# A language other than the author's native one used for first publication
**URL:** https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916
**Category:** BookBrainz
**Created:** [April 14, 2022, 8:31am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916 "2022-04-14T08:31:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 8:31am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/1 "2022-04-14T08:31:33Z")
I just completed the Kurt Wallander Series by Henning Mankell and I encountered an anomaly. One of his novellas was first published in Dutch as Het Graf (2004). It was later published in Swedish as Handen (2013).
I doubt if he wrote in fluent Dutch, so it was probably written in Swedish and translated to Dutch.
When I added the relationship I used Het Graf has translation of Handen, which is in accordance with the publishing timeline.
On Bookogs, I think the Work was always in the author’s native language regardless of the language used for the first publication, until such time as the author changed to another language.
It is a bit like the chicken and the egg, but I feel the method I used on BB is correct.
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### Author:  [@indy133](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/indy133)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 9:16am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/2 "2022-04-14T09:16:20Z")
Yes, but you have to be careful when adding translations of other languages, in this case An Event in Autumn. Without an edition in hand it’s hard to tell whether it was translated from the Dutch or from the Swedish version.
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 9:46am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/3 "2022-04-14T09:46:18Z")
That is a very good point. Logically, you would think it was translated from Swedish, but there is always the possibility it wasn’t, which needs to be verified.
The other thing that dawned on me is that only one Work was created on Bookogs and all of the Books were credited to it regardless of the language they were in (I’m starting to forget). That is why the author’s native language was important there.
Of course on BB a Work is created for each language variation.
Which brings us back to the point you have made. I’m still none the wiser. I’ll have to think about it. 🧐
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 10:55am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/4 "2022-04-14T10:55:36Z")
Well that was easier than I thought. I obtained a copy and the title page states:
Elementary, dear @indy133
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### Author:  [@indy133](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/indy133)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/5 "2022-04-14T11:02:48Z")
> [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](#):
>
> Elementary, dear @indy133
Indeed, Mr Holmes, but afaik this phrase never appeared in one of Doyles books.
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 11:04am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/6 "2022-04-14T11:04:13Z")
Quite correct sir, it never did. Now I’m going back to looking after my bee hives and shooting up cocaine (both of those did).
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 12:07pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/7 "2022-04-14T12:07:11Z")
I was just about to retire for the night and took one more look at the Handen Work [Handen (Work) – BookBrainz](https://bookbrainz.org/work/5d44154a-6ed6-4b5a-b955-793ef2f062dd) and it still felt wrong.
I obtained a 2010 copy of Het Graf and it states “Oorspronkelijke titel: Hündelse om hosten”. The only problem is that title was never used for a published edition, although the copyright is 2004.
The first time the work was published in Swedish was 2013 and the English translation followed in 2014.
I propose that I explain this in the Annotation section of Handen and reverse the relationship with the Dutch Work.
Does that sound reasonable?
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### Author:  [@indy133](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/indy133)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/8 "2022-04-14T12:18:30Z")
> [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](#):
>
> Does that sound reasonable?
Yes , it does. (in search of additional characters to fulfill the holy “20s Rule”
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/9 "2022-04-14T12:19:57Z")
It has been a long day and my mind is not working as it should. Thanks for confirming I haven’t totally lost the plot!
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### Author:  [@Deleted\_Editor\_2265540](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Deleted_Editor_2265540)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2022, 5:53am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/10 "2022-04-15T05:53:43Z")
> [@indy133](#):
>
> (in search of additional characters to fulfill the holy “20s Rule”
It was a mark of my tiredness last night that I didn’t understand your comment. For short messages try adding lyrics from your favourite songs. It will confuse the hell out of some people and entertain others.
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### Author:  [@mr\_monkey](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/mr_monkey)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2022, 9:40am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/a-language-other-than-the-authors-native-one-used-for-first-publication/580916/12 "2022-04-23T09:40:01Z")
After mentioning the novel _We_ by Yevgeny Zamyatin in another topic, I’m circling back to this one. If at any point we need a clear example of a first publication not in the original language for anything, this one is just about perfect.
> The novel was first published in English in 1924 by E. P. Dutton in New York in a translation by Gregory Zilboorg, but its first publication in the Soviet Union had to wait until 1988
From the [wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(novel)).