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I am translating a story from Turkish to English for my friends. In Turkish we don't have "he/she/it". We only have "O" and it includes all. the story is about someone in depression. And his or her gender is intentionally unspecified, even avoided, since depression can happen to anybody. The writer just wanted the reader to put himself/herself in character's shoes. unspecified gender is kind of the whole point of story. I can't write "that night, he or she couldn't sleep again." What should I do?

gulyuks
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2 Answers2

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Until recent years, "he" would normally used for such cases, and often still is. "He or she" or "he/she" is often now used, or another common approach is to alternate: use "he" once, and "she" the next time. In some cases it is more acceptable to use "they" or "one", such as "that night, they couldn't sleep again" or replace "He or she should not do that." with "One should not do that."

jejorda2
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dlb
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  • I think best option for me to use "he" and put a translator's warning in the beginning: "I used 'he' but character's gender is unspecified." – gulyuks Aug 10 '16 at 21:01
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You could use a surname. "That night Smith couldn't sleep again."

Or you could use the passive voice. "Sleep did not come again that night."

Or you can use "they". "That night they couldn't sleep again." This is becoming more common, especially in speech. Though it still seems a bit awkward in more formal writing and fiction.

Richard Shepherd
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  • The story doesn't specify any surname. Passive voice makes story boring and unreadable after a while. It changes the rhythm, when overused. "They" seems very awkward for me as a non-native English speaker. I've never read singular "they" before. And I think it will be awkward for my friends too because they are non-natives as well. – gulyuks Aug 10 '16 at 20:56