[HPforGrownups] Re: Translation and Cultural Issues - UK and US differences

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 34249

In a message dated 28/01/02 14:04:57 GMT Standard Time, midwife34 at aol.com 
writes:


> 
>    I have never read the original versions, but it irritates me to no 
> end that the American publishing company assumed that the US 
> population was too ignorant to follow the British slang used in the 
> original versions. The only reason that I can think of that this was 
> done  is because, statistically speaking, US students are behind in 
> reading comprehension and other areas when compared to their European 
> and Japanese counterparts, but that is only my assumption. I am sure 
> that the American publishing company must have done market studies 
> before hiring someone to go through the text and change certain words 
> so that they would be familiar to US children. Considering that the 
> US imports many movies and television programs for children from 
> Great Britain, I can't imagine that most US children have not been 
> exposed to British slang at some point, so it makes me wonder what 
> areas of the country, what statistical information,  and what age 
> groups were used for this market study?
> 
> Jo Ellen
> 

Hope I don't tread on any toes here.
I find these discussions interesting as a while back we spent three years 
living in Japan (I am English).Now, I knew I was in for a culture shock, but 
the biggest one was one I wasn't expecting: that of living in a predominantly 
American (US) expat community.
I found that I understood pretty well what was said to me, although there 
were moments, such as when my friend offered to lend me some suspenders for 
my two-year-old boy (speakers of North American English note that in the UK, 
these items are reserved solely for holding up ladies' stockings), but that I 
frequently had to translate what I said and in the end would normally use US 
terms where I could anticipate ambiguity. Like you, I had assumed that there 
was enough exposure to British English through the media for it to be 
understandable as I felt North American English was to me. 

I think though, that perhaps we do filter out thing we don't precisely 
understand when for instance seeing a movie (oops, I mean a film) which we 
can't do when reading. I have no problems with US movies, but do find that I 
notice anomalies and ambiguities more when speaking directly to Americans. 
American journalism is something else again, stylistically very different 
from ours and I find it quite hard-going.

Incidentally, when I was ranting to my husband about the change of title from 
PS to SS, his immediate response was that no-one could be expected to know 
what a philosopher's stone was anyway. Once I had got over my shock at his 
ignorance, I thought he had a point, but then since Harry and Ron have no 
idea either, until Hermione enlightens them, changing the title seems pretty 
pointless. What is a sorceror's stone, anyway?
It's a bit like saying that Raiders of the Lost Ark should have a different 
title as those not conversant with Judaeo-Christian tradition would not know 
what it was. (Come to think of it, I wonder how many people did go thinking 
it was Noah's Ark?)

'England and America are two countries divided by a common language' (attrib 
GBS)

Eloise




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