(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

[luna-k.livejournal.com]

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.

Yeah, I don't know why they did that. Maybe publishers thought American children just wouldn't be able to comphrehend stuff?

aexia had some good links about this HERE (http://www.livejournal.com/users/luna_k/254792.html?thread=2405960#t2405960)

Btw, this is kinda OT but it took me forever to realize "jumpers" were another word for "sweaters"; in America "jumpers" are a kind of dress that little girls wear. I kept wondering why Harry and Draco were wearing dresses in all these hetfics.... *g*

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Bwah! I had the same sort of experience reading (in fic for some American fandom) about someone being 'at grammar school'. In Northern Ireland a grammar school is a high school (although the term isn't really exchangeable with high school, but anyway). I was completely confused as to how this character could be at secondary school so young. Same sort of problem with public schools - in the UK that emans a fee-paying school.

Oh, and watching Buffy last week, Joyce says she'll pick Buffy up after school, at 2:30 - 2:30? What frickin' time do classes start in the morning? My school day was 9 - 3:30 so I assume schools in California start at 8? Because yikes, the thought of being up that early...

[luna-k.livejournal.com]

Oh, and watching Buffy last week, Joyce says she'll pick Buffy up after school, at 2:30 - 2:30? What frickin' time do classes start in the morning? My school day was 9 - 3:30 so I assume schools in California start at 8?

Oh, if ONLY we started class at 8! In most American High Schools, classes start at 7:00am-7:30am. Yeah, that means you have to be out at the bus stop by like, 6:15-6:45. GAH! It really, really sucks. They stagger it out - elementary schools (kids aged 5 - 11 years old) start class at about 9am, middle schools (aged 12-14) start classes at about 8am, and high schools around 7am - so that they can reuse the bus fleets during the morning.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Good lord. For once I'm so glad I don't live in America *g*