My first post. Ever. Well, on my own site. What is it to be? What was it that came to mind when I stared at the blank page? It was the news that Cornwall has been recognized as a new minority group within the UK, ensuring that the preservation of its language and culture is given some sort of priority. Marvellous news. I love the idea that a small area can punch above its weight by having its own language – having lived in South London for years I’d argue that that’s true around here, too, with the melting pot of linguistic influences creating, amongst the young, its own spoken dynamic. But Cornish has history and it’ll take a few decades for Brixton to be granted the same status. It set me thinking, however, about languages and their creation. My son has recently introduced me to the TV epic that is Game of Thrones. I didn’t think I’d like it – bonking with swords I’d been told – but, after a couple of episodes, and still desperately keen for Sean Bean to get a haircut/wash, I was hooked. And one thing I enjoyed was the creation of the Dothraki language. To create something coherent yet novel is to me a real skill. As it was with Tolkien and his Elvish. Or in Will Self’s Book of Dave (a bit of a struggle this but undeniably the languages were an achievement – getting used to them was a bit like the first ten minutes of Letter to Brezhnev until I sorted out the Scouse accents). I’ve not tried this new language thing in my own books yet – will I ever have the time and patience, I wonder – but it is quite something for those who get it right. What I have confronted is the use of a language other than English where some of my characters come from another country (in my case Poland); of course you would expect them to talk to each other in Polish. So how do I achieve that without confusing the reader or clumsily providing a translation? My simple method was for the first few words to be in Polish and thereafter the characters speak as if in English; I hope the readers understand and it is neither over-simple nor in any way patronising. I wonder how other achieve this? Maybe there’s a convention I’ve missed (wouldn’t be the first time). In the meantime, Meur rás, Nos dá  as they say in Cornwall.