Every region and every country has specific phrases that are
unique to that location. When an author tackles dialogue and can make it sound
as if the characters really belong in the story, the conversation seems more genuine.
In the northeast (USA) it is common to say to someone who has been under the weather “How are you feeling?”, "Are you feeling better?" or more
casually “How you doing?” In many southern states though the common question often
is “Are you still feeling poorly?”
If you have never visited the region you are talking about in
your story, or have a character from that region, how do you put that added
touch of authentic flavor in while still writing for a (local?) audience of
your readers? Be careful, many foreign words and regional slang may be lost on
another audience, your story could be too confusing if you rely solely on the
OTHER language/idioms/slang. It can be effective to insert a French word in
dialogue occasionally to signify that the character grew up in France but use
enough English (or other primary language for your audience) so that they can
follow along. Character conversations should flow and sound natural.
Terrific cheat-sheets to find much of the information you
need can be found in tourism guides (like books, magazines, internet), local
newspapers and other periodicals. [One such site is the Conde Naste guide to
slang https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-08-14/your-guide-to-slang-in-other-countries]
While you are cautioned to read these with a critical eye, reading books by
other authors about the areas (time periods too) can also give you insight into
the lingo, fashions, customs and features of other lands and times. In other
words, do your research — which is still a great idea even if you have visited
another land just to reinforce what you might already know.
Talking of what you already know you may be so comfortable in
your own hometown that you are not aware how nonsensical some terms might be to
outsiders. Do your research again to understand which of your chosen phrases
might not be understood. Years ago there was a big debate whether to use the
term hero, sub, grinder, or hoagie as some areas of the country were not
familiar with all of the terms; an easy way to keep regional flavor and still
be understood might be “the waitress served the hoagie and his first bite of
the overstuffed sandwich was incredibly satisfying”. Find subtle ways to explain
otherwise confusing idioms.
Writing Exercise:
Think of 5 to 10 local colloquialisms and write 2 to 3 sentences for
each AS IF THE PHRASE WAS LITERAL. Try this for “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs”
Writing Prompt: What
were your parents/grandparents/favorite teacher’s most common idioms during
your childhood? Make a list of as many as you can remember.
Challenge Assignment:
Take a book you’ve recently read and open it to a dialogue between two
or more characters. Choose 2 foreign locations and pick one character who “comes”
from those locations. (2 other locations and 2 same location with foreign
character). Rewrite the dialogue 4 times so that it sounds authentic and still
recognizable to your audience.
