(no subject)

[beccaelizabeth]

Reasons not to get the US edition of anything: There's nothing jars quite like a Scotsman in a Neil Gaiman book apparently thinking the word 'sidewalk'.

The free ebook of Neverwhere has already told me it has enough newness, compared to the TV, for it to be worth buying. I'll get one next time I'm in town.

Comments

[agilesreader.livejournal.com]

What do you call sidewalks?

[beccaelizabeth]

pavement

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hate it when they change words for the American. I'm confused enough already about words without that.

I don't know cases where they change words in books for the British. Does it ever happen? Where they do the converse, and have Americans thinking about things in British terms?

[beccaelizabeth]

I wouldn't spot it. When it's a UK voice with a US accent it's like tripping on something, but UK voice just seems normal. I think all the authors I follow that have different US and UK editions are UK authors, but I don't always keep track of where a book is from anyway.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I would spot a pavement/sidewalk substitution and I really think I've never seen anything like that switch from American to British - but then, I wouldn't; British editions of books are hard to find here. And I don't read that many American authors, comparatively.

As far as I know, no one changes words in Canadian books, but they probably wouldn't feel the need.