(no subject)

[doyle]

Checking out a post on hp_essays about Britpicking - because some of the Harry Potter fic I was reading last night was fantastic but had an Americanism every couple of paragraphs1, and dumpsters and diapers2 and candy stores in a British setting just bring me to a screeching halt - and am I understanding the comments right? The books were translated into American English? :boggles: I knew the title of Philosopher's Stone was changed but assumed the text had been left alone. That just seems odd.

1: Yep, aware of the irony in this since I'm plenty guilty of sticking Briticisms into Buffy fic.

2. Uh, the nappies/diapers were on a baby, they weren't the kind for grown-ups.

Comments

[debvel.livejournal.com]

I've read both versions of the first book. I don't remember all the changes, but it was mostly just a word here or there. "Revising" vs. "Studying", etc.

Google'd a link - a list of what was changed in books 1-4 (http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/potter.html).

Last night I was trying to figure out if I can get the UK versions from amazon.com, and apparently the answer is "no". I'm thinking of ordering them from amazon.ca.

:boggles some more:

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Okay, I get changing comprehensive to public school - which means the exact opposite in British English - but they changed 'mummy' to 'mommy'?

That's on par with someone having Buffy and Dawn call Joyce 'mum' in Buffy fic. The books are set in England, for god's sake!

Re: :boggles some more:

[debvel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not sure who thought American kids would be confused by "mummy".

Things like "jumper" to "sweater" and "tank top" to "sweater vest" make more sense, since an American is going to get an odd mental image when the word means something entirely different.

I think the only terms in the UK edition that had me cross-checking in my US version were "sherbet lemon" (from the context it was obviously a type of candy, not an ice-cream like dessert) and "revision" (I couldn't figure out why they were correcting their work before they'd even taken the exams). :)

Re: :boggles some more:

[dolores.livejournal.com]

Set in England?! Hogwarts is clearly in Scotland!

;)

Re: :boggles some more:

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

*g* They should all have Scottish accents. And eat Hagrid haggis.

[owl]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/11072991/ref=w_h__brbx_c_1_2/026-6511235-8406028

Apparently they do deliver to North America. It seems to cost a horrendous amount of postage though.

[owl]

Well! Some of those changes are understandable, some are unnecessary, and some bloody stupid. For example, a candelabra is not an 'iron chandelier'. Nor is a closet a wardrobe (in my understanding, a closet is a build-in cupboard, while a wardrobe stands alone. A cupboard is pendant from a wall, and is usually found in the kitchen.)

And, dammit, bollards are NOT wastepaperbaskets!!! They're two foot high concrete posts!!

[owl]

Also, newsreaders (newscasters) and reporters are different things, jacket and baked potatoes are not the same and scarpered does not imply the same as scampered. Grr. Bloody bloody stupid American publishing company...