Localisation for ebooks

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

It wasn't from a mobile phone though, and the main character is an English policeman.

In that case it plainly is wrong, I agree.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by HarryT

(For our American friends, the emergency phone number in the UK is "999")

Wasn't it recently changed to "0118 999 881 999 119 7253?"
As per this public service announcement:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab8GtuPdrUQ

As an American who lived in Europe for a couple of years (and who went to elementary school in Canada in '74-75, when they were teaching how to switch), I'm pretty comfortable with the metric system, except for those cases where knowing a precise number matters.

I.e., if the doctor takes a patient's temperature and the thermometer reads 37 degrees, I'm not sure if that is normal temperature, a fever, a high fever, or too low. Or if the solution to the mystery turns on the fact that a real chef would cook a souffle at 170 degrees, not 200 degrees, I'll probably miss that, too.

But I'd rather know how much someone weighs in kilos rather than stones.

[bigjantailor]

On of the strangest experiences I had was have an Engish person copy edit my book. The quality was great but the Englishisms did not work for a book set in Vancouver Canada with all the character Canadian. Lots of changing pavement to sidewalk.

I have no problem with localism in book about that location. Like we've had the word hoochy for 50 years but here it is a plastic squid used to lure salmon.

And its really common to mix metric and imperial here. Like a person heigth feet and inchs. Depth of water on the chart meters, on the fish finder feet. Speed KPH unless your going really fast than its MPH. Liquor bottles Oz. Beer cans ml.

Have fun, Jan

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by bigjantailor

On of the strangest experiences I had was have an Engish person copy edit my book. The quality was great but the Englishisms did not work for a book set in Vancouver Canada with all the character Canadian. Lots of changing pavement to sidewalk.

????

No English person would use the word "sidewalk"; that's a pure Americanism.

[bigjantailor]

Originally Posted by HarryT

????

No English person would use the word "sidewalk"; that's a pure Americanism.

Me as a Canadian had to change pavement back to sidewalk.

Have fun, Jan

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by bigjantailor

And its really common to mix metric and imperial here. Like a person heigth feet and inchs. Depth of water on the chart meters, on the fish finder feet. Speed KPH unless your going really fast than its MPH. Liquor bottles Oz. Beer cans ml.

Have fun, Jan

If you go to Quetico (or the Boundary Waters on the US side), portages are still measured in rods. (320 rods to a mile).