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mandragora'Titanic' is on and I've been watching the least the last half an hour whilst watching the news. God, it's a crap film. Good special effects but the plot is incredibly stupid, not to mention anachronistic. *So* many historical errors, not to mention making out certain historical personages as being 'baddies' when all the evidence is that they were nothing of the sort.
And whilst we're on the subject of inaccuracies...Why do otherwise pretty damn good non-British writers who write Harry Potter fanfiction think that they don't need a Brit-beta? I'm trundling along happily reading a story until - bang! - I'm thrown right out of it by reading a phrase or word that Just Isn't British. Once this happens I'm on edge throughout the rest of the story just waiting for the next bit of non-British phraseology, which makes it difficult to enjoy the story. I don't understand why in this age of instant communication the non-British writers don't get a Brit-beta to at least glance over their story and pick up on the most obvious bits, if nothing else.
I mean, how hard can it be finding a Brit-beta? Hell, I'll even volunteer (can't guarantee I'll get back straight away mind you). I don't expect the crap-writers to bother about accuracy, but it frustrates me to bits when the good writers don't bother either. I don't post stuff set in a non-British fandom without getting it betaed by a native and, frankly, we here in the UK are far more exposed to American influences than the other way round. The upshot is that I'm less likely to make 'mistakes' writing in a US fandom than any American writer writing in a British fandom unless they're a dedicated Anglophile or have been writing in the fandom for years (some American Pros writers spring to mind).
I can well believe that writing in a British fandom is hard for the non-British writer (the subtle nuances of an American fandom certainly aren't that easy to capture for me, depite the fact that I've spent several months over the years visiting various parts of the US), but is that any reason not to at least try to get it 'right'? Please good non-British fanfiction writers who write Harry Potter fiction, when you're citing your impressive list of betas at the beginning of your story consider including the line, 'And the story was Brit-betaed by...'.
Rant brought to you courtesy by a tired and cranky Mandragora who sat down to read some HP fiction, by writers who she *knows* are generally excellent - even superb - but has Given Up out of frustration.
And whilst we're on the subject of inaccuracies...Why do otherwise pretty damn good non-British writers who write Harry Potter fanfiction think that they don't need a Brit-beta? I'm trundling along happily reading a story until - bang! - I'm thrown right out of it by reading a phrase or word that Just Isn't British. Once this happens I'm on edge throughout the rest of the story just waiting for the next bit of non-British phraseology, which makes it difficult to enjoy the story. I don't understand why in this age of instant communication the non-British writers don't get a Brit-beta to at least glance over their story and pick up on the most obvious bits, if nothing else.
I mean, how hard can it be finding a Brit-beta? Hell, I'll even volunteer (can't guarantee I'll get back straight away mind you). I don't expect the crap-writers to bother about accuracy, but it frustrates me to bits when the good writers don't bother either. I don't post stuff set in a non-British fandom without getting it betaed by a native and, frankly, we here in the UK are far more exposed to American influences than the other way round. The upshot is that I'm less likely to make 'mistakes' writing in a US fandom than any American writer writing in a British fandom unless they're a dedicated Anglophile or have been writing in the fandom for years (some American Pros writers spring to mind).
I can well believe that writing in a British fandom is hard for the non-British writer (the subtle nuances of an American fandom certainly aren't that easy to capture for me, depite the fact that I've spent several months over the years visiting various parts of the US), but is that any reason not to at least try to get it 'right'? Please good non-British fanfiction writers who write Harry Potter fiction, when you're citing your impressive list of betas at the beginning of your story consider including the line, 'And the story was Brit-betaed by...'.
Rant brought to you courtesy by a tired and cranky Mandragora who sat down to read some HP fiction, by writers who she *knows* are generally excellent - even superb - but has Given Up out of frustration.
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no subject
Date: 17 August 2003 14:20 (UTC)I try. I really do. Sometimes, for short things or humor pieces (like that one about graduation, which was based on a challenge), I don't bother, but I know I'm getting things wrong, so I do try to get them fixed.
no subject
Date: 17 August 2003 14:34 (UTC)What set me off is that I started to read a couple of HP stories by other writers whose stories in other fandoms I have enjoyed immensely and who are by any objective measure Good Writers without a shadow of a doubt. So I was expecting to read some excellent fanfiction, and it was excellent, right up until the moment I was tossed out of both of the stories by some glaring Americanism.
Frustrating as hell for me. Maybe the vast majority of their readers, even the British ones, either wouldn't notice or wouldn't care about the non-British stuff but I notice and it...bothers me.
Obviously.
*g*
no subject
Date: 17 August 2003 14:44 (UTC)no subject
Date: 17 August 2003 14:56 (UTC)But even taking into account the 'easy' early versions, there are some phrases that the HP characters just wouldn't use, and those kinds of things so far as I'm aware were unchanged in the bastardised-- um, Americanised versions.
Plus, as you write most of the changes were made in the earliest books. I gather that the American version of 'OotP', for example, calls a jumper a, well, 'jumper', rather than a 'sweater'. I would expect the good writers to pick up on the subtle nuances, precisely because they *are* good. My diatribe wasn't directed at the crap writers, as I don't expect much of them in the first place.
no subject
Date: 17 August 2003 19:21 (UTC)Heh. I wasn't thinking about me being a good writer or not, per se, but more that I know I've made those errors and been corrected (both in public and privately), so I understand your pain. I just also sympathize with people who have the problem, because man, we speak the same language but completely not. *g*
no subject
Date: 18 August 2003 11:34 (UTC)Yeah, says it all really.
BTW, thanks for the link to your LJ. You never know, maybe my little rant will persuade one of the good writers to ask for a Brit-beta...
Or maybe not.
*g*
no subject
Date: 18 August 2003 13:02 (UTC)I don't think many HP people read my LJ, but it's entirely possible. I mean, I've several times asked for a Brit-beta before posting when the person who usually does for me can't, so... it shouldn't be a foreign concept, you know?
Aaaargh!
Date: 18 August 2003 11:44 (UTC)Bugger!
Re: Aaaargh!
Date: 18 August 2003 13:00 (UTC)LJ is EVIL!