Fair point.
I think my rampant Anglophile fangirlishness dims my view of the translations because I prefer the 'when in Rome' approach. The minority view...I can accept that.
This here's a recipe for unpleasantness.
Mal ,'Objects In Space'
Buffista Movies 7: Brides for 7 Samurai
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
beekaytee - Nov 17, 2010 8:22:50 am PST #12063 of 30000
Compassionately intolerant
Jessica - Nov 17, 2010 8:25:07 am PST #12064 of 30000
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
My vote is still for no translation, glossary in the back. I mean hell, the books were published by Scholastic - if they can't shoehorn in some vocab educational content, who can?
Steph L. - Nov 17, 2010 8:29:35 am PST #12065 of 30000
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
My vote is still for no translation, glossary in the back.
Which just took me to an Anathem place. I did so much flipping back and forth between the text and glossary that it impeded my enjoyment of the book. Though I think a re-read would be much more enjoyable, because I'd remember a lot of the words now.
megan walker - Nov 17, 2010 8:30:24 am PST #12066 of 30000
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
Normally, I'd vote no translation, but I think the hyphens alone might kill me: [link]
Kathy A - Nov 17, 2010 8:30:28 am PST #12067 of 30000
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
I got used to glossing over terms I don't understand when I read Louisa May Alcott as a kid. Her books are filled with references to people, places, and items that never left the 19th century, and I just learned to go with the flow.
Jessica - Nov 17, 2010 8:37:05 am PST #12068 of 30000
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
I'm just skimming, but fully 90% of that list could have been left in the British original text for Americans to read with no impediment to comprehension. I mean, really:
Meanwhile, in the changing rooms,changed to:
Meanwhile, in the locker room,
And
Quaffle taken by Slytherin
changed to:
Quaffle taken by the Slytherins
both strike me as being a pointless waste of effort.
megan walker - Nov 17, 2010 8:45:51 am PST #12069 of 30000
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist
This might be my favorite
platters of fat chipolatas
changed to
platters of chipolatas???
I think if you are a Br-Am English translator (and I did know someone who did that), you do everything. I know that, as an editor, I make certain changes just because otherwise readers might think we made a mistake.
sj - Nov 17, 2010 8:50:09 am PST #12070 of 30000
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
I read all the Harry Potter books in the British English, except for the last one because I couldn't wait for it. I can hear all the British voices of the characters in my head better that way, but I am also fairly familiar with the vocabulary differences.
Matt the Bruins fan - Nov 17, 2010 9:24:25 am PST #12071 of 30000
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
I don't mind at all reading a story set in Britain or about British characters that uses British English. It gives it flavor and an air of authenticity, and if something puzzles me too much to guess from context I can always look it up.
However, when I'm reading fanfic and Sam Winchester pulls a face because he thinks Dean said something daft or Teal'c visits Sam Carter in hospital to bring her a tin of crisps, I want to hold the author down and force her to listen to Bert in Mary Poppins.
§ ita § - Nov 17, 2010 9:26:50 am PST #12072 of 30000
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I don't remember tins of crisps from living in England. They came in bags. That must be a very affected writer. Or they're thinking of Pringles.
Obviously I'm biased--I don't mind if the POV isn't Sam's and he thinks Dean did something daft. Just make sure he doesn't say it.