Lost in Translation:

Romantasy is one of the fastest-growing genres today, with thousands of books spanning extraordinary worlds, magical characters, and captivating plots. So why does reading it in our own language feel so cringy? For non-native English speakers, it often seems like romantasy can only truly shine when read in English.  The genre is one of the most beloved literary trends, blending everything we like in a good story – fantasy and romance. Yet, when the lyrical prose, steamy scenes, and dramatic moments unfold in our own language, the secondhand embarrassment is unbearable. But why does this happen? 

For starters, our native language feels deeply personal. It’s what we use with our family and friends. When we suddenly read the most intense, romantic, and heated moment in a book, it feels like we are eavesdropping on something we shouldn’t. Reading something like this in English is much easier, as it is a language we have connected with movies and fiction, while our first language is what we used to ask our parents for help with our homework. It simply adds an emotional distance between the reader and the spice scene. This discomfort is heightened by the familiarity and everyday usage of our mother tongue, which subconsciously associates it with real-life experiences rather than fictional escapism. 

Since this genre has become so popular, we often find similar tropes and stories among books and narratives. Not all stories can be entirely original, and it is often that authors who write romantasy in different languages other than English take inspiration from English-language tropes and structures. However, what sounds effortlessly romantic in English, making us kick our feet and giggle, can become cringy when translated too literally. Phrases like “he growled possessively” or “her breath hitched” might feel natural in an English fantasy novel but sound forced and awkward when used in another language. In some languages saying “I love you” can feel intense, let alone something like “If I offer you the moon on a string, will you give me a kiss, too?” 

For better or worse, English dominates fantasy literature. Many fantasy fans are used to reading about mystical lands, magic, and epic romances in English, making it the “default” for the genre. Encountering these same elements in one’s own language can feel unnatural simply because it’s not what we’re used to. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace romantasy in different languages. However, until our native tongues develop their own unique fantasy-romance lexicons, many of us will continue to cringe at lines that, in English, we would devour without hesitation. To overcome this sense of awkwardness, authors and translators might find greater success by harnessing their own cultural symbols, metaphors, and emotional dynamics rather than relying solely on English-language tropes. In doing so, they may pave the way for a new generation of romantasy readers—one that discovers magic not through translation, but through stories that speak authentically in their own language.