I have always enjoyed reading and recently started buying and reading books again after a break. I purchased books in both English and my native language (translated versions), but I am feeling somewhat conflicted about it. On one hand, I want my library to be consistent, and I think buying and reading books only in their original language would achieve that. On the other hand, I sometimes think, “Who cares? It doesn’t matter in what language I read books, as long as they are true to the original, and I enjoy the process.” Nevertheless, I need some opinions. What languages do you prefer? The original or the translated versions? Do you have books in multiple languages? Does the language in which you read a book make a difference?
Assuming you understand the original and have fluency enough to read it…
I do both. Usually depending on the author: I tried Pratchett in English and it was too much I was missing many plots, HP Lovecraft in English is too barroque for my taste (don’t know why sounds better in Spanish). In on other cases it just depends on which lenguage I started reading the author…
I gave up on Pratchett in English as well. Since fantasy often incorporates old words and subjects rarely used in modern language as well as made up things and creatures, I found myself constantly guessing whether an unknown word was a word I simply didn’t know or if it was a word I wasn’t supposed to know, because the author invented it.
Maybe I should give it a try again, it’s been many years. Maybe my English has gotten better. Or my knowledge of historical items…😁
Honestly Dostoevsky writing is not very good as far as Russian language goes. But I absolutely would read Russian literature in original.
“Compared to Tolstoy’s rich and flamboyant prose, some of Dostoevsky’s works really do look weak stylistically. Sometimes his novels even contained sloppy mistakes. For instance, in Crime and Punishment he once mentioned “a round table of oval shape.”
https://www.rbth.com/arts/328963-russia-dostoevsky-hate/amp