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When I write my Jewish romances, I’m very aware that many of
my readers are not Jewish. Therefore, while I might understand the meanings of
certain Yiddish words or phrases, my readers might not. In addition, my characters
might be practicing certain customs that make sense to me, but are confusing to
others.
Most of my critique partners are not Jewish, so they catch
what I miss, but while I’m writing, I try to make sure I’m being clear about
everything. And there are three methods I typically use.
The first is what I call “the CSI method.” CSI started the
forensic science trend on TV and needed to make its viewers understand what it
was doing and why. So the characters would explain what experiments they were
doing as they were performing them. When my characters are prepping for a
holiday, for example, I will often have them discussing what they’re doing and
why with another character. The risk I run is making their discussion believable,
and not turning it into a lesson, which would be overly obvious and not a discussion
that two of my characters would typically have. In general, my Jewish
characters know why they’re doing something and wouldn’t need to explain it. So
the explanation has to be subtle.
The second method I use is translation. I typically pepper
these books with Yiddish words and expressions because they’re used in my own
every day life. Some words are known by the general public, but many are not,
so when I use them, I try to include either a synonym nearby or make it obvious
from the context what my characters are saying. I don’t want to use a
dictionary in the back of the book because some people find it takes them out
of the story.
And when those two methods won’t work, I fall back on the
kids. Most of my stories include children, and they are very useful for asking
questions and getting answers so that the reader knows what’s happening.
What do you think? Are there other methods I should
consider?
My problem is with English words that the 'average' American doesn't understand e.g. I've been asked what a 'lift' is! Another problem arose over what we call a Sixth Form here in the UK. Like your problem with Jewish festivals, everyone here knows what is meant by Sixth Form, therefore no one would have to explain it to anyone else (and it doesn't refer to Grade 6 by the way!)
ReplyDeleteVery good point. I guess it depends on the market, too.
DeleteMy sales in the US and the UK are pretty much the same, so I have to aim for both markets!
DeleteYou raise an interesting question about questions, Jen.
ReplyDeleteIn my western historical WIP, I'm using your CSI method when I feel I need to explain a ranching term or practice.
'Sidekick" characters like children are great for this type of explanation.
Agreed, Ana. Lots of different types of characters can help with the explanations.
DeleteHad another thought - your Jewish characters could also explain customs/expressions to someone who isn't Jewish. I've used something similar in my Irish books with someone Irish explaining something to an English or American character.
ReplyDeleteGood point. For some reason, I haven't actually done that, but I can in the future.
DeleteContext clues (Just like we teach in school!) work great for unfamiliar words.
ReplyDeleteI think explaining to a child or someone who doesn't know works well.
Exactly, Debra. Because while I do call it the CSI method, I don't always want it to be so instructional.
DeleteNice. I run into the same problem, too, with my books, only with Catholicism. Avoiding the "As you know, Bob," stuff can be frustrating. A beta got hung up on my protag being able to eat chocolate on St. Patrick's Day when he'd given it up for lent. At least in my part of the US, that's the day that you can do whatever you give up for that forty days. But it's such a basic thing that nobody really articulates it.
ReplyDeleteI think you should still put the glossary in the back of the book. I often check them, not as I'm reading, but at the end to see if I got them right.
Other than that, I think your bases sound as covered as you can get them. :)
Thanks Cathleen. I imagine all kinds of religious issues raise flags for someone!
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