Writing a book with Hindi and English together

In many Indian homes, conversations move between Hindi and English several times in a sentence. If your book is set in such a world, writing it in only one language can feel false. But mixing them takes care.

Why mix at all

Because it is how real people speak. A character who says "Mujhe lagta hai ki yeh project fail ho jayega" is rooted in a particular place and class. Replace it with pure Hindi or pure English and you lose that texture.

Pick a main language

Decide which language carries the narration. The other appears in dialogue, in thoughts, in moments of feeling. Having a base helps the reader settle.

Which script?

If the book is mainly in English, Hindi words are usually written in Roman letters (transliteration). If the book is mainly in Hindi, English words may be written in Devanagari or kept in Roman letters.

Some things to think about:

• Consistency. Choose a spelling system for Roman Hindi and stick to it. "Chai", "chaai" and "chay" on different pages look careless.
• Readability. Transliterated Hindi can be slow to read if it is long. Short phrases are easier than full paragraphs.
• Audience. Readers who know both languages will manage either. Readers who know only one will need clues.

Do not over explain

You do not have to translate every Hindi word. Let the context do it. If a mother calls "Beta, khaana kha lo," the scene will show she is asking her child to eat.

If a word is important and not clear from context, explain it once, lightly, within the sentence. Avoid long footnotes.

Italics or not?

Many books italicise non-English words. Others have stopped, arguing that it treats the language as foreign. Whichever you choose, apply it to all the words, and be consistent. There is no right answer, only a choice.

Keep the rhythm

Mixing languages changes the sound of sentences. Read your dialogue aloud and listen. If the switching feels forced, you may be doing it to decorate. Real code switching follows the emotion: people drop into the mother tongue when they are angry, tender or joking.

Ask a reader from each side

Give a draft to one reader who is comfortable in both languages and one who is not. The first will tell you if it sounds right. The second will tell you where they got lost.

For the typesetter

If the book has both scripts on the same page, tell your typesetter early. Fonts for the two scripts must be chosen so that they sit well together in size and weight, and line spacing must work for both.

Done well, a bilingual book feels natural to those who live in both languages, and gives others a way into a world they may not know.