Teen Multilingual History Book

I’m putting together an educational book for South African teenagers that weaves together history, romance-driven character stories, honest discussions around violence, and deliberate language-learning elements. The goal is to publish it in nearly all of our official languages so that every learner can read the same content in the language they feel most at home with—while also having the option to compare versions and pick up new vocabulary along the way. I already have the core concept mapped out but I need your help shaping it into a full manuscript and then adapting it into (at minimum) isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, siSwati and isiNdebele. That means crafting engaging yet age-appropriate prose, ensuring historical accuracy, handling sensitive themes responsibly, and paying careful attention to dialect, idiom and cultural nuance during translation. Because language learning is one of the pillars, each chapter should close with a short bilingual glossary and a few comprehension questions that encourage code-switching. I’m happy to collaborate on the outline, but I rely on you for the heavy lifting of writing, translating and harmonising tone across all versions. Deliverables I’ll need: • A master manuscript in English (or your preferred drafting language). • Complete, publication-ready translations in the listed South African languages. • End-of-chapter glossaries and teen-friendly discussion prompts in each version. • A brief translator’s note for every language highlighting tricky terms and cultural considerations. I’d like to see a concise sample—one scene or chapter in both the source language and a translated language—so I can gauge voice consistency before we move into the full project. If you have prior work aimed at teens or any multilingual educational material, feel free to include it. Let’s give South African learners a story that speaks to them—literally—in their own tongues.

Proje No: 40066312

Konum: South Africa