h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You mean, they translate the British English into American English

Contemporary Russians: they say Kurkov's Death and the Penguin is quite entertaining. And a friend of mine is quite keen on Akunin's Fandorin series (another one less so).

We need another thread on 'breakthrough' writers from the non-English-speaking world.

I suppose the obvious one is Stieg Larsson who, I understand, was outsold only by Dan Brown.

I should imagine some of it is also about supply. If I was to read solely Danish authors, I would run out of choice rather quickly. Whereas purely American authors could keep you reading for a long time, due to the larger population. Less reason to read foreign literature.

bttpgp- Yes, Canada has language laws, created to protect Francophone culture (a noble but probably ultimately ill-conceived idea). The point is that we have a thriving Quebec cultural film and literary industry that prints in the original, with subtitles and translations. We don't do re-makes in a different *style* and language for films and books, and we generally don't do that with other languages either, like the US does.

toybox, yes- have you not heard of the US versions of the Potter books?

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070423094014AAw8A4N

That never occurred to me - that one would read authors from one's own country, and only venture into foreign literature when you've read every book from your own country...

That's absurd.

'we have a thriving Quebec cultural film . . .'

Don't forget to mention films like 'Bon Cop, Bad Cop', zoomer, which quite happily switched back and forth between French and English (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCJ3U-JbWIs&feature=related)


And, in defense of the U.S., Quebec's 'Taxi 22' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ71WmjDQYE) is apparently being picked up by HBO for remake, translation and transfer to New York.

There´s a South African remake of Hollywod low-brow comedy Big Momma´s House.

<<- Open up your daily newspapers and you will find that the fire in the Presbylutheran Rereformed Cathoprotestant Church in a city ten miles down the road is on the front page (**), whereas the near-atomic conflict between Pakindia and Nepalistan is mentioned somewhere on page 5. Sports, of course, get everything in between. (***)>>

this reminded me of a conversation i heard on the TV a few years back

what we don't realize is how big america actually is

each of the states is roughly the size of a country so when you factoring all the news fron the state, all the local news, neighbouring states and all the national news, sport etc. theres not a lot left for international news.

look at our papers can we say what happend in another country, unless it was world shaking enough to have an effect on us directly, or was an amusing anecdote about a cute kitty????

toybox - "You mean, they translate the British English into American English"

I don't know if it is that the publishing houses have style guidelines that mean that on proof reading or whatever they take books by British authors and adjust them into American English and likewise only translate from foreign languages into that too.

*defense*? They are Americanizing it!




Stay tuned for the German remake of Big Momma's House-

*Das Große Haus der Großen Mutter*

Mutter mixes too much rum in the Rumtopf and hilarity ensues!

This "We don't realise how big America is" line comes up again and again.

Yes, it's big. Canada and Russia are big, Europe is big, and Australia is big. Africa is a fairly large place, too. Chile's longer than I'd like to walk in one day, and India is enormous, too.

It's big, but not *that* big.

Taff, I think the UK as a member of the EU still manages to have more news about Asia, Africa, SA, etc. than the majority of US news outlets.

KB

look at the BBC news website

how often does a story from canada feature on there?????

we get virtually no news from canada, yet you look at a canadian news report and its full of news

i'm going for the we are an island thing again

we are affected by world events we are a small nation on a large stage

what happens with farmers in americas mid west, they are insulated from the outside world, things that happen far away are filtered through news agencys in washington, new york, and LA, so by the time it gets to them its not the huge story it would be to us, so by being insulated they become more inward looking and local stories take more of a pressedent

Yet when something in Canada or Russia happens, we're all instant experts.

I would just say the the average US citizen is less knowledgeable about the rest of the world (geographically, culturally, socially) than the rest of the world is about the whole world.

That seems to be reflected by the lack of subtitled films, translated books and cultural influences from outside sources in the US. Late night comedy hosts have gotten traction with this by simple street interviews, blank maps and political questions.

I'm just wondering why?

<>

<<- International conflicts only matter if some poor American soldier dies.>>

I think that you only have to look around you in the UK to see that the same situation exists here also. Some people, H2G2 users for instance, take an interest in the wider world and are fairly well informed. However a lot of people only read the Star/Nuts/Hello and know of nothing beyond Corrie and Jordan. The same situation exists in pretty much every country.
Those that want to know, find out. Those that dont care, stay ignorant.

todaymueller, i think you have got it

just remembered a chap in my home town a few years ago didn't know where or how far devon was?!?!?

i told him, when you go to the beach! that big bit of land on the otherside of the water?? thats devon