Renégats - Volume 1 : A Fallen Angel

Author's Foreword

This story is originally written in my native French, before I translate it to English. Though I do have a master's degree in English translation, it is uncommon for literary adaptation to be made by a non-native speaker.

As much as I try to master this other language, I will never be a native speaker. Meaning, I don't have the cultural and literary background that comes with said language.

Still, I thought being the original author gave me an advantage when it came to adapting the story in English, as I don't have to face a common problem for translators: the author's intent. Even if my prose might be lacking in certain areas, if the text might come out with a few weird sentence constructions or unnatural phrasings, I still think there is something to be gained from the fact that I'm the original source of the story.

Please keep that in mind while reading. I hope I managed to avoid producing an off-putting translation.

That being said, a few notes:

I've tried sticking to American English, as it is the most common variation of the language. Still, my comfort zone would probably be closer to British English. I won't pretend I didn't stray away from my goal from time to time. (NB: I translate the Captain's dialog with an Estuary Accent in mind. Any Britishness there is actually a choice made on purpose. Anywhere else, it's probably a mistake on my part.)

On the topic of cursing. French culture is notoriously lax when it comes to swearing. Stories aimed at teenagers over 10 can contain curse words in France, and we tend to be pretty liberal about using them. It's also important to know that we don't really have huge taboo swears like the F-word or the C-word in Metropolitan French culture. (I think it's a bit different for Quebec French) Though my translation is somewhat toned down when it comes to swear words, I still kept most of it, despite the cultural difference with more conservative American views. As a consequence, the characters might seem vulgar to some, which kinda works with the way I envision them. It is a story full of violence and blood. If your kid can read about sliced arms and pools of gore, he can fucking handle swear words.

I don't pretend to have offered the world the holy words of the Saint Author. If you're a native speaker of English with a background in translation or literature and you think you can do a better adaptation than me, it might very well be possible. Please get in touch!