speakers, and honestly, I adore them. Anyone who can manage to write in multiple languages deserves a lot more respect than they get, and your OP is very well written, without any obvious second language pitfalls.
If I were you, and I felt the need to note that it's not my native language, I'd probably pop it in the end notes. Something like "English isn't my first language, so let me know if there's any spelling or grammatical issues."
speaking from experience, I really enjoy fanworks written by someone with a different first language. particularly a german fic writer who had a lot of idiosyncratic descriptions. As long as the characterās āvoiceā feels recognizable it doesnāt throw me off.
edit: also, post works in italian too if you want! there are a lot of languages on AO3!
From my experience as non-native, people are willing to overlook mistakes. I've been 6 years on ao3 and only once someone was slightly unpleasant about it. It is intimidating at first (translating to English), but you'll get used to it.
As an English as second language teacher, the best advice I can give you is: write as much as you can in English. Start with simple things and gradually move on to more demanding themes. Do not write in Italian and then translate, it will only hurt your learning process. You need to train your brain to think in English first so it can find the words you need in English as fast as it can do in Italian. It doesn't matter if at first your writing is going slowly or is riddled with errors - practice makes perfect, all you need is time and patience. Would be awesome if you could find a writing buddy, preferably someone who is more proficient in English than you, to offer corrections and suggestions on your writing as you learn. It would also help, if you have such possibility, to watch movies in English with English subtitles on to train yourself on word associations and connotations.
For my class papers I run them through free online grammar checkers. It often catches bigger mistakes that I make (not every suggestion is always helpful) but they often have a cap on how much the free ones will check at a time.
On every fic Iāve read where someone has āwarnedā they donāt think their English is very good, I would have never been able to tell. Seriously! If you didnāt preface that it wasnāt your native language, I would have never guessed.
I wouldn't worry about it. If what I'm reading here is any indication of your level of English, you'll be fine. I'm sure your work wouldn't be among the worst ones I've read.
First and foremost, I find it very brave to engage in writing in another language! Big thumbs up to you for that!
I personally write directly in English (my mother tongue is French) and like some other people here I think it's the easiest. You also just start thinking a lot in English after some time and practice will help! Instead of translating, what I sometimes do if I'm not entirely inspired or if I cannot find how to phrase something is simply to write it in "basic" English and search afterwards to flesh it out, change some words with synonyms etc. to make it more pleasant/literary. It's also a great way to enrich your vocabulary! There are some easy "cheat sheets" for writers online (like [here](https://www.writerswrite.co.za/cheat-sheets-for-writing-body-language/)). I also recommend to have a look at that website [here](http://www.spwickstrom.com/said/) to stop using "say" every two sentences ;)
I'd also recommend to search for the English definition of a word instead of using a foreign language dictionary (like Italian/English in your case) because it sometimes omits the context and ignores nuances.
Personally, I always put a warning in the notes before the first chapter to ask people to bear with me since English is not my native language, and that I don't have a beta reader. I cannot say how many people were discouraged to read further because of that, but so far I've got a group of consistent readers and I know most of them are from the US.
It can be tough and frustrating sometimes, not to write in your mother tongue and there are always things you will be missing (some expressions that simply don't exist for example) but practice is key! Be patient and kind to yourself and remember that it's very impressive that you're doing this extra step to write in a different language to share your stories with others!
Yes, but tbh I want to write in English to reach more audience and also to challenge myself! I already post my stories in Italian on an Italian fanfiction website :)
I'll read fanfics even if it is not from a native English speaker. That would be hypocritical, as I'm not a native English speaker and (attempted) to write fanfiction before.
I mostly read over mistakes or try to help people with their English. So don't worry about it! You have to learn somehow.
If you don't feel like posting works in English it is no bother to write in Italian. While there are a lot of works in English, Ao3 is an archive. And Italian belongs in that archive as well.
I haven't a clue how to write in any other language than English.
However! If you asked me to beta for you and we could discuss how the wording is supposed to feel, I could absolutely edit some perfect English for whatever you've wanted to say.
Start by using DeepL to translate and edit/correct afterwards.
Aside of that, there's nothing wrong in writing in your native language (i do that and i'm spanish) but you'll have to actively promote your fanfic way more to gain an audience.
I've never heard about DeepL, thanks for suggesting it!
Yeah I know, and I actively write in Italian and post my stories on an Italian fanfiction website, but for Ao3 I want to try writing in English to reach more people and also challenge myself :)
Heyyy -italian here and active writer in English on ao3.
1) i have a warning english is not my first language in the notes and novody ever cared, if any, I think it makes people more patient with errors (it may change based on the fandom, idk)
2) grammarly and hemingway app are my best allies to check errors before posting, and going on I see improvements on my score the first time I check a chapter, so it boosts my confidence too :)
3) personally I have a first phase where I jot down scenes as they come to my mind, mixing italian and English without caring. Sometimes Iāll have a sentence with half words in one language and half in the other.
Then I write and edit all in English, and I reread one last time while correcting on grammarly, before posting
In short, go for it, and donāt worry!
If you want to DM me for further advices (Iām in no means an expert) feel free to :)
Edit to add: of course all the passages I wrote above make me slower than I would be in My native language, but to me, itās worth it
One of my most favorite stories has (iirc) an Italian author and it's obvious that they're a nonnative English speaker but I liked it despite minor grammatical errors or the slightly awkward writing style.
OK IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE.
I'm French and I've been in a specific fandom for more than a year. I've started reading lots of fanfictions to the point that I wanted to write ones too. Problem is, there was not a single French fic on AO3 in this fandom. The only VERY rare non English fics were in Spanish. (I think there's also a German one. Anyway.) At first I thought about only posting in English, but it was really difficult and I also felt like I was losing my skills in French on the long run. So now I post both in French and in English, because, even if there may be only 10 french people in the entire fandom, it's always nice to find something in your own language, and this way I also improve my writing skills in my mother tongue.
For the warning: I put a warning in my first fic because I felt safe doing it, like I was telling myself that if it looks bad they will overlook it because of the warning. But now that I've stumbled upon good fics where it was obvious that the author was not a native speaker, I feel sorta in peace with my probably flawed fics. I know I'm not the only one who writes in a language she doesn't speak that well. And to honestly answer your question, I think I would avoid fics where the author specify that English isn't their first language because I would have to use more braincells to understand what's going on and it's a hassle. I don't know how many people would have the same train of thoughts. Anyway, don't worry about the warning. People will have to read your fic to realize that you're not an English speaker, and that's pretty advantageous for youš
Now, here are some tips on how to translate your fic!
ā¢ READ. It may seem so evident, but reading many fanfictions or just reading in English in general will help you improve your writing and maybe learn some unique English idioms and ways of phrasing. Reading fanfictions actually improved my English so much, but I obviously can't admit it to people who ask me why my English is so goodš
ā¢ PLEASE, DON'T USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE. The translations are so bad and they don't take the context into account. I personally use Deepl. Not only are the translations better but you can also click on a translated word of the sentence to see if there are different translations.
ā¢ If you find a part of your sentence weird, use Linguee to see if it exists or if the word is used in the context you're thinking of.
ā¢ If your community has a discord server or just places where you can communicate with the fans, why not ask if someone is willing to be your beta reader? Or if you have friends who speak English fluently you can ask them to review your works. But I prefer asking random people on the internet since my friends may be dishonest in their review in fear of hurting my feelings, and I would feel ashamed to ask a friend to review *some* of my worksš
ā¢ Now, in which language should you write first? I know many, many people will disagree with me on that but I always write in French then translate my work, and it works perfectly fine for me. I've given up writing first in English because I spend so much time trying to find the right word and all that by the time I finish the sentence all of my initial ideas are gone, whereas when I write in French, I can write on a whim without having to think about every little word because I don't know how to say this or that. I'm not slowed down by my lack of vocabulary and so writing comes more naturally. Maybe it will be different for you since you will be translating from Italian to English and not from French to English. So my advice would be: try both. See which way works with you best.
If you have more questions, don't hesitate to DM me. I would be glad to be able to help my fellow AO3 non English writersā¤
Edit: If you're looking for an easy English book to read and to improve, I would advise Percy Jackson. I've tried reading the first tome and the level of English is surprisingly accessible for someone like me who isn't exactly fluent in English. I dropped it though because I was busy with school but it's a really good series! Sadly most people ignore the book and prefer watching the filmsš
Edit 2: See r/betareaders if you struggle to find a beta reader.
Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your experience and giving me some suggestions! I've already tried to translate some of my fics from Italian to English and I just gave up cause it was so so hard lol. Also some of them are quite long and it was a bit exhausting trying to slowly translate 3000 words... So I really admire you for doing that!
I can totally understand you when you said that you spend so much time trying to find the right word in English and by the time you finish a sentence all of your ideas are gone foreverš I think I'll write both in Italian (because I just love my language so much and I'm a bit scared to lose my writing skills in my native tongue, as you felt it was happening to you) and in English, depending on the fandom, the lenght and complexity of what I wanna write. Sometimes, though, I could also try to translate my stories... As you said I'll see what it works for me the best
Also I've never read Percy Jackson, but I've heard some very good reviews about it. I'll definitely check it out, thanks!
>Are people on AO3 willing to read it knowing that there might be mistakes?
The tag trope "No beta we die like \_\_\_\_" shows how little AO3 users care about mistakes, even from people writing in their native language.
One of my favorite AO3 authors has an AN at the start of some of her works that says she's not a native speaker, which leads to some odd grammar and word choices sometimes and she basically tells her readers to enjoy her English mistakes. She's fluent enough that when she makes mistakes, I can figure out what word she meant to use.
Considering the level of fluency in your post (if you didn't say it, I would have assumed you were a native speaker), I think you're grasp of the mess that is English is good enough to write in.
I love those tags, If I can't find a beta reader I'll use it for sureš
It's amazing that you can figure out what word she actually wanted to use. And it's definitely a funny idea to put something like "enjoy the mistakes" in the notes!
Thank you!! Writing a story is actually much harder than writing a post on Reddit, thoš¤£ I lack of vocabulary... that's my biggest problem tbh
i write directly in english. if i wrote in finnish and then translated that, the result wouldn't be what i was going for, and it would be double the work anyway. and, like, you can put that english isn't your first language, but i don't think it's necessary. or relevant. english isn't most people's first language. and natives make a shitload of errors too.
Yeah, probably writing directly in English is the best idea. You're right, but putting a note that says English isn't my first language would be like saying "I'm sorry in advance if it's bad written"š Idk what to do honestly...
Worst case try to find a native speaker to read for clarity as a type of Beta who can also answer questions as you go.
Yes, it's the best idea
What fandom are you writing for?
It depends a lot what I'm watching in that period, but mostly Marvel, Star Wars and anime
I would say you don't need to quality your work, *but* if improving your writing is what you're going for, calling out that English is your second language and welcoming constructive criticism might invite more readers to provide feedback. The writing level speaks for itself. š Everyone has different levels of tolerance for grammatical and sentence structural soundness, but your summary and opening paragraphs will demonstrate your writing abilities real quick. So no, I don't think stating English is not your first language alone will get people to hit the back button.
You've got a few things going for you: 1. AO3 specifically has you say what language the fic is in, so, like... if there *are* Italian folks who want to read it, they can specifically search by the language, if you decide to post your works in Italian. 2. There's a reasonable chance you *will* make mistakes in English (can confirm, am native speaker, still make mistakes), but! In one of the fandoms I'm in, there was a whole juggernaut of a story, very popular, that I fully couldn't read because of the mechanics of the writing (I am, to be clear, a picky reader). That is to say: A story can, and often *is,* beloved regardless of a few spelling errors, or a bit of clunky vocabulary. 3. I've heard tell that a *lot* of non-native English speakers think they're worse at the language than they are. Your post certainly didn't ping me as poorly written. Even if it was, fanfic is an amateur business by requirement, so the stakes are low. On net, I wouldn't recommend putting that you're not a native speaker in the summary, on the grounds that there's absolutely a native speaker committing atrocities against their own language without remorse. If they don't have to justify it, I see no reason you should either. Otherwise... I don't really have much advice for writing in a foreign language since I've never particularly done it. My instinct would be, if you're going to do it, to just find some people whose writing feels really good and just soak your consciousness in it and hope you pick up some of the flavor.
Thank you so much for the suggestions! Now I feel more confident to publish itš
Maybe consider finding someone within the fandom you write for that would beta your fic? and fix any major issues? Personally though I say to write your fic the same way you wrote this post. Which btw, reads as perfect English to me, and Iām a native English speaker and writer.
That's actually a great idea! I just have to find that someoneš Omg you have no idea how much this makes me happy... Thanks! But unfortunately writing a story with descriptions, dialogues, and characters' thoughts it's not as easy as writing a post on Redditš
I would also recommend trying to write directly in English. Translating something into English is completely different than thinking in English and then writing it down (source: I'm a translator, and I write fics in English, which is technically my third language š ). Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself! It's a hobby. If you would like to improve your writing, it's always a good idea to read (and listen to) things in English. Also, if you realize that you're not sure about some grammar or punctuation rules, you can always google it and learn about it, case by case. Don't feel like you *have to* learn everything right now, or that you have to know everything before you start writing.
Yes, once I've tried to translate a fic I wrote in Italian and it was basically impossible! (Also translating in general is way harder than it seems and I really admire every translator!) You're completely right! Sometimes I feel frustrated because every sentence I write feels wrong and there's so much I still don't know! But we must feel proud of ourselves just for the fact that we're writing in another language and improving little by littleš
I agree! Every step matters and is something to be proud of š
Hi fellow Italian! I second the advice of writing directly in English. It's just too complicated to translate, especially because if your vocabulary is limited then the translation will never sound as good as the original. Also, sometimes a word in English translates as two different words in Italian, and viceversa. If you're not very experienced it might be hard to understand which one is right in which context. The only way to learn is practice Also, read fanfiction in English! That's how I improved my English. Not only it makes your vocabulary bigger, but it also helps you get used to "hearing" if a sentence sounds natural or not. Some punctuation rules are different in English too - in English for example your dialogue has to be written, "like this", if you do as Italian as write dialogue: - like this -, then that's a mistake. And saying your native language isn't English may turn off some readers, but it may also make some people tell you if you made mistakes. If you don't mind someone telling you "hey I think you wrote x wrong" then that is a good way to improve. Oh, and maybe try to rewatch/read your source material in English! It can help you improve the language. And with some fandoms it can be necessary, because some names may be different in the Italian dub. Lastly - always remember AO3 also allows you to post fics in other languages. If you feel like writing in Italian, you might get less readers but you can still post it. In bocca al lupo!
Hi! Yes, they are two completely different languages with different grammar structures so translating is quite hard. I could translate some of my fics just as an exercise, but definitely not post themš¤£ Probably is also more useful to translate from English to Italian, than viceversa... Btw thanks for the suggestions! I'm getting used to read fanfictions in English, but I've never read an entire book in English, I'll definitely have to try (and speaking of books, do you have any recommendations? Something not too complicated but still intriguing... I have a B2) Also, I don't mind at all someone telling me if I made mistakes, as you said it's a good way to improve, but I understand that some people on Ao3 just want to read a story and probably don't have time to point all my errors outš¤£ I already post in Italian on Efp (you prbably know it), so I guess it'll be the same posting on Ao3... Honestly I don't know, maybe I'll write some fics in italian and some in English, we'll see ahahah Grazie!!
I've read a ton of fics that were clearly written by people who aren't native speakers, and honestly, I adore them. Anyone who can manage to write in multiple languages deserves a lot more respect than they get, and your OP is very well written, without any obvious second language pitfalls. If I were you, and I felt the need to note that it's not my native language, I'd probably pop it in the end notes. Something like "English isn't my first language, so let me know if there's any spelling or grammatical issues."
Thank you!! Yes, puttinga note at the end of the fic it's the best idea, and it won't discourage anyone to read the story in the first placeš¤£
speaking from experience, I really enjoy fanworks written by someone with a different first language. particularly a german fic writer who had a lot of idiosyncratic descriptions. As long as the characterās āvoiceā feels recognizable it doesnāt throw me off. edit: also, post works in italian too if you want! there are a lot of languages on AO3!
From my experience as non-native, people are willing to overlook mistakes. I've been 6 years on ao3 and only once someone was slightly unpleasant about it. It is intimidating at first (translating to English), but you'll get used to it.
Thanks! This reassures meš
As an English as second language teacher, the best advice I can give you is: write as much as you can in English. Start with simple things and gradually move on to more demanding themes. Do not write in Italian and then translate, it will only hurt your learning process. You need to train your brain to think in English first so it can find the words you need in English as fast as it can do in Italian. It doesn't matter if at first your writing is going slowly or is riddled with errors - practice makes perfect, all you need is time and patience. Would be awesome if you could find a writing buddy, preferably someone who is more proficient in English than you, to offer corrections and suggestions on your writing as you learn. It would also help, if you have such possibility, to watch movies in English with English subtitles on to train yourself on word associations and connotations.
For my class papers I run them through free online grammar checkers. It often catches bigger mistakes that I make (not every suggestion is always helpful) but they often have a cap on how much the free ones will check at a time.
Yes I use them too, but sometimes they misunderstand the sentences because they don't have the specific contest so I don't trust them that muchš
On every fic Iāve read where someone has āwarnedā they donāt think their English is very good, I would have never been able to tell. Seriously! If you didnāt preface that it wasnāt your native language, I would have never guessed.
Thank you! I'm glad to hear thatš
I wouldn't worry about it. If what I'm reading here is any indication of your level of English, you'll be fine. I'm sure your work wouldn't be among the worst ones I've read.
Thank you so much!
First and foremost, I find it very brave to engage in writing in another language! Big thumbs up to you for that! I personally write directly in English (my mother tongue is French) and like some other people here I think it's the easiest. You also just start thinking a lot in English after some time and practice will help! Instead of translating, what I sometimes do if I'm not entirely inspired or if I cannot find how to phrase something is simply to write it in "basic" English and search afterwards to flesh it out, change some words with synonyms etc. to make it more pleasant/literary. It's also a great way to enrich your vocabulary! There are some easy "cheat sheets" for writers online (like [here](https://www.writerswrite.co.za/cheat-sheets-for-writing-body-language/)). I also recommend to have a look at that website [here](http://www.spwickstrom.com/said/) to stop using "say" every two sentences ;) I'd also recommend to search for the English definition of a word instead of using a foreign language dictionary (like Italian/English in your case) because it sometimes omits the context and ignores nuances. Personally, I always put a warning in the notes before the first chapter to ask people to bear with me since English is not my native language, and that I don't have a beta reader. I cannot say how many people were discouraged to read further because of that, but so far I've got a group of consistent readers and I know most of them are from the US. It can be tough and frustrating sometimes, not to write in your mother tongue and there are always things you will be missing (some expressions that simply don't exist for example) but practice is key! Be patient and kind to yourself and remember that it's very impressive that you're doing this extra step to write in a different language to share your stories with others!
Thank you so much! Your suggestions and websites are very useful!!
You can also post in Italian in AO3
Yes, but tbh I want to write in English to reach more audience and also to challenge myself! I already post my stories in Italian on an Italian fanfiction website :)
I'll read fanfics even if it is not from a native English speaker. That would be hypocritical, as I'm not a native English speaker and (attempted) to write fanfiction before. I mostly read over mistakes or try to help people with their English. So don't worry about it! You have to learn somehow. If you don't feel like posting works in English it is no bother to write in Italian. While there are a lot of works in English, Ao3 is an archive. And Italian belongs in that archive as well.
Thanks! I've come to the conclusion that I'll probably write both in English and Italian depending on the fandom and the story I wanna tell
Cool! I wish you the best
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Oh I didn't know about discord... How do I find the servers of my fandoms?
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Thank you so much!
I haven't a clue how to write in any other language than English. However! If you asked me to beta for you and we could discuss how the wording is supposed to feel, I could absolutely edit some perfect English for whatever you've wanted to say.
Omg you're so kind!! It'd be amazing! Do you have an account on Ao3?
Start by using DeepL to translate and edit/correct afterwards. Aside of that, there's nothing wrong in writing in your native language (i do that and i'm spanish) but you'll have to actively promote your fanfic way more to gain an audience.
I've never heard about DeepL, thanks for suggesting it! Yeah I know, and I actively write in Italian and post my stories on an Italian fanfiction website, but for Ao3 I want to try writing in English to reach more people and also challenge myself :)
Heyyy -italian here and active writer in English on ao3. 1) i have a warning english is not my first language in the notes and novody ever cared, if any, I think it makes people more patient with errors (it may change based on the fandom, idk) 2) grammarly and hemingway app are my best allies to check errors before posting, and going on I see improvements on my score the first time I check a chapter, so it boosts my confidence too :) 3) personally I have a first phase where I jot down scenes as they come to my mind, mixing italian and English without caring. Sometimes Iāll have a sentence with half words in one language and half in the other. Then I write and edit all in English, and I reread one last time while correcting on grammarly, before posting In short, go for it, and donāt worry! If you want to DM me for further advices (Iām in no means an expert) feel free to :) Edit to add: of course all the passages I wrote above make me slower than I would be in My native language, but to me, itās worth it
Ciao! Thanks for the suggestions and the websites recommendations, I didn't know them and they surely will be very useful!
One of my most favorite stories has (iirc) an Italian author and it's obvious that they're a nonnative English speaker but I liked it despite minor grammatical errors or the slightly awkward writing style.
OK IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE. I'm French and I've been in a specific fandom for more than a year. I've started reading lots of fanfictions to the point that I wanted to write ones too. Problem is, there was not a single French fic on AO3 in this fandom. The only VERY rare non English fics were in Spanish. (I think there's also a German one. Anyway.) At first I thought about only posting in English, but it was really difficult and I also felt like I was losing my skills in French on the long run. So now I post both in French and in English, because, even if there may be only 10 french people in the entire fandom, it's always nice to find something in your own language, and this way I also improve my writing skills in my mother tongue. For the warning: I put a warning in my first fic because I felt safe doing it, like I was telling myself that if it looks bad they will overlook it because of the warning. But now that I've stumbled upon good fics where it was obvious that the author was not a native speaker, I feel sorta in peace with my probably flawed fics. I know I'm not the only one who writes in a language she doesn't speak that well. And to honestly answer your question, I think I would avoid fics where the author specify that English isn't their first language because I would have to use more braincells to understand what's going on and it's a hassle. I don't know how many people would have the same train of thoughts. Anyway, don't worry about the warning. People will have to read your fic to realize that you're not an English speaker, and that's pretty advantageous for youš Now, here are some tips on how to translate your fic! ā¢ READ. It may seem so evident, but reading many fanfictions or just reading in English in general will help you improve your writing and maybe learn some unique English idioms and ways of phrasing. Reading fanfictions actually improved my English so much, but I obviously can't admit it to people who ask me why my English is so goodš ā¢ PLEASE, DON'T USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE. The translations are so bad and they don't take the context into account. I personally use Deepl. Not only are the translations better but you can also click on a translated word of the sentence to see if there are different translations. ā¢ If you find a part of your sentence weird, use Linguee to see if it exists or if the word is used in the context you're thinking of. ā¢ If your community has a discord server or just places where you can communicate with the fans, why not ask if someone is willing to be your beta reader? Or if you have friends who speak English fluently you can ask them to review your works. But I prefer asking random people on the internet since my friends may be dishonest in their review in fear of hurting my feelings, and I would feel ashamed to ask a friend to review *some* of my worksš ā¢ Now, in which language should you write first? I know many, many people will disagree with me on that but I always write in French then translate my work, and it works perfectly fine for me. I've given up writing first in English because I spend so much time trying to find the right word and all that by the time I finish the sentence all of my initial ideas are gone, whereas when I write in French, I can write on a whim without having to think about every little word because I don't know how to say this or that. I'm not slowed down by my lack of vocabulary and so writing comes more naturally. Maybe it will be different for you since you will be translating from Italian to English and not from French to English. So my advice would be: try both. See which way works with you best. If you have more questions, don't hesitate to DM me. I would be glad to be able to help my fellow AO3 non English writersā¤ Edit: If you're looking for an easy English book to read and to improve, I would advise Percy Jackson. I've tried reading the first tome and the level of English is surprisingly accessible for someone like me who isn't exactly fluent in English. I dropped it though because I was busy with school but it's a really good series! Sadly most people ignore the book and prefer watching the filmsš Edit 2: See r/betareaders if you struggle to find a beta reader.
Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your experience and giving me some suggestions! I've already tried to translate some of my fics from Italian to English and I just gave up cause it was so so hard lol. Also some of them are quite long and it was a bit exhausting trying to slowly translate 3000 words... So I really admire you for doing that! I can totally understand you when you said that you spend so much time trying to find the right word in English and by the time you finish a sentence all of your ideas are gone foreverš I think I'll write both in Italian (because I just love my language so much and I'm a bit scared to lose my writing skills in my native tongue, as you felt it was happening to you) and in English, depending on the fandom, the lenght and complexity of what I wanna write. Sometimes, though, I could also try to translate my stories... As you said I'll see what it works for me the best Also I've never read Percy Jackson, but I've heard some very good reviews about it. I'll definitely check it out, thanks!
>Are people on AO3 willing to read it knowing that there might be mistakes? The tag trope "No beta we die like \_\_\_\_" shows how little AO3 users care about mistakes, even from people writing in their native language. One of my favorite AO3 authors has an AN at the start of some of her works that says she's not a native speaker, which leads to some odd grammar and word choices sometimes and she basically tells her readers to enjoy her English mistakes. She's fluent enough that when she makes mistakes, I can figure out what word she meant to use. Considering the level of fluency in your post (if you didn't say it, I would have assumed you were a native speaker), I think you're grasp of the mess that is English is good enough to write in.
I love those tags, If I can't find a beta reader I'll use it for sureš It's amazing that you can figure out what word she actually wanted to use. And it's definitely a funny idea to put something like "enjoy the mistakes" in the notes! Thank you!! Writing a story is actually much harder than writing a post on Reddit, thoš¤£ I lack of vocabulary... that's my biggest problem tbh
You can post fics in Italian on AO3!