[HPforGrownups] Re: WHY a UK (PS) vs. US (SS) edition and other newbie musings

[Karen Shepherd]

No: HPFGUIDX 30719

mollypickle at hotmail.com wrote:

>     I am very disappointed that J.K. Rowling went along with the
> publisher's inane suggestions as to "watering down" the books for
> American audiences. There's already enough of a perception out there
> that Americans are stupid enough culturally and isolated from the
> rest of the world; but the fact that we couldn't be bothered enough
> to look up a few references in a book really gets on my nerves.

<snip>

Newbie here, popping up with a thought...

This idea of changing words in the books is also rather puzzling when
you consider that we Canadians get the British text of the books, when
we're probably more lexiconally (if that's even appoximating something
that might be a word :->) like Americans.  I mean, we get most American
TV shows (and Canadian TV shows use the same terms Americans do), most
areas of the country get almost solely American movies (or at least
they're the ones with the biggest box office and most publicity),
American bestsellers show up on our best-seller lists...so why not
change the terms for the Canadian market?

I personally watch a lot of the British shows that PBS and TVO carry, so
I can't remember any terms in the books that I didn't know, or at least
weren't obvious from the context, but I doubt that most other Canadians
are the same way.  I mean, I understood the British terms, but I've
almost never heard another Canuck using them in everyday speech!  Did
any of the other Canadians on here find themselves scratching their
heads at some of the terms?

And as Molly said, I have to wonder if not using the same terms in the
American "translations" has watered the books down a bit?  I mean, the
characters are British, living in Britain...to me, they should sound
British!  

Just my 2 Knuts.

--Karen "Potions Student"