CD listening - UK/US words

[catlady_de_los_angeles]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C2780
From: catlady_de_los_angeles
Subject: Re: CD listening - UK/US words
Reply To: [Yahoo! #2755] CD listening - UK/US words
Date: 6/24/00 6:23 pm  (ET)

> I just wonder why they bothered to make the changes at all? The only
reason I can think of, is that 9-12 year old American kids are assumed
not to know the UK meanings. Is that the case?

Yes, that is the reason

> How does Scholastic decide what is and isn't likely to be understood?

They hired an Americanizer to read the pre-galleys ('manuscripts' doesn't
sound right) and mark down the changes. She was interviewed on NPR
before I started reading HP books (I'm a latecomer). She didn't change
'peppermint humbug' because she thought it was a made-up wizard thing
rather than a real life (tm) thing.

Changing Sellotape to Scotch Tape ruined the pun on Spell-o-tape --- which
led me to invent spellegraph (THE VICTORIAN INTERNET, wizard version).