are books published in different english speaking countries written the same way?

Question

I was reading a series called cirque du freak and the last book isn't available in the USA but you can order it off of amazon for about 3 dollars 80 cents so i was wondering if the books are changed any when published in different english speaking countries

if it is just slang it is no biggy but does the overall story change in any way

Answer 1

I know the spelling is usually changed to local standards. (I remember reading a copy of "The Hunt for Red October" once and wondering why Tom Clancy kept referring to "aeroplanes" and "colours" - until I realized my copy had been printed in the U.K.)

I know of several instances where British and American publishers do different titles ("Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" vs. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and Diana Gabaldon's "Cross Stitch" vs. "Outlander")

Most of the time books' content doesn't change - but I know of several instances where it does. For example, "Cross Stitch" and "Outlander" aren't quite exactly the same book. There are scenes that will appear in one book, but not the other - all apparently based on the whim of whatever editor was working on which side of the Atlantic.

The 2003 British paperback edition of Anya Seton's "Katherine" also omits several scenes that are in the original book.

Answer 2

I don't read cirque du freak, but I can tell you that a series such as Harry Potter IS different in places like the UK. In the UK, they have their versions with more British words like "mum" and whatnot...but I doubt the change is very significant. It's the same book, I'm sure. Besides, if it's not available in the US, how can you know if it's different? Little things are changed in different countries as far as I know.

Answer 3

British English is different from American English in punctuation, vocabulary, and spelling. But anyone who speaks any kind of English should be able to read any other kind of English without too much trouble. Australian English and Canadian English are also slightly different than American English.

Normally, a book that is published specifically for the American market will be changed somewhat to reflect American spelling and punctuation, but sometimes they leave it as British or Australian or Canadian in order to keep the same mood.

Answer 4

I think when English books appear in other non-Englidh speaking countries, the grammar, more often than not, is revised to reflect the prevalent English version of that country...but the basic gist is kept the same.

Answer 5

if the book is interpreted from another language than the content changes due to the interpretation I read a science fiction novel by a dissident soviet writer who was exiled for writing this book,WE by yevgevny zamyatin it is the book that inspired George Orwell to write 1984 and George used one of the authors quotes about heretics and writing as his own, I have three diff rent translations and they are very similar but the content changes significantly with each interpreter

Answer 6

I'm a book editor. Nothing gets changed, if the book has any merit at all. Publish a book on baseball and they don't rewrite for the UK market.

Answer 7

The last book, The sons of Destiny, will be out in the USA October this year.

Answer 8

no