I have a bilingual character, that utters a word or phrase in Spanish; should I italicize the word and or in parenthesis define it? I know the scene should give the reader a sense of it's meaning, but at the same time I wouldn't want a reader to have to hit up Google to translate it taking him/her away from reading. Daughter: I'm going to the party. Dad: Coño, I said no! or Daughter: I'm going to the party. Dad: Coño (Goddamn it) , I said no!
Screenwriting : Screenwriting: Bilingual Characters by Carlos Pena
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I say go with the first and let it flow. I don't feel there's anything wrong with the odd word a reader may not understand providing the context is there. But certainly consider the audience at all times and if they'll follow. In Pulp Fiction Vince Vega's dealer uses the term mi casa su case and it's clear what he's saying even if you don't know the direct translation.
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I would go with the top one in the example provided, but I would italicize it.
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If there's a way to explain at least the gist of a couple of these words to the audience, without interrupting the flow of dialogue or the scene, that would help the audience. ex. continuing your dialogue: Daughter: Dad, you know I hate it when you take the Lord's name in vain. -- then whatever else she was going to say next. If you have a lot of these Spanish words/phrases, then just pick out a couple important examples to explain. You don't want to get bogged down in trying to explain everything. and make sure it doesn't interrupt the flow
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Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.