Giving Your Characters a Voice

Using AI to Translate Dialogue into Dialect

Introduction

As storytellers, we know that dialogue is more than just words on a page—it’s the voice of our characters, the rhythm of their world, and a window into their lives. But what happens when our characters hail from a specific region with a distinct dialect? Capturing that authentic voice can be a challenge, especially when you're striving to stay true to a particular time and place.

In my ongoing exploration of AI tools for storytelling, I decided to tackle this challenge head-on. I decided to build a tool that not only captures the pronunciation and phrasing typical of a given era but also helps bring characters to life in a way that feels genuine and rooted in their cultural background.

Specifically, I wanted to create a GPT prompt that could help me with a novel that I’m writing which is set in the present day, and is set in my home town of Chesterfield, England. One of the main characters in the novel is an elderly man, and I decided that I’d like him to have a strong Derbyshire accent. Given the character’s age, I want his dialogue to reflect the way a man born in the 1950s would speak.

The Challenge of Dialect Translation

Translating dialogue into a regional dialect isn’t as simple as swapping out a few words. It’s about understanding the nuances of pronunciation, the rhythm of speech, and the cultural references that shape how people from a particular area communicate. For a Derbyshire accent, especially one from the mid-20th century, this means capturing a specific way of speaking that might be unfamiliar to many readers but instantly recognizable to those who know it.

The Derbyshire accent, with its distinct vowel sounds and dropped consonants, is a perfect example of this complexity. Add in the fact that language evolves over time, and you’ve got a fascinating challenge on your hands.

The AI Approach

To address this challenge, I created a custom prompt, which I then used to create a reusable GPT. The goal was to have the AI translate standard English dialogue into a Derbyshire accent while maintaining the original meaning and tone. Here’s the prompt I used:

Convert the following sentences of dialogue into a Derbyshire accent, reflecting the way a man born in the 1950s would speak. The conversion should accurately capture the pronunciation, vocabulary, and phrasing typical of the era and region. Maintain the original meaning and tone of the dialogue while ensuring it sounds authentic to a Derbyshire man from that time period.

Original Dialogue:

• "How are you doing today?"

• "How are you?"

• "I was just thinking about going down to the market."

• "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Derbyshire Accent Conversion:

• "Ow a thi doin'?"

• "Ow a tha?"

• "I were just thinkin’ abaht goin’ dahn t’ market."

• "Tha fancy a cuppa?"

Example Translation

As you can see, the Derbyshire accent conversion adds a layer of authenticity to the dialogue. The AI not only translated the words but also adjusted the phrasing to match the natural speech patterns of a Derbyshire man from the 1950s. The result is dialogue that feels true to the character’s background and era, enhancing the overall believability of the scene.

Potential Applications

This approach has broad applications for writers and storytellers who want to incorporate regional dialects into their work. Whether you're writing historical fiction, contemporary drama, or even fantasy with unique cultures, using an AI-powered tool like this can help ensure that your characters' voices are as authentic as possible.

For those who enjoy world-building, this technique can also be used to create distinct languages or speech patterns for different regions or species within your fictional universe.

Creating and Testing the AI Tool

If you’re interested in creating your own dialect-translating AI tool, the process is straightforward, especially if you have access to a platform like ChatGPT. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open ChatGPT: Start by opening a new ChatGPT window and clicking on the ‘Explore GPTs’ in the left-hand column.

2. Create a New GPT: Click on the ‘+ Create’ button in the top left-hand corner.

3. Input Your Prompt: Copy and paste your custom prompt into the ‘Instructions’ field. For example, you can use the prompt above to translate dialogue into a Derbyshire accent. If you have a premium ChatGPT accoount, you can try out my GPT here.

4. Test the AI Tool: Once your AI tool is set up, you can start testing it by pasting in dialogue from your manuscript and reviewing the output. Make sure it captures the right tone, pronunciation, and phrasing for your specific needs.
   
   As an example, here’s what it gave me when I asked it to translate a contemporary version of The Lord’s Prayer:
   
   Are Fatha, who art in ‘eaven,
   ‘Allowed be thy name,
   Thy kingdom come,
   Thy will be done,
   On earth as it is in ‘eaven.
   Gi' us this day our daily bread.
   An’ forgive us our trespasses,
   As we forgive them as trespass against us.
   An’ lead us not inter temptation,
   But deliver us from evil.
   For thine is the kingdom,
   The power, an’ the glory,
   For ever an’ ever. Amen.

Conclusion

Incorporating regional dialects into your writing can bring your characters to life in ways that resonate deeply with readers. By leveraging AI tools, you can create custom solutions to tackle the complexities of dialect translation, ensuring that your characters' voices are authentic and true to their backgrounds.

If you’ve got a character whose voice needs a little extra local flavor, consider trying out a dialect AI tool. You might be surprised at how much it can elevate your storytelling.