I generally do the same as you, with foreign language in the story's dialogue followed by translations in end notes. I feel like that's a pretty common way to go about it. Especially when you go past simple interjections and go into full sentences, it's only fair to provide translations where appropriate. That's just my opinion, though.
To play Devil's Advocate, there can be moments in a story when providing no translation of a particular phrase is convenient for the author and advances the plot. While this method needs to be used with care, it can be very effective.
I used this method in a scene where Hermione and Viktor Krum are discussing the war: Krum references the Bulgarian version of "You Know Who," which I spelled out in Cyrillic rather than Romanized. I did this because the scene was from Hermione's point of view. Hermione, not speaking a lick of Bulgarian, would find the words absolutely foreign coming from Viktor's lips. I wanted to create that jarring effect for my audience by writing the Cyrillic, knowing most of my readership would not understand the word or have a clue how it was pronounced. I provided no translation. Like Hermione, my readers were supposed to cock their heads and go "huh?". But it was clear the characters were discussing Voldemort and I did not use this method often, making this instance stand out in the reader's memory. I used this moment to advance a sub-plot in which my Hermione develops a cold attitude towards Eastern-European men, starting with this tiny moment with Krum and building outward. If you use it right and sparingly, the jar and clang of foreign language can be very helpful.
I am an audio-synesthete, so for me, I need to at least see the written language so I can try to decipher what it would sound like. Sometimes the cadence a character speaks with or the repetition of certain vowels or consonants can be just as telling as what they're actually saying. Personally, I feel cheated when a character is translated into English without the original language appearing somewhere, even in a footnote. I'm curious and I like to know! :)
no subject
To play Devil's Advocate, there can be moments in a story when providing no translation of a particular phrase is convenient for the author and advances the plot. While this method needs to be used with care, it can be very effective.
I used this method in a scene where Hermione and Viktor Krum are discussing the war: Krum references the Bulgarian version of "You Know Who," which I spelled out in Cyrillic rather than Romanized. I did this because the scene was from Hermione's point of view. Hermione, not speaking a lick of Bulgarian, would find the words absolutely foreign coming from Viktor's lips. I wanted to create that jarring effect for my audience by writing the Cyrillic, knowing most of my readership would not understand the word or have a clue how it was pronounced. I provided no translation. Like Hermione, my readers were supposed to cock their heads and go "huh?". But it was clear the characters were discussing Voldemort and I did not use this method often, making this instance stand out in the reader's memory. I used this moment to advance a sub-plot in which my Hermione develops a cold attitude towards Eastern-European men, starting with this tiny moment with Krum and building outward. If you use it right and sparingly, the jar and clang of foreign language can be very helpful.
I am an audio-synesthete, so for me, I need to at least see the written language so I can try to decipher what it would sound like. Sometimes the cadence a character speaks with or the repetition of certain vowels or consonants can be just as telling as what they're actually saying. Personally, I feel cheated when a character is translated into English without the original language appearing somewhere, even in a footnote. I'm curious and I like to know! :)