Linda Brummet, a manager at the BYU Bookstore, knows all the trends of the Bookstore. She knows that sudoku books have slipping out of vogue and that books with a movie tie-in are a hit.

She also knows of another growing trend: foreign books. She said it's becoming increasingly popular for BYU students to read books in the original languages, which is why the Bookstore tries to stock books like "Les Misérables" and "Don Quixote" in French and Spanish.

In a speech in 2004, President Cecil O. Samuelson noted that 78 percent of all BYU students report some proficiency with a second language. That fact, Brummet speculates, is why foreign books are becoming popular.

Many BYU students agree with Brummet. Ellen Wilson, a sophomore from Angola, Ind. majoring in English, said she has taken French classes at BYU in hopes of being able to read "Les Misérables" in French.

"Sometimes a lot of work can be lost in translation," Wilson said. "Once you understand the culture and the language, you can see the original intent and purpose more so than you can get with a translator. You get more out of that piece of work."

Ben Hatch, a junior from Bountiful majoring in international relations, said he learned Spanish by serving his mission in Spain. He is currently in the process of reading "Don Quixote" in Spanish.

"'Don Quixote' is in older Spanish, so it takes a lot more work to really understand what the author is trying to say," Hatch said. "I wouldn't want to read a book that isn't in Spanish originally. With great pieces of literature, what the author was trying to say is not quite going to be there when it's been translated. With translation, it's not going to have the same meaning. When you read it through the original language, you catch the feeling more."

He has read other books in Spanish as well, his favorite being "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Gárcia Márquez.

"I really enjoy Gabriel's work," Hatch said. "In the future, I want to read other books that he has written. He's a little weird, but his books are well-written. He captures Latin American history from a personal view. He's kind of dark, like a lot of Latin American culture."

Daniel Garcia, a sophomore from Oregon majoring in business, said he has read about 10 books in Portuguese, and his favorite was "The Monk and the Executive." He said he learned Portuguese on his mission in Brazil and started reading Portuguese classical literature because friends in Brazil would give him books to read. Garcia agrees with Hatch that classical works are harder to read.

"Portuguese is a language that changes really frequently," Garcia said. "Great works of literature are usually in archaic Portuguese, so I have to work for it."

Although Garcia said he doesn't mind reading books originally in English translated into Portuguese, Garcia and Hatch agree that they read foreign books in their original language because of their love for the language and because it sharpens their mission-learned skills.

"When you serve you want to keep up with the language," Hatch said. "You usually come to enjoy reading and listening to the language. You have this absolute love for the language."

Garcia agrees with Hatch and Wilson that the historical context of books lets people understand the culture more.

"You absolutely understand the culture more," Garcia said. "You don't really learn anything about the history of the place on your mission, and through reading you learn more about the historical aspects that increase your cultural understanding."

After learning about the popularity of foreign books in their original language, Roger Layton of the Harold B. Lee Library said the library decided to organize a study to find out how many foreign books in the original languages are being circulated.

"Everyone in the library is really excited about this," Layton said. "Some of the librarians said that many students check out these books, but we don't know how many. We probably won't have the statistics until six months from now, but it will be exciting to see how popular these books are."

Copyright Brigham Young University 13 Mar 2008