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How to read a real book in a language you are learning
There comes a day when graded readers stop being fun and you want the book everyone is talking about. The first real book is hard, and most people give up around chapter three. Here is how to get past it.
When you are ready
A rough test: open the book at any page. If you can follow what’s going on, even with a lot of words you don’t know, try it. That is usually somewhere around B1 with help and B2 without. If you can’t tell who is doing what, give it a few more graded readers; you are not behind, and they are built for this stage.
How to choose the first one
- A book you already know. A favourite you’ve read in your own language gives you the plot for free.
- Modern, with dialogue. Crime novels and contemporary fiction are far easier than literary classics.
- Translated into the language, not written in it. Translations of bestsellers are often plainer than the original literature of a country.
- Short. Finishing a 150-page book does more for you than abandoning a 600-page one.
How to keep going
Read for the story
Aim to understand what is happening, not every word. If a sentence doesn’t matter, let it go. Stop to look something up only when you’ve lost the thread.
Have a safety net
This is the reason people give up: one hard page becomes three, and the book goes back on the shelf. A translation next to the original turns that into a glance across and on you go. Read the language you’re learning first, and look over only when you need to.
Set a small daily amount
Ten minutes a day finishes a book. Two hours on a Sunday usually doesn’t, because you lose the story in between.
Keep only the words that come back
Don’t try to learn every new word from a real book. Save the ones that keep appearing, and leave the rest.
Making a side-by-side edition of your book
Printed dual-language books exist for a small number of classics. For the book you actually want to read, you can make your own: upload a DRM-free EPUB or PDF to DuoText, choose the language and read it with every paragraph next to its translation, in the browser or on your e-reader. In the browser, tap any word for its meaning in that sentence. The opening pages are free, so you can see whether it works for you before you spend anything. It’s a machine translation: right for following a book next to the original, not a polished literary one.
Questions
What level do I need to read a real book in another language?
Around B2 to read comfortably alone, around B1 with a translation beside it. Below that, graded readers will take you further for the same effort.
What should my first book in a foreign language be?
One you already know in your own language, or a kind of book you love. Knowing the story frees you to pay attention to the language. Contemporary novels with lots of dialogue are easier than classics.
Should I look up every word?
No. Keep reading unless a word stops you from following what's happening. If it matters, it will come back.
Isn't reading with a translation cheating?
Only if you read nothing but the translation. Used as a safety net, it lets you finish a book you would otherwise abandon, and finishing is what builds your reading.