L2 novel vs translation (General discussion) Language Learning Forum

L2 novel vs translation
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Language Learning Forum : General discussion

Poll Question: For a first novel, which is better?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
A native (L2) novel	29	[59.18%]
A novel translated to L2 (from L1)	20	[40.82%]
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25 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4 Next >>

leosmith
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United States
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Speaks: English*
Studies: Tagalog

Message 1 of 25

31 December 2011 at 6:54am | IP Logged

Please read before voting/posting

For the purpose of this poll, assume the translation is a novel that you have read before. Please ignore the "(from
L1)" in the question field.

Edited by leosmith on 31 December 2011 at 7:16am
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Serpent
Octoglot
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Russian Federation
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Message 2 of 25

31 December 2011 at 7:08am | IP Logged

i voted for translated, but it depends.
why necessarily translated from L1? that's easy to find for native speakers of English but not for others.

but even more importantly, it should be something you like. i really don't see why any Harry Potter fan shouldn't read a translation into their target language, regardless of what the L1 is. true, whether you can start with an L2 translation of your favourite book, depends on the book itself (and the translation - whether it exists, whether it's good etc)

and I really think that for a beginner Listening-Reading is better than just reading.
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leosmith
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Message 3 of 25

31 December 2011 at 7:30am | IP Logged

Serpent wrote:

why necessarily translated from L1?

thanks - fixed (sort of)

Serpent wrote:

I really think that for a beginner Listening-Reading is better than just reading.

If this involves L-R to the same novel over and over again, I disagree. But if you mean just once, I agree.

I prefer a native novel for the following reasons:

1) Translations are often poor, not very literal, and sometimes don't make sense in L2 language or culture.
Sometimes a
translator takes some artistic license to make the story work in L2 culture, which means it doesn't match the
original story very
well any more. This can be a problem if the learner is trying to compare the L2 to the original. Of course, the
more different L2 is from the original, the worse the translation is.

2) Reading a story that I already know isn't nearly as interesting, or attention grabbing as reading a novel for the
first time.
The more experienced I get at learning languages, the more I come to realize how important new material is.
There is
certainly a time and place for repetition, but I believe reading a novel is not it. I think that many beginning
language learners,
myself included, get seduced by the advantages of repetition, and don't get a real taste for when it's good and
when it's bad.

2 persons have voted this message useful

Serpent
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Message 4 of 25

31 December 2011 at 7:34am | IP Logged

leosmith wrote:

2) Reading a story that I already know isn't nearly as interesting, or attention grabbing as reading a novel for the
first time.
The more experienced I get at learning languages, the more I come to realize how important new material is.
There is
certainly a time and place for repetition, but I believe reading a novel is not it. I think that many beginning
language learners,
myself included, get seduced by the advantages of repetition, and don't get a real taste for when it's good and
when it's bad.

i sort of thought you mean a novel you've read in your L1, whether it's originally in your L2 or not. if we add the new vs old factor here then a balance is the best. to me old means old and loved. or at least addictive like HP. it will provide a strong context for the words and it can sort of establish an emotional connection with the language. if you want to reread a book anyway and there's a good translation, why not read it in your (new:)) L2?

and i guess i've been lucky with the Tolkien translations. especially the Finnish ones are really, really good. also, for example I want to read so many works that were originally written in English that I read them in English mostly if there's no translation into a more "interesting" foreign language available:)
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leosmith
Senior Member
United States
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Speaks: English*
Studies: Tagalog

Message 5 of 25

31 December 2011 at 7:45am | IP Logged

Serpent wrote:

if you want to reread a book anyway and there's a good translation, why not read it in your (new:))
L2?

Regardless of how beloved the old material is, new material does a lot more for me. It's interesting that there is
quite a bit of research on the benefits of using new material in language learning going on now. It seems to confirm
what I've begun to suspect independently.
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fiziwig
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Studies: Spanish

Message 6 of 25

31 December 2011 at 7:50am | IP Logged

I voted for translation as the first novel, because it gives you an L1 reference to check back with. I read a couple of English->Spanish translations before I read a native Spanish novel. That worked out really well for me.
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leosmith
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Studies: Tagalog

Message 7 of 25

31 December 2011 at 8:01am | IP Logged

fiziwig wrote:

I voted for translation as the first novel, because it gives you an L1 reference to check back
with

For that reason, a translation is nice, but I prefer an L2 to L1. And I never read the L1 before L2.
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Bao
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Message 8 of 25

31 December 2011 at 8:39am | IP Logged

There are very few books I can stand to re-read, let alone re-read in a different language when I already know what's going on and have the added obstacle of a language I don't know well hindering my access to the text. When I force myself to do it anyways, I usually just fill the gaps of my knowledge with what I believe should be there. And then I'm surprised when I don't understand a text of comparable difficulty I didn't know the content of before.
So, no. I'd rather force my way through a completely new text and actually notice every detail that I don't understand.
Concerning translations I didn't read before - they can be easier to read when I know the source language already. It's still kind of weird and inauthentic, or rather I don't trust its authenticity the way I do with untranslated material.

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