Land of Oz

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I read a lot. One of the things that really bugs me in stories that try to be multi-lingual. The book is ostensibly written in English, but the writer keep tossing in words and phrases that are non-English. I just started reading a series now about a coroner in Quebec or Le Québec as it should be spelled. I may be in the minority here (usually am) but if you're going to write a book in English, write it in English. If you want to include phrases so you can prove your globalization, at least include the English translation. I'd rather not need to guess at what anthropologistejudiciaire or Laboratoire de Médecine Ugale means in English. I have to admit that so far this book seems to do a reasonable job about providing translations, but it is in the minority in my experience. Write it in French or Italian or write in English, but pick a language and stick with it.

This is by no means limited to books. More and more movies seem to be fascinated by adding the occasional odd foreign bits and pieces. What is really annoying is when using hard of hearing subtitles, which I usually do, the subtitles of the foreign bits are also in that language. Sacre bleu! I want to know what I'm reading/listening to, not have to make uneducated guesses about it. And yes, I know, that as a true modern human, I should be able to understand several other languages, it's not gonna happen. I'm pretty much going to stay the uneducated, ugly American who understands English and not much else - though technically, I should say American and not much else since English can cover sounds that range from the slow deep south to the rapid-fire techno-speak of twenty-something Californians.

* And by the way, I'm not too sure of how the foreign phrases I use here will end up looking like on your screen - which should annoy you to no end.