Why I Prefer To Read In
One Language & Not The Other
One Language & Not The Other
This post by Catarina (Pages & Plots) inspired me because rang true on so many aspects of this subject.
Before we get into it you'll need a little background on me. I've mentioned before that I'm fluent in English and (Brazilian) Portuguese but what I never brought up was that my first language is technically English. I say technically because it was the first language I was alphabetized in but while learning English I spoke broken Portuguese at home. I was officially alphabetized in Portuguese at age 12, which was no easy feat.
The big question then becomes why do I prefer to read in English over Portuguese? Well, I won't lie and say that both languages are the same in my head because they're not. English comes much easier to me than Portuguese. I find it relaxing to read in English. I'm pretty sure this stems more from the teachers I had that cajoled and humored me into developing a love of reading with books I actually liked early on in my development (something that the Brazilian teachers I had never paid attention to or did for me).
Where I agree most with Catarina is how straightforward English tends to be and how annoyingly flowery and descriptive most translations get. I've been obligated to read quite a few books for school over the years and, let me tell you, they were just as boring as they were flowery in their writing. Maybe it's the way each language is spoken and the culture surrounding it that has flowery writing as a "consequence" of some sort.
Do you read in your native language?
Do you like overly descriptive writing in general?
Do you like overly descriptive writing in general?
Let me know in the comments below!
I think it's fascinating to think about how different languages "read", especially as regards flowery writing, which I'm not always super fond of if I'm being honest. :) I've only ever taken Spanish as a second language but I confess I've never read in it. So I'm not much help here haha but I can definitely see how one language might come easier, especially if teachers of that language were more encouraging about reading!
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine how Spanish would "read". There are similarities between Portuguese and Spanish but I don't know enough Spanish to have an opinion. Teachers make the world go round! They should be put on a pedestal :)
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