Do US editions of Harry Potter books have alternate wording? I'm confused?

Question

I'm brushing up on HBP, and noticed the metric system is not used. The sign to Great and Little Hangleton shows miles, and a boy eats a pound of doxy eggs. Does the UK version differ in that respect?

I know of changes in the other books, like "lemon drops" are called something else, and I think trainers are called something different.

Answer 1

I was just reading something recently where Rowling said she initially didn't want to change anything in the books for an American audieance and then she realized that would be like telling people in France they had to learn to speak and read English before they could read the books. There's just stuff in there that wouldn't make sense in the US.

The problem is, I can't find it. Pretty sure it was off Accio Qoute, the problem is there's ten years of quotes from Rowling on there and I don't remember where exactly to look.

Edit: I found it! Was Accio Quote, from 1999.

"Rowling: My American editor, Arthur Levine -- who I think is brilliant -- and I agreed on this point. We set down ground rules that we would make changes only in cases in which we both thought that what I had written would create an erroneous picture in an American child's mind. Initially, I did think, 'I don't want them to change a word.' But then, I realized that attitude was akin to expecting French children to all learn English perfectly before they can read my book. We translate this and other books for people who speak other languages and think nothing of it. But, if I use the word jumper to mean a sweater, an American child will see Harry wearing something completely different and embarrassing for a boy to wear in this country. So, I don't really feel that I'm selling out my art if I change that word. There are places in the book where if we didn't make changes, the American child would definitely miss the joke or miss the point, while an Italian or French reader wouldn't. The translator would have put the appropriate word right there for them. We really changed very little, but every change was for just that reason: I felt and Arthur felt that without such changes we would be tripping readers up unnecessarily. "

Answer 2

The US addition is slightly diffrent. They just take out all the british words that people might not know and put in our version of the words. Personaly, i like the british version, and Im a Canadian! lol

Answer 3

The language differs from the UK and the USA. Trainers are called sneakers here. We have miles not kilometers here. Also, the sorceror's stone is called.....ummm, someone help me out here....brain freeze!!!

Answer 4

i believe trainers are shoes but most of any changes are just slang words hey in the other version does it say Harry snogs Cho? LOL snog=kiss

Answer 5

I actually own a European version of Goblet of Fire. Believe it or not, but there are a lot of changes that i have found. not necessarily in words, but in wording. In other words, their phrases, and the way they use certain words are a lot different.
hope that answers your question!
-M

Answer 6

The Sorcerer's Stone is called the Philosopher's Stone, and yes, it does say snog...