What trips you up when reading books from different English-speaking countries?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I do notice regional differences, mostly, and hate seeing them "translated". I'd rather have to google a word or phrase than think "there's a no way a character from X would say Y"

This is my opinion too.
Knock me up also has different connotations depending on whether it is said by an American or a Brit. I was at a university function and laughed at the expression on an American professor's face when a visiting British professor asked him to knock her up in the morning.
Apache

[Uncle Robin]

I've just been reminded of another tiresome example of craven capitulation to coca-colonization in language: Reading Detective Kubu 3 which is set in Botswana and written by 2 South Africans. Both countries use Celsius for temperature and yet the book has a Motswana saying "it must be well over a hundred degrees out there". Not only does this annoy me because of forcing to find out what that temperature IS, it's annoying because it's not something the character WOULD say. Dollars to donuts the authors WROTE Celsius but the publishers changed it for that same audience who would be confused by seeing "Mum" not "Mom"

[Moonbase59]

I can cope with regional differences quite well (except for the 1st floor, for some reason) but I must agree with @Uncle Robin that I abhor forced/bad translations. They sometimes even translate character’s names (Discworld). Horrible.

Regarding measurement units, I’m undecided. Since I try to "dive into" the book when reading, I prefer original units (mi/km, °C/°F, pressure), but that’s debatable. A foreign reader might just want these converted to their usual units in order not break the reading flow.

What I detest most are still errors in orthography and bad typography. And scanning errors. These can actually make me abort a book—or start hours-long sessions to repair it…

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Nothing trips me up. English is not my native language and I don't even notice any regional differences; it's all English to me.

Originally Posted by tempest@de

It's the same for me.

Originally Posted by Apache

This is my opinion too.
Knock me up also has different connotations depending on whether it is said by an American or a Brit. I was at a university function and laughed at the expression on an American professor's face when a visiting British professor asked him to knock her up in the morning.
Apache

Similarly, I once knew someone who went on a study abroad trip to England and discovered that saying "I'm stuffed" had a completely different meaning there!


This reminds me of another British phrase that always cracks me up - "fell pregnant". It sounds like somebody just sort of fell over and somehow miraculously conceived.

[ZodWallop]

Not sure if it is still common, but I paused when I heard cigarettes referred to as 'fags.'

And I do remember a friend going to England and being concerned when a coworker said she would just bash something in to the computer.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Moonbase59

Regarding measurement units, I’m undecided. Since I try to "dive into" the book when reading, I prefer original units (mi/km, °C/°F, pressure), but that’s debatable. A foreign reader might just want these converted to their usual units in order not break the reading flow.

Yes. If a character comes in complaining that it must be 37 outside, does that mean it is hot or cold?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I do notice regional differences, mostly, and hate seeing them "translated". I'd rather have to google a word or phrase than think "there's a no way a character from X would say Y"

Yes. It's a sort of Cultural Vandalism.

Also temperatures need °F or °C

No need to update money even in old Children's books.

I mostly use metric in my SF unless it's an American. UK characters are more complicated because UK uses a mix of metric and imperial. Ireland more metric with distances as km and speeds as kph. It's a translation anyway on Alien worlds.

In Fantasy Otherworlds I'd mostly use imperial or archaic units, but °C if temperature explicit values. Most of those stories connect to here, now, so when an undercover party is in New York, Washington DC, England, Belfast, Limerick, Jerusalem or wherever they'd use local terms for everyday things to blend in.

[DiapDealer]

Very little trips me up when reading different English variants any more. Having watched a ton of British, Welsh, Canadian, Newfie, Scottish, Irish, South African, or Australian television over the years (as well as having read many "untranslated" books from same), I rarely encounter anything that really throws me ('cept maybe for Newfie ). On the rare occasions it happens, context is usually sufficient to keep things rolling right along. I actually enjoy encountering different dialects, colloquialisms and regional slang (both written and spoken) in the one language I'm fluent in.

[maddz]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Not sure if it is still common, but I paused when I heard cigarettes referred to as 'fags.'

Still around although not so much these days with the anti-smoking lobby. Now if I said a character was going for a quick slash, would an American understand what they were doing? Or where they were doing it? (The bog or the loo.)

[shalym]

Originally Posted by maddz

Still around although not so much these days with the anti-smoking lobby. Now if I said a character was going for a quick slash, would an American understand what they were doing? Or where they were doing it? (The bog or the loo.)

I would ask who or what you were cutting. Why are the choices either a swamp or a toilet?

Shari

[Moonbase59]

Originally Posted by maddz

Now if I said a character was going for a quick slash, would an American understand what they were doing?

He could be quickly cutting down an enemy while strolling along the war zone with a friend, talking. ;-) Actually, he’d probably do some high-speed urinating.

[maddz]

Yup, indeedy. The gentleman concerned is having a quick pee in the toilet. Which is why the US term restroom trips me up - why on earth would one be relieving oneself somewhere where one is having a rest? It's rather unhygienic to say the least... What's wrong with asking for the toilet? (Bog and loo are British slang for the toilet.)

[issybird]

Originally Posted by maddz

Yup, indeedy. The gentleman concerned is having a quick pee in the toilet. Which is why the US term restroom trips me up - why on earth would one be relieving oneself somewhere where one is having a rest? It's rather unhygienic to say the least... What's wrong with asking for the toilet? (Bog and loo are British slang for the toilet.)

One could just as easily ask why one would be relieving oneself in the cloakroom? Talk about unhygienic.

“Uh, no thank you, I think I’ll hang on to my cloak, I mean coat.”

[mitford13]

Pants - UK underwear, US trousers
Rug - UK blanket, US carpet. Though I’ve been told elsewhere that the UK usage is outdated now, not really used any more. Still, I seem to come across it in mysteries all the time. When they pull a rug out o’ the boot. (And not one of those with a body rolled inside)
Purse - UK coin purse/ladies wallet, US handbag

[DiapDealer]

Never heard anyone in the US say "rug" when they meant carpet. Must be regional?