# English-language books with foreign-language titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2019, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070 "2019-11-06T09:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/1 "2019-11-06T09:20:30Z")
The title of Karl Marx’s magnum opus, _Das Kapital_, is sometimes translated into English as _Capital_. However, the book is arguably better known to English speakers by its German title, and some English translations even retain the original title. Victor Hugo’s _Les Misérables_ is another example. English translations abound but I can’t think of any that translate the title. (Well, I’m sure there must have been some, but I don’t recall seeing any of them in the shops.) Maybe the same could be said of Albert Camus’s _L’Étranger_. Though it’s been published in English as _The Stranger_ and _The Outsider_, some English editions also use the French title. Are there any other English-language books that use a foreign-language title? Let’s exclude titles consisting solely of proper names, so no _Berlin Alexanderplatz_ or _Madame Bovary_. And bonus points if anyone can name a book that is not itself a translation into English. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/2 "2019-11-06T10:40:52Z")
_Tao Te Ching_ by **Lao Tzu** _Mein Kampf_ by someone German I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/3 "2019-11-06T10:50:13Z")
Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/4 "2019-11-06T10:52:50Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > …_Mein Kampf_ by someone German I imagine. Funny you should ask. Our copy (I say “our copy” - I bought it as a birthday present for Mrs Trep) is indeed entitled Mein Kampf. Published in the UK, November 1939 reprint(!). j ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/5 "2019-11-06T11:24:32Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle I’d never heard of this one, but some web searchers suggest that it was originally written in the English language. If so, enjoy your bonus points! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/6 "2019-11-06T12:16:41Z")
_Quo Vadis_ by Henryk Sienkiewicz. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/7 "2019-11-06T12:32:06Z")
I know this thread is about books, but many classical music pieces are never (or rarely) translated, like _Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_ or _La Bohème._ [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/8 "2019-11-06T12:50:21Z")
Some foreign language books are known by their “foreign” titles because there is no easy translation, or they’re better known by the original title. Titus Lucretius Caro’s philosophical book is still often called **De Rerum Natura** (literally “On the Nature of Things”), because the literal translation seems inadequate. Sometimes it’s called “On the Nature of the Universe” or “The Way Things Are”. Jons-Karl Huysmans’ \*\*À rebours \*\* is sometimes sold that way. The translations used (“Against the Grain” or “Against Nature”) aren’t the same as the literal (and misleading “Backwards”. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/9 "2019-11-06T12:54:11Z")
_Chocolat_ by Joanne Harris. Bonus points for being an english original. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/10 "2019-11-06T13:13:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Titus Lucretius Caro’s philosophical book is still often called **De Rerum Natura** (literally “On the Nature of Things”), because the literal translation seems inadequate. I dunno; the title seemed to work for [David Suzuki](https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/). (For anyone who finds that link cryptic, this is the title of a long-running science and nature documentary series on CBC, hosted by a famous zoologist-cum-media personality.) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/11 "2019-11-06T13:55:19Z")
Bonjour Tristesse (Hello–or Goodbye–sadness) by Francoise Sagan who was 18 at the time. It was an overnight sensation and pretty much a one shot success. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/12 "2019-11-06T14:36:26Z")
If we count musicals, there’s _La Cage aux Folles_\* \*Of course, the script of a musical is called a book, so it fits on a technicality. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/13 "2019-11-06T14:39:49Z")
It seems that English translations of Dante’s Divine Comedy are usually given that English name, but the names of the three sections (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) are given in Italian. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/14 "2019-11-06T14:47:44Z")
There are books I’ve read in French but never even seen the English versions. So not sure which title is more common to English speakers. _Le Petit Prince_ and _À La Recherche du Temps Perdu_ come to mind. Hmmm, first thing that comes up for Proust is a Wikipedia entry for “In Search of Lost Time”, then the French, then an entry for “Remembrance of Things Past”… not quite the same sense as the French title… or the book. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/15 "2019-11-06T14:55:09Z")
Speaking of musicals: Odd that Les Miserables stays the same (except for the Spanish version, whic is LOS Miserables), but Phantom of the Opera gets translated. When Mexico staged CATS, a newspaper ran a poll about whether it should be called CATS or GATOS. CATS won by a landslide. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/16 "2019-11-06T15:00:54Z")
Soie Sauvage (Poetry, Olga Broumas, in English). Nox (Anne Carson, conceptual book thing, in English). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/17 "2019-11-06T15:14:22Z")
> [@digs](#): > > There are books I’ve read in French but never even seen the English versions. So not sure which title is more common to English speakers. > > _Le Petit Prince_ and _À La Recherche du Temps Perdu_ come to mind. > > Hmmm, first thing that comes up for Proust is a Wikipedia entry for “In Search of Lost Time”, then the French, then an entry for “Remembrance of Things Past”… not quite the same sense as the French title… or the book. Except in foreign-language bookstores, I’ve never seen these in the US without their translated titles _The Little Prince_ and _Remembrance of Things Past_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/18 "2019-11-06T15:16:50Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I dunno; the title seemed to work for [David Suzuki](https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/). (For anyone who finds that link cryptic, this is the title of a long-running science and nature documentary series on CBC, hosted by a famous zoologist-cum-media personality.) I just checked , and now even Penguin has changed the title from _On the Nature of the Universe_ to _On the Nature of Things_. Things have changed. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/19 "2019-11-06T15:21:55Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Speaking of musicals: Odd that Les Miserables stays the same (except for the Spanish version, whic is LOS Miserables), but Phantom of the Opera gets translated. > > When Mexico staged CATS, a newspaper ran a poll about whether it should be called CATS or GATOS. CATS won by a landslide. Different language pair, but speaking of musicals, We Will Rock You (the musical) remains We Will Rock You in Spanish but apparently some genius decided it was a good idea to translate everything else, including the lyrics. :smack:\[1\]lots and lots and lots[/sup] Mamma Mia is called Mamma Mia in every language; its original language is English. Unlike WWRY, this one does work with Spanish lyrics, but that’s because ABBA already did the translations 🙂 * * * 1. sup ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070/20 "2019-11-06T15:24:50Z")
Nicholson Baker’s _Vox_ is an example of a novel written in English with a foreign language title. Although I see some dictionaries now list vox as a word in the English language. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-language-books-with-foreign-language-titles/843070.md?page=2)