US or UK? France or Canada? - target language & Kudoz Thread poster: Jeanette Mercer
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As a newcomer to Proz, I have been browsing the site and particularly like the idea of KudoZ. There is however one thing I wondered: can (or should) the Asker indicate the regional variety of target language? For highly scientific texts this is perhaps less noticeable but in business / marketing / finance etc, etc, it is important. I disagree with a couple of replies to one recent KudoZ question but I\'m British and the suggested answer may be perfectly normal usage in the US. (I\'m not talking ... See more As a newcomer to Proz, I have been browsing the site and particularly like the idea of KudoZ. There is however one thing I wondered: can (or should) the Asker indicate the regional variety of target language? For highly scientific texts this is perhaps less noticeable but in business / marketing / finance etc, etc, it is important. I disagree with a couple of replies to one recent KudoZ question but I\'m British and the suggested answer may be perfectly normal usage in the US. (I\'m not talking about spelling here, but about differences in vocabulary and grammar). If we\'re trying to help each other wouldn\'t it be useful to know the full facts? (Excuse me if this topic has been discussed before!) ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:04
German to English
+ ...
| Sometimes important! | Sep 25, 2002 |
Hi Jeannette,
I can see your point. There is a huge difference between different variants of (for example) the English language. But there is also a huge overlap where the language is the same.
We have to rely on askers recognising where these differences lie. In many cases, if the target country is important, the asker will specify.
I agree that in some cases the answers selected by our American colleagues just \'sound odd\' to Brit... See more Hi Jeannette,
I can see your point. There is a huge difference between different variants of (for example) the English language. But there is also a huge overlap where the language is the same.
We have to rely on askers recognising where these differences lie. In many cases, if the target country is important, the asker will specify.
I agree that in some cases the answers selected by our American colleagues just \'sound odd\' to British ears, and I\'m sure the reverse is true. I\'ll hesitate about providing an answer if somebody asks for US English, especially in marketing and more informal contexts. But I can\'t see a need for a more rigid separation, the beauty of the KudoZ system is that it unites people all around the world, and more strict geographical delineation would hamper that.
FWIW
Mary
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| | | | | I agree with you... | Sep 25, 2002 |
and have often wondered whether English (UK) and English (US) couldn\'t be added to the list of languages when asking a Kudoz question (though I guess then we could add Australia and numerous other variants of English...)
I suppose the solution is to stipulate the target language specifically when giving the context to the question, which I often intend and usually forget to do !!!
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