ThePoetJean - currently drafting! 💫

thepoetjean.bsky.social

19 October 2026 03:44

I mostly drop it in as natural dialogue (if/when I do develop either a language or a conlang). My usual go-to is, "This person said in X language." Otherwise, I ask a sensitivity reader

Pamela Jeong 🎃🫜

pamelajeong.bsky.social

18 October 2026 22:46

I’m also in the camp of no longer italicizing non-English words, for all the reasons others have already noted here! There’s a writing podcast I listen to run by an author and a couple agents, and they all say no italics is becoming the norm.

Iosefka DV is in the query mines 🏳️‍⚧️

seffydv.bsky.social

18 October 2026 22:45

I kinda hate it and I don't do it. We don't use special formatting to denote purely fantasy/sci-fi terms. Why don't we trust the reader to understand that these are terms they may be unfamiliar with? And it's like only describing skin tones when you describe POC: othering via special treatment.

PJC Cahill

pjccahill.bsky.social

18 October 2026 22:44

I'm terrible about that kind of formatting. I reserve italics for emphasis XD Overall, I feel like use of multiple languages can be allowed to just flow, though I usually recommend ensuring some method of understanding for the audience that won't know the non-primary languages of the text.

L Izet

solarisstory.bsky.social

18 October 2026 11:45

I don't italicise any of the Scots or Gaelic in mine or half the doc would be italicised. I think if you've established that the character is multilingual, your readers will be smart enough to read something they don't understand and go "Ah! This must be that other language they speak!"