My question: I wonder how writers from countries in war can tell their true stories when they write in English, which is not their first language. Do they lose part of their real voice? Or maybe writing in English helps them reach more people and fight back against silence. Can writing in another language be a kind of power or it loses the originality of the story?

This question makes me think about how translation and writing can change how stories are heard and understood.

Why this truth is important: This line tells a hard truth: that the news often makes stories of war and pain too small. When we read about people suffering, the headlines don’t show how big and real their pain is. The image of “sentences as coffins” means that sometimes writing can hide people’s emotions instead of showing them. It reminds me that we must use words carefully, because they can give life or take it away.

Why it’s beautiful to me: This line feels beautiful because it turns the act of translation into something alive and human. Mounzer describes translation not as a mechanical task but as a relationship of empathy and feeling , almost like giving life to someone else’s experience inside your own body. As a reader, I find that image powerful because it shows that language connects people emotionally, and not just intellectually.