Are people still reading in their native language? The rise of BookTok has changed the global literary landscape, and that’s no bad thing! However, there has been a quiet side effect that isn’t often discussed: the dominance of books written in English. Book stores across non-English speaking countries have changed drastically over the last five years. More and more shelves are filled with books written in English. Books written in other, local, languages are literally not visible any more.

If we stop looking for stories in our own tongue, we lose more than just words, we lose a piece of our world. Here is why it’s vital to keep your native language on your nightstand, alongside that English bestseller!

Disclaimer: No “Either/Or” Required

A lot of team members of Bookinfluencers love to read in English most of the time. We are not here to say you HAVE to ONLY read in your own native language from now on. We’re here to look at the bigger picture: what happens to our culture, our thoughts, and our local stories when we give up on our native language entirely?

Support Local Authors & Underrepresented Voices

When you read only in English, you gain access to a huge global catalogue, but you also read through an Anglo-American lens. While those stories are valuable, reading in your native language allows you to discover the heartbeat of your own community. You find authors who walk the same streets, understand your specific cultural humor, and navigate the same societal nuances.

By buying their books and attending their events at book stores, you send a powerful signal to the industry: these voices matter. We all know that giving underrepresented voices a chance is important. They, too, have a story to tell and deserve to be heard.

Supporting local authors doesn’t just help them pay their bills; it provides the momentum they need to reach a global stage. Your support can help authors get translated and reach bigger audiences. You could be the reason a local masterpiece gets translated for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Furthermore, reading locally is an act of literary diversity . Every language carries unique concepts that simply don’t translate. When you support underrepresented voices in your own tongue, you bring stories to light that would otherwise stay in the shadows.

Why these voices are essential

Some authors that write in their native language and have since been translated are making waves in the Anglo-centric literary world. These aren’t just names on a cover; they are architects of culture. When you read authors like these in their original language, you encounter a “Linguistic DNA” that translation sometimes struggles to capture:

• Olga Tokarczuk (Polish): In Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead , Tokarczuk uses the Polish language to subvert traditional “man vs. nature” narratives. Reading her in Polish reveals a specific anarchic, eco-feminist wit that feels like a secret shared between the author and her people.
• Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (Dutch): The Discomfort of Evening is famous for its visceral, “breathtakingly close” imagery. In Dutch, the prose has a raw, rural texture that captures the “Gereformeerde” (Reformed) upbringing in a way that feels hauntingly authentic—a specific discomfort that is the book’s very heartbeat.
• Tayeb Salih (Sudanese Arabic): Season of Migration to the North is a masterpiece of post-colonial literature. Salih was fluent in English, yet he chose to write in Arabic to reclaim the narrative of his country. By reading him, you aren’t just reading a story; you are witnessing an act of cultural resistance.

By choosing these books, you aren’t just supporting an author; you are preserving the unique way your culture views the world. Some stories are so deeply rooted in their native soil that they can only truly bloom in the language they were born in.

Supporting National Publishers: The Architects of Your Literary Scene

What many readers don’t realize is that your local literary culture; the festivals, the author tours, and the midnight release parties; is built by your national publishers.

In countries like the Netherlands, we often see local publishers organising events to bring international giants like Elsie Silver or Jennette McCurdy to our doorstep. But there is a hidden catch: these events are funded and fuelled by the sales of translated editions.

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The “Entry Ticket” Reality

It is becoming increasingly common for event organizers to require the purchase of a local-language edition for entry or signing. While some might find this restrictive, it is actually a vital survival tactic.

When you choose to buy a translated edition instead of an English edition, you are supporting:

• Future Events: If the local edition doesn’t sell, publishers lose the budget to fly your favorite authors in next time.
• The Translation Industry: You are directly paying for the work of talented translators who make global stories accessible to your community.
• Local Infrastructure: Buying local ensures that the “gears” of your country’s book industry keep turning.

Buying the English edition of a book you love is a personal choice, but buying the local translation is a community investment. If the translated sales numbers dwindle, the events you love will simply vanish.

Support Your Local Bookstore: The True Cost of a “Cheap” Read

We’ve all been there: you see a book on Amazon in English for half the price of the local edition at your bookstore. It’s tempting. But in the world of books, a “bargain” often comes with a hidden price tag for your community.

The Margin Gap

In general, purchasing a book in your native language generates significantly higher revenue per book for everyone: the bookstore, the publisher, the author, and the translator.

• The English Competition: Because English books are produced in massive global quantities, they are often cheaper to buy, but they carry razor-thin margins for local booksellers.
• The Local Lifeline: Local language books often have protected or better-negotiated pricing that allows your neighborhood bookstore to actually pay their rent and staff.

The “Amazon Effect”

When we prioritize the lowest price over the local source, we start to lose our independent sellers, those “third spaces” that are so important. If everyone switches to discounted English imports from global giants, the local bookstore: the one that hosts your book clubs, recommends your next favorite read, and smells like paper and coffee, will simply close its doors.

The Bottom Line: Buying local isn’t just about the language on the page; it’s about keeping the physical shops alive. Whether you prefer English or your native tongue, purchasing from a local shop ensures that your hometown remains a place where literature can live and breathe.

Protecting Diversity: Saving the Whole Book Market

If readers increasingly switch to reading entirely in English, the demand for original works in local language drops. It is a strange irony in the current book market. As we all move toward reading the same English-language bestsellers from BookTok, the market begins to shrink. This is a phenomenon known as cultural homogenization.

When a language’s readership shifts entirely to English, the “risk-taking” ability of local publishers dies out. Here is why that matters for you:

• The Death of New Voices: If demand for original works in your native language drops, publishers stop taking chances on debut authors from your country. The “next big thing” might never be published because the market was too busy buying the latest US export.
• The Loss of Unique Tropes: Every culture has its own storytelling DNA—different ways of handling romance, grief, or magic. If we only read in English, we eventually lose these unique perspectives, and stories start to feel “same-y.”
• The “Vanishing” Niche: Ironically, the “underrepresented” or diverse stories you might be looking for in English are often sitting right there in your own language, waiting to be discovered. If we don’t read them, they stop being printed.

By reading in your native language, you are essentially helping to ensure diversity. You help keep the global book market a vibrant mosaic rather than a single, English block.

Preserving the Heart: Reclaiming Your Linguistic Instincts

Reading in another language or even multiple languages can be so much fun. You learn a new language, how cool is that! But over time, if we only consume stories in English, a subtle distance can form between us and our own internal monologue. You might notice this in how you describe feelings or think about complex ideas.

The Emotional Resonance of Your “First” Words

Language is more than just a tool for communication; it is the fabric of our emotions. You may find that:

• Nuance Returns: Some feelings are simply “untranslatable.” There are specific words in your mother tongue for grief, joy, or nostalgia that English cannot quite capture. Reading in your native language reacquaints you with these nuances.
• Cognitive Ease: Reading in your first language allows your brain to relax into a state of “deep flow.” Without the micro-effort of translation, the connection between the page and your heart becomes instantaneous.
• Bridging the Gap: By switching between languages, you keep your “linguistic instincts” sharp. You’ll notice that you describe complex ideas more vividly and express your feelings with more precision in both languages.

A Final Thought: The Power of the Switch

Don’t let your first language become a “formal” tool you only use for grocery lists or family phone calls. Treat it as a sanctuary for your imagination. Try a “dual-reading” habit: read your favorite fantasy epic in English, but pick up a local contemporary novel next.

By keeping your native language alive in your mind, you aren’t just reading a book—you are keeping your most authentic self reachable.