Language compromises on this blog

[smmg]

I'm always torn between wanting to write here exclusively in Celtic languages, in somewhat of an effort to decolonise and resist anglicisation, and to write everything in English, since I also want to educate people about Celtic studies and the Celtic nations and out of all the languages I can communicate it, English is by far the most widely understood.

I suppose I could write everything bilingually in English and Welsh, or English and Irish, or English and whatever-other-language, but often I don't really have the energy for that. But I think it might be the best compromise. When educating about your own minority cultures, unfortunately a majority language (such as English) is the medium that is going to have the furthest reach and be readable by the most people and raise the most awareness. But I don't want to exclusively write in English and to reinforce English as a "default language that everyone must know", and I think using minority languages online is a good way to draw attention to them and their cultures, struggles, history, etc. So maybe writing everything bilingually is the best compromise. 

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I think it depends on the content.

If you want to educate people about a minority language, then English or bilingual is advantageous.

If you want to use a minority language, and especially encourage other people to read it, then what you need is magnetic content in that language. An English translation is helpful but not required.

If you want to explore the internal thought processes supported by a minority language, then trying to translate into English will actively get in the way and just be a pain in the ass. Many concepts and perspectives just don't translate well, and those are the most vulnerable to colonization and most benefit from decolonization. Look for and talk about the parts that are hard to translate, in your minority language(s).

If you try to make everything bilingual, you're likely to burn out and post less or not at all. Don't overload yourself.

I do suggest networking with other folks who use minority languages and explore their experiences with this issue. They might have helpful ideas.

Re: Thoughts

[heleninwales]

That's an excellent summary of the problems one encounters when wanting to use a minority language. I only post in English here, but on Mastodon (toot.wales) I post in either Welsh or English. I've tried bilingual and if a learner has posted bilingually, I'll reply to them the same way, but otherwise I stick to one language or another. People can use Google translate or similar to read a post in a language they don't speak.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm a fan of language diversity in general. I have some books and other things that are bilingual. There's a card game about gift economy that's bilingual in English and Lushootseed, a West Coast language. Some minority languages have newspapers or other publications to help encourage people to use them more. So when you write in a minority language, it's not just for your own audience, it becomes a resource that other people can use in language classes, nests, etc.

Re: Thoughts

[smmg]

I think those are very good points/suggestions, thank you!