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UK/US English
Thread poster: Hannah Burrow
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:11
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Now, that is off topic, but I will reply anyway. May 23, 2012

Marina Steinbach wrote:

Nicole Schnell wrote:

They are entitled to exchange good humor, tough love and they are entitled to exchange good-hearted mockery.


Hello Nicole,

Since I have joined ProZ in 2011, you have always been an inspiration for me. I have now wanted to visit your website at

http://www.schnellcreative.com

and landed at

GoDaddy.com

How come?


We bought the domain name for email purposes about 11 years ago but never created a website. Web hosting comes automatically with the purchase of a domain name. If you, however, chose not to take advantage of their web hosting service, they will put up a "blank" website under your domain name that is plastered with ads on their own behalf. Not funny...


 
Ildiko Santana
Ildiko Santana  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:11
Member (2002)
Hungarian to English
+ ...

MODERATOR
21st Century American English Compendium May 23, 2012

Hannah Burrow wrote:

I was wondering if somebody could recommend some resources (books, websites etc) which help translators negotiate their way between UK and US English.


Hi Hannah,

I started working as a translator (En>Hu) 19 years ago in Hungary, with mostly UK clients. 13 years ago I relocated to California. I have found that active and frequent social contact can be as useful as any language-specific writing. Movies, radio, television and print media are also essential. If you are lucky enough to have children, they will always teach you the newest lingo that's "in". There is, of course, tremendous information out there on the web, although it can get a little overwhelming at times.. I might be old-fashioned, but I still prefer books (printed on paper). Besides various editor's handbooks -- Chicago Manual of Style, The Copyeditor's Handbook, Elements of Style --, Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue" and "Made in America", as well as numerous other books and monolingual dictionaries, I can highly recommend the following guidebook:

"21st Century American English Compendium
A Guidebook for Translators, Interpreters, Writers, Editors, and Advanced Language Students"


by Marv Rubinstein
Formerly Adjunct Professor
Monterey Institute of International Studies
(Schreiber Publishing)
Chapter Six (page 165 to 250) : British vs. American English (and Vice Versa)


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:11
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
"Divided by a Common Language" May 23, 2012

Not only a very common saying, but also the title of a book by Christopher Davies that won't break the bank and is very entertaining and helpful. As one reviewer on Amazon says, it isn't 100% accurate, but a lot of that could be due to the difference over time (my great-gran's English would sound very odd nowadays) and/or regional variations.

Sheila


 
Hannah Burrow
Hannah Burrow  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:11
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Very useful indeed : ) May 23, 2012

Hi Phil,

Thanks very much for this information, which I'm finding very useful and interesting. Do you have the title of this dictionary? I might be interested in buying it.

Also, do you have any further information about US to UK localisation services. It seems like it might be a good idea to do this along with my US fiance.

I live in Detroit, Michigan (which I love, despite the horror stories!), and I'd love to visit New Orleans one day. I haven't yet jo
... See more
Hi Phil,

Thanks very much for this information, which I'm finding very useful and interesting. Do you have the title of this dictionary? I might be interested in buying it.

Also, do you have any further information about US to UK localisation services. It seems like it might be a good idea to do this along with my US fiance.

I live in Detroit, Michigan (which I love, despite the horror stories!), and I'd love to visit New Orleans one day. I haven't yet joined the ATA but definitely plan to soon.

Thanks again,

Hannah

philgoddard wrote:

I'm in the same situation as you - I migrated to the US from the UK four years ago.

You should just advertise that you do UK and US English. I find writing US English is pretty easy most of the time, and I don't think there's much you can do in terms of brushing up your skills apart from reading and listening a lot.

That said, the differences can be substantial (I once came across a UK-US dictionary of about 300 pages), and you never stop learning. About once a week, I'll say something and people will stare at me uncomprehendingly (two recent examples: "have a lie in" and "sultanas"). When I'm writing in US English, I just use a US spellchecker and get my American wife to check it if necessary. I wouldn't attempt literary translation in US English though - I think my Englishness would show through.

One thing I have found is that there's a good market for US to UK (and vice versa) localisation. I would definitely advertise this as a service in your situation. Another thing I get quite a lot of is brand-name consultancy, telling customers whether their product names would work in the UK or US market. My wife and I work as a team doing this, and it can be quite good money.

Anyway, good luck! Where do you live, by the way? I'm in New Orleans. And have you joined the ATA? It's a good way of getting work, and you don't have to pass any exams.

[Edited at 2012-05-22 17:05 GMT]
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Hannah Burrow
Hannah Burrow  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:11
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you May 23, 2012

Thanks also to everyone for all the great information you've sent me, you're definitely helping me on my way to becoming a UK and US English translator!

 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 20:11
Portuguese to English
+ ...
A site May 23, 2012

I found the following site with a comparison of some US and UK words with their equivalents in PT-BR. The text is in Portuguese but the tables are understandable. For example, shoulder (US) = hard shoulder (UK) = acostamento (PT-BR). Also has some spelling differences. Good links too.

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-usxuk.html


 
Clifford Marcus
Clifford Marcus
Local time: 00:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
Go to baseball games Jul 11, 2012

Best way of learning US English is to take an interest in baseball....

I shed tears of delight when I understood why they say "flied out" as past of fly out....


 
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