Was US POA audio modified from UK or US print?

[thetruthisoutthere_13]

No: HPFGUIDX 95405


> > Siriusly Snapey Susan wrote:
> > PRECISELY my point!  Why not *expose* American folks to the 
English 
> > English?  It's fun, it increases our understanding, and it makes 
> the > reading experience more authentic!  We don't need any MORE 
> > stuff "dumbed down" for us.  
> > If the original concern w/ the publisher was that American kids 
> > wouldn't be interested in a book that was "too English", then I 
say 
> > both: "If some American idiots wouldn't read it for that reason, 
> it's THEIR loss."  and "Have more faith in JKR's story-telling 
> ability." 
> > If the original concern w/ the publisher was that Americans 
> couldn't handle the English English, then I say:
> > "How insulting!"  


To give you something to think about, here's one reason why I 
support the publisher's decision to "Americanize" the English in the 
first HP book:

We all know that the HP books are marketed to children (whether the 
series is in fact a true Children's Series is another question). 
When the books became popular, my nine year old nephew decided to 
give the books a try.

Now, my nephew is a smart enough kid--he's not a genius, nor is he 
an idiot--and has always been stronger in math than reading. For 
years, no one could get him to read (and it never helped that his 
custodial parent isn't a huge fan of education). So over one summer 
break, my brother bought the first HP book for his son, and the kid 
struggled through it, and immediately wanted to read the other 
books. If the books hadn't been changed, it would have been 
considerably harder--and remember it was already a struggle--for my 
nephew. However, the same struggle wouldn't have existed for a child 
in a similar situation in the UK, because s/he would have understood 
the slang more easily, and wouldn't have been lost in the small 
details, like jumper versus sweater. 

The later books have had fewer changes, which especially makes sense 
since the books are more or less targeted for older children. And 
now that my nephew knows about the UK versus US versions, he's made 
me promise that I'll loan him the UK versions this summer so he can 
see the differences for himself. 

-kg
who, two and half years later, has now got her nephew started on 
Lord of the Rings, and its really thanks to Harry Potter.