How to Write Characters Who Don't Speak the Same Language

Your fantasy world has multiple cultures, each with their own language. Your hero travels from one nation to another and suddenly you realize: wait, these people don't speak the same language. How do they communicate?

Or you have a scene where some characters speak Language A and others speak Language B, and you need readers to understand what's happening without being confused about who understands what. How do you show someone speaking a foreign language on the page? Do you write it in italics? In the actual foreign language? Just say they're speaking it?

Multiple languages add realism and worldbuilding depth, but they also create practical writing challenges. You need clear systems for showing who speaks what, how translation happens, and what communication barriers exist, all without confusing readers about basic conversation flow.

Why Language Matters in Worldbuilding

In real world, different cultures speak different languages. If your fantasy world has multiple distinct cultures that have been separated by geography, they wouldn't all speak the same language.

Ignoring this makes your world feel smaller and less realistic. But addressing it creates complexity you need to manage. The key is finding the right balance: enough linguistic diversity to feel real, simple enough to follow.

Languages also serve story functions: they create barriers that characters must overcome, allow secrets to be kept, show character backgrounds through multilingual ability, and force characters to find creative communication solutions.

How Many Languages Should Your World Have?

Real world has thousands. Your fantasy world doesn't need that many for story purposes.

Recommended Approach: 2-4 Major Languages

**One or two dominant languages**: Major nations or cultures. These are the ones readers encounter most. Characters probably speak at least one.

**One or two minor/exotic languages**: Less common, represent distant cultures or isolated groups. Creates language barrier moments.

**Common tongue or trade language**: If you want, have a lingua franca that most educated people or traders speak. Makes communication possible while maintaining linguistic diversity.

More than four or five languages that matter to plot gets confusing. Readers struggle to track who speaks what and when.

Example Structure

**Common**: Trade language most educated people speak. Allows basic communication across cultures.

**Northern tongue**: Native language of northern kingdom. Most northern characters speak this fluently, Common as second language.

**Southern dialect**: Southern region language. Completely different from Northern. Some southerners speak Common, others don't.

**Ancient/magical language**: Old language used for spells, scholarly texts, religious ceremonies. Few people speak it fluently.

This gives you linguistic diversity without overwhelming complexity. Four languages, clear purposes for each.

Establishing Who Speaks What

Establish character language abilities early and be consistent.

Native Language

Everyone has a first language based on where they're from. Make this clear through character introduction or background.

"Kira was from the southern provinces, where they spoke Azari." Now readers know her native tongue.

Second Languages

Who speaks multiple languages and why?

**Traders and merchants**: Need to speak multiple languages for business. Likely speak Common plus their native tongue, maybe picking up phrases from other regions.

**Nobles and educated**: Often learn multiple languages as part of education. Shows privilege and access to tutors.

**Travelers and adventurers**: Pick up languages through travel and necessity. Might speak several imperfectly.

**Interpreters and diplomats**: Professional multilingual. Speak several languages fluently.

**People from border regions**: Grow up hearing multiple languages, often bilingual from childhood.

**Scholars and priests**: Might know ancient or scholarly languages for reading texts.

Language Proficiency Levels

Not everyone who "speaks" a language is fluent:

**Fluent**: Native speaker level. Thinks in this language, no accent, understands idioms and cultural references.

**Conversational**: Can communicate effectively but makes mistakes. Noticeable accent. Misses some idioms.

**Basic**: Survival phrases, simple sentences. Enough to buy food, ask directions, not enough for complex conversation.

**Reading only**: Can read language but struggles to speak it. Common for ancient/scholarly languages.

Show these differences. Character who learned language from books speaks it stiffly compared to native speaker. Character who's been in country for months has improved from basic to conversational.

How to Show Foreign Language on the Page

This is the practical formatting question. Several options exist. Pick one system and stay consistent.

Option 1: Italics with Translation Context

Foreign language in italics, context makes meaning clear, or translation follows:

"Bonjour," she said, greeting them warmly.

"Gracias," he replied. "Thank you."

Readers see the foreign words (establishes language is different) but get meaning from context or immediate translation.

**Pros**: Shows actual foreign language, sounds authentic, context prevents confusion.

**Cons**: Only works for short phrases. Full conversations get tedious if you're constantly translating.

Option 2: Dialogue Tags Indicating Language

Dialogue appears in English (or your writing language), tag specifies what language is being spoken:

"Where are you going?" she asked in Elvish.

"To the market," he replied, continuing in Elvish.

Once established, can drop the tags: readers know they're still speaking Elvish until something indicates they've switched languages.

**Pros**: Clean, easy to read, allows complex conversations in foreign languages without actually writing in foreign language.

**Cons**: Loses some immersive quality. Requires occasional reminders of what language is being used.

Option 3: Narrative Statement

Narrator tells us conversation is in another language:

They spoke in rapid Northern, too fast for Kira to follow.

Or: The rest of the conversation continued in Dwarvish, which Marcus understood perfectly.

Then write the dialogue normally, understanding it's "translated" for readers.

**Pros**: Very clean, no formatting tricks needed, allows long conversations.

**Cons**: Tells rather than shows, loses language flavor.

Option 4: Created Language Words

Use actual words from your created language (if you've developed one), providing context or translation:

"Mellon," she said. Friend. She hoped he understood the greeting.

Or: "Anar kaluva tielyanna." The sun shall shine upon your path. An ancient blessing.

**Pros**: Shows you've developed language, immersive, sounds authentic.

**Cons**: Requires actual conlang development. Can confuse readers if overused. Risk of sounding like bad fantasy cliché.

Option 5: Mixed Approach (Recommended)

Combine methods based on situation:

**Short foreign phrases**: Use italics or actual words with context. "Bonjour," or "Gracias."

**Extended conversations in foreign language POV character understands**: Write in English with occasional tag reminder of language, or opening statement: "They switched to Elvish" then just write dialogue.

**Foreign language POV character doesn't understand**: Don't translate. Show incomprehension: "They spoke rapidly in a language she didn't recognize, arguing about something."

This gives you flexibility while staying clear.

Showing Communication Barriers

Language barriers create real obstacles and story opportunities. Show characters struggling with them.

Complete Incomprehension

Characters don't share a language at all. Show the frustration and attempts to communicate:

**Gestures**: Pointing, miming, drawing pictures. Universal but limited communication.

**Context clues**: Showing objects, demonstrating actions. "She held up the map, pointed to the marked location, then at the road."

**Tone and body language**: Can't understand words but can read emotion. Friendly, hostile, urgent, casual.

**Trial and error**: Trying words, seeing if any are understood. "River? Water?" She shook her head. "Stream?" Nothing.

Show the slow, painstaking process. This is realistic and creates tension.

Broken/Pidgin Communication

Characters share limited vocabulary, cobble together understanding with mix of languages and simple words:

"You... go... city?" He spoke slowly, struggling with Common.

"Yes. We go city. Tomorrow." She kept her response simple.

This shows language barrier while allowing basic communication. Captures frustration of not being able to express complex ideas.

**Don't overdo accent**: "Me go city tomorrow" can come across as racist or mocking depending on execution. Better to say character speaks broken Common and let most dialogue be clear with occasional simplified structure.

Interpreter Present

Third character translates between two who don't share language:

"Tell him we need supplies," Marcus said.

The interpreter spoke in rapid Southern dialect. The merchant replied, gesturing at his wares.

"He says he has what you need, but the price is high because of the war."

This is realistic but can slow pacing. Use when language barrier is plot point. Skip when it's not important: "Through the interpreter, they negotiated prices" covers it without showing every exchange.

Partial Understanding

Character catches some words, gets gist but not everything:

They were arguing in Northern. She caught "border" and "soldiers" and something that might have meant "danger." Not enough to understand the full conversation, but enough to know they were worried.

Shows language learning in progress or related language where some words are similar.

Translation Magic and Tools

Fantasy allows magical solutions to language barriers. Use carefully or you eliminate interesting communication problems.

Translation Spells

Magic allows understanding any language. Convenient but potentially story-breaking.

**Make it limited**: Expensive, requires concentration, temporary duration, doesn't work on written language, only translates words not cultural context.

**Make it rare**: Only powerful mages can do it. Not available casually.

**Make it imperfect**: Magic gives rough translation, misses idioms, creates humorous or dangerous misunderstandings.

If translation magic is easy and common, language barriers cease to matter and you've lost that worldbuilding dimension.

Magic Items

Rings, amulets, artifacts that grant language understanding. Same issues as spells: too easy and you remove language barriers entirely.

Make them rare, valuable, limited in some way. Or have them only work on specific languages.

No Magic Solution

Simpler approach: no magical translation exists. Characters must actually learn languages or find interpreters. More realistic, creates more interesting problems.

Language as Character Development

Learning languages shows character growth and effort.

Language Learning Arc

Character arrives knowing only their native tongue. Over time, picks up new language through necessity and immersion.

**Early**: Comprehends nothing, frustration, depends on others for everything.

**Beginning learning**: Recognizes common words, can say simple phrases, still lost in conversations.

**Intermediate**: Can handle daily interactions, follows conversations if people speak slowly, makes mistakes.

**Advanced**: Fluent in conversation, still misses cultural references and idioms, slight accent remains.

Show progression: first time character successfully has full conversation in new language is victory moment.

Code-Switching

Multilingual people switch between languages based on context, audience, topic. Show this:

Character speaks Native tongue with family, Common with outsiders, Ancient language for magic. Each language is tied to different part of identity.

Or switches mid-sentence when no equivalent word exists: "We need to discuss the... what's the Common word? The financial arrangements."

Language and Identity

Which language someone speaks reveals background:

**Accent in Common**: Shows they learned it as second language, indicates origin.

**Refusing to speak Common**: Political statement or pride in heritage.

**Losing native language**: Character who's been away so long they're forgetting their first language. Bittersweet loss of connection to roots.

**Speaking oppressor's language**: Colonized people forced to learn conqueror's language. Complicated feelings about fluency.

Common Mistakes

Everyone Speaks Common Somehow

All characters from everywhere happen to speak common tongue. Convenient but unrealistic. Remote villages, isolated tribes, poor peasants wouldn't necessarily speak trade language.

Make language barriers exist when realistic. Forces characters to find solutions.

Forgetting Established Language Limits

You establish Character A doesn't speak Elvish in chapter 3. Chapter 10, they're somehow understanding Elvish conversation. Readers notice.

Track who speaks what. Stay consistent unless you show character learning.

Confusing Readers About Who Understands What

Scene has three characters: A and B speaking Language X, C doesn't understand it. But you don't make this clear. Readers confused about whether C knows what's being said.

Be explicit about who comprehends what. Use POV character's understanding as guide: if POV doesn't understand, don't translate for readers.

Too Many Languages With No System

Every new place has new language with no pattern. Readers can't track what's being spoken when.

Limit languages to manageable number. Group regional dialects under main languages. Make it trackable.

Exotic Language Words Without Meaning

Sprinkling made-up words randomly without providing context clues to meaning. "He handed her the kal'tesh" - readers have no idea what that is.

Always provide context for foreign words: "He handed her the kal'tesh, a ceremonial dagger."

Translation Magic Too Convenient

Characters cast translation spell and suddenly all language problems disappear forever. You've eliminated interesting worldbuilding aspect.

If you include translation magic, make it limited, imperfect, or rare.

Practical Scene Management

Starting a Scene in Foreign Language

Establish quickly what language is being used:

"Welcome," the guard said in heavily accented Common.

Or: They switched to Elvish, speaking rapidly.

Or: The conversation was in Northern, which Kira only partially understood.

First sentence or two establish language context. Then readers know how to interpret what follows.

Switching Languages Mid-Scene

Make switches clear:

"Enough," she said, switching to her native Southern so the guards wouldn't understand.

Or show it through character reaction: He started speaking Dwarvish. Marcus frowned, unable to follow.

Language switch should be noticeable to readers because it's significant to scene.

Group Conversations With Mixed Languages

Some characters speak Language A, some speak Language B, some speak both. Complicated but manageable:

Use interpreters, or show A speaking to C (interpreter), C speaking to B, back and forth. Acknowledge awkwardness of communication through third party.

Or split conversation: A and B speak Language X (translated for readers), A switches to Common to include C in part of conversation.

When Language Doesn't Matter Much

Not every fantasy needs elaborate language systems. If language barriers aren't story-relevant, you can handwave it.

**Simple approach**: Everyone speaks Common. It's lingua franca of your world. Different regions have different accents but mutual comprehension. Focus your worldbuilding elsewhere.

**Translation convention**: Narrative acknowledges characters speaking different languages but represents everything in English/your writing language for reader convenience. Fine if language barriers don't create interesting problems in your story.

Include linguistic diversity if it enhances your world and creates interesting story situations. Skip it if it's complexity without purpose.

Making It Work

Good multilingual worldbuilding adds depth without confusion. Establish clear rules: who speaks what languages, how foreign language appears on page, how translation happens, what barriers exist.

Use language barriers for story: create obstacles characters must overcome, allow secrets kept in other languages, show character growth through language learning, reveal background through multilingual ability.

Keep it manageable: limit languages to trackable number, be consistent with who understands what, make translation systems clear, don't let linguistic complexity overwhelm narrative flow.

Remember: readers care about story and characters. Languages are worldbuilding details that should enhance those elements, not become the focus unless you're writing specifically about linguistic themes. Get the system right, then let it fade into background as it supports your actual story.