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Naples on the page
Neapolitan is one of Italy's most vigorous and most written regional languages, with a long literary, theatrical and musical tradition. Contemporary Italian fiction set in Naples often mixes standard Italian with Neapolitan in its dialogue, and translators face the same problem Alex faced with Triestine — only louder. For literary translators, a second book is often decided by practical factors as much as by love: the fee, the deadline, the timing with other commitments, and whether the voice of the book is one they want to live with for months. Asking for an extra month politely is common, and publishers often grant it. Weighing an offer in Italian has its own phrases: converrebbe, varrebbe la pena, a conti fatti, tutto considerato, da una parte … dall'altra, il rovescio della medaglia. They let a speaker think aloud without committing too soon.