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PCD Since: May, 2021
2022-02-15 09:31:58

There is a trope called Translation Punctuation which shows how comics and graphic novels set apart speech in an (English translation) of another language as being between <brackets> to indicate the characters aren't really speaking the language we are reading. So your example would start out in English without the brackets, then continue with the portion which was in Chinese as the <translation> between the brackets.

Would that work? I'll need to research further to see how usage manuals want it for literary papers and so forth.

Tabs MOD Since: Jan, 2001
2022-02-15 10:14:33

Translation Punctuation is an option. Stage directions enclosed in brackets is another. Like:

Speaker: I want you to show yourself for the good of all. [in Chinese] I don't want to shoot you all. [switching to English] Yadda yadda.

This doesn't need to be super formal. You just have to convey what the character is doing.

Edited by Tabs
STARCRUSHER99 (Captain)
2022-02-15 11:05:13

I'll keep both of these in mind - I'll probably use the <> for this specific example because it goes back and forth a lot, but for examples that don't move as much the brackets will look a bit better. Thank you both!

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