These are excerpts from the author’s book “Deep,” which contains eight of his small books published in the form of Wisdom Literature covering different aspects of life: Facing troublemakers, dealing with pain, personal financial issues, gastronomy, reading, criticizing, inspiring, and feeling always good to go.

Series 5: Reading.

Reading in Another Language

• It’s never too late. If you missed learning a second language in the past, no matter how long it has been, do not despair of achieving this and benefiting from it in expanding your horizons in reading and other life aspects, whatever your level of second-language proficiency would be.

• Do not despair no matter how much you fail. Try again, either with the same new language you are trying to learn or with another language. Breaking into other languages is not just a linguistic skill. It is an openness to the amazing realms of knowledge, perception, and taste in all aspects of life.

• If you miss learning a second language or more for any reason, do not miss reading translated books on the literature and other knowledge aspects of other languages by distinguished translators. This will help you to get closer to those cultures, and even to the ways of linguistic expression in these languages, thus opening up the world in a much better way than judging it through the window of your language and culture alone.

• In addition to the greater number of readings available to you, and additional acquired general knowledge the other language allows, creatively enriching expression in your own language is one of the greatest trophies of reading in a language other than your mother tongue.

• We learn the new language letter by letter, word by word. Then we learn simple idioms and sentences mostly literally. Astonishing horizons of linguistic spoils then open before us in style and expression that can add to our mother tongues and deepen our abilities to express ourselves and the world in a richer way.

• If you are not fluent in reading in a second language, don’t let that stop you from continuing to read in it, even if you feel annoyed by the slowness and decreased pleasure of reading because of the difficulty of the language. Continue reading mainly in your mother tongue, and dedicate some spare time—even just a little—to reading in the second language so that you develop your reading skills in it and obtain the great benefits of being open to another culture.

• No matter how hard the translator works to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the original text, he or she inserts his or her own understanding and perception in many areas. Reading the original text in the author’s mother tongue makes you the master of the situation to create your own concept of the text away from any guardianship or medium.

• The translator does not always deliberately betray the original text, and the issue is not necessarily that he or she reflects his or her own perception of the text spontaneously. The biggest challenge is the language itself. Any language carries more than one meaning for one word and carries for one meaning many words and expressions. Reading the text in its original language provides the perfect opportunity to deal with such language challenges.

• Translation mislays much of the linguistic value of some texts that depend mainly on style, rhythm of words and sentences, and wordplay, such as lyrical poetry. Therefore, it becomes unavoidable to read such works in the authors’ mother tongues to realize their literary value.

• Being proficient in reading in a second language increases reading opportunities for you. The benefits also increase by making it possible to access translations from all other languages through the second language you master.