American editor underestimates the intelligence of Harry Potter readers

When I got my first Harry Potter book (the Scholastic edition) I noticed that it used American spellings (things like "color" instead of "colour"). And the name of the book didn't match the movie (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone).

Later at another bookstore I found the Canadian edition (from Raincoast books), and it had much prettier cover art so I bought the rest of my Potter books from there. And I was so unhappy about my American book that I ended up buying Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from Raincoast too.

It's not just the spelling that's Americanized in the Scholastic edition. A quaffle is compared to a soccer ball (not a football), a Beater's bat is like "a short baseball bat" (not a rounder's bat, whatever that is), and Hermione has a crying jag in "the "bathroom" (not the toilets). All that in about 4 pages.

Is this interference called for? There's no question for me personally - half the charm of the Potter stories is their Britishness (I'm pretty nerdy about my love of things English) and I can't help but feel that the American books are butchered. But they're more approachable for American kids. Does this dumb them down too much?

EDIT: I've changed the title to reflect what I see as the real issue. But this discussion has brought home the fact that many Americans see everything un-American as, at best, not the sort of thing impressionable kids should be exposed to.

so see?

you disagree

you find that his statements do not apply

you made your points

so you go about your day happy as a clam

note: I have no personal knowledge about or ability to rate the happiness of clams in isolation or in relation to other creatures...

Maybe they are just jealous that we're the ones getting the Harry Potter amusement park?

And I agree, Athena...

But true or not (obviously I think not) the post was inflammatory and offensive.

are you guys done patting eachother on the back now? :)

opinions are opinions and it's silly to get upset when someone doesn't agree with you. the post, in MY opinion wasn't offensive, because i agree with the original poster. again, a matter of opinion.

It's not a matter of dumbing down; it's a matter of culture. In America, spelling color with a "u" is grammatically incorrect. If children see it spelled incorrectly, they will write it incorrect. And while they may travel to England and be praised, back in the states they'll get marked wrong on their English papers. And so what if they changed the comparisons, the context is still the same.

im not calling americans dumb, but the editor seems to think that there are more stupid people than smart ones in America...

Stores should give the choice to buy the "dumbed down" american version or the English version, then everyone would be happy

Personally, im fine with it either way

is this
a tempest in a teacup?
or
a storm in a teacup?
or
much ado about nothing?
as you like it, I say....

So, kindoflikesarah, you think that books by American authors printed in and sold in Britain which are edited simply to change American spellings and words for British spellings and words are "dumbed down" for the poor Brits, eh?

Well, okay, then. I think that's a completely stupid notion, but since that's my opinion, I'm sure you will not get upset that I don't agree with you. :-)

Maybe I should post a new thread "British people are dumb" because their first floor is one floor above ground floor, and we call that the second floor.

And you can't argue with me because that's just my opinion!

I would love if the book was Americanized in all the text but the dialogs.  I think the kids should speak "British".  But I don't remember noticing anything about it when I read the books.  And I'm also not 9 years old.

*waits patiently for nomo's next poem*

if i got upset when people didn't agree with me i'd be upset pretty much all the time. i didn't put "and this ONLY applies to you" in my previous post, now did i? :)

i agreed that the books were "dumbed down" for americans. the original post doesn't say something like "all books that are translated are dumbed down", so why ask me if i think that? why get off topic just to argue?

and if youwant to get off topic, so will i, look at how intelligent average americans are...

http://www.jibjab.com/view/113429

*throws the flag...or for the benefit of our British friends...flashes the white card* offsides...Nomo, you didn't write that in iambic pentameter...

i don't think anyone should be arguing about this, just having a conversation!

but please, continue being immature about it.

maybe kindoflikesarah should move to England, since she is quite the anglophile.

whatever...*agrees to disagree*

The assumption that the American way of spelling color is 'dumber' than the British way already sets the level of maturity...just going with the flow...:)

*accepts penalty for lack of iambic pentameter-ness*

*sits in penalty box, tapping knee nervously for time to expire*

because i don't agree with the fact that the books were translated into american english i'm "quite the anglophile"?

jeez, you are immature.

hahahah. this is fun.

well, i do recall earlier in the post talking about how dumb americans are and how they don't accept you b/c of how you look. *wipes tear from eye*

i just figured you were ready to jump the pond.

no...the fact that you deem Americans stupid because of a practice widly used in many language translations, not just American english...is what seems rather naive at best and insulting at worst...

*still waiting for nomo's next poem...*

Can we all agree that authors have the right to alter, amend, add on to, subtract from their works as they determine best serves the work?  (This is the very nature of copyright ownership.)

Can we all agree that some of us appreciate these alterations and some of us do not?

Can we all accept that this disagreement will in no way harm the fabric of the universe or indeed, our relationships with those who disagree with us?

This discussion reminds me an argument I had with someone who despised the 'readers condensed' versions of the classics.  Personally I agree, I'd rather read the whole classic as it was written.  But if others perfer a condensed version who am I to approve or disapprove of it.

For every book, a reader.

For every reader, a book.*

*or information source, but you know....

EDIT: sorry poohb! it wasn't a poem.... *begins furiously working on new poem*