From: alexander koryagin
Hi, Ardith Hinton!
I read your message from 12.05.2014 00:52
AH> Now you have me looking again at "Liar, liar, pants on fire". Both
AH> Mark & I remember it from our childhood. As a kid I never thought
AH> to ask the other kids what they meant, but I can assure you that in
AH> my neighbourhood the girls used it to taunt other girls regardless
AH> of who wore dresses or skirts & who didn't. More info available
AH> from (thankyou, Dallas!)
AH> http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/dictionary/pants-on-fire/
Maybe it will be interested for you, in Russia we have an idiom like
this: "Thief's cap is on fire."
It means that even if a thief hides himself in the crowd, he,
nevertheless, doesn't look like other people. He is nervous, and his
behavior is unnatural. When you speak this idiom you mean that somebody
(a lier, thief etc) betrays himself by some activity or behavior.
Maybe this Russian idiom has also some distant connection with "Liar
pants on fire."
ak>> So, what do they demand to burn, in your copy -- pants or
ak>> trousers? ;-)
AH> Good question. It's my understanding too that the US & UK editions
AH> differ in some respects. For you as a translator, however, I'd say
AH> the point is that if you can get your work published the editors
AH> might well massage the dialect to suit a particular market... so I
AH> wouldn't lose sleep over it. ;-)
But sometimes editors are too shameless in their corrections. Actually
many of them try not to just correct, but _to improve!_ the text. Look
what the American editors made with Rowling's British text:
Example from the book of Hurry Potter:
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070423094014AAw8A4N
-----Beginning of the citation-----
in book 4
IN UK
Harry was passionate about Quidditch. He had played as Seeker on the
Gryffindor house Quidditch team ever since his first year at Hogwarts
and owned a Firebolt, one of the best racing brooms in the world.
IN US
Harry had been on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team ever since his
first year at Hogwarts and owned one of the best racing brooms in the
world, a Firebolt. Flying came more naturally to Harry than anything
else in the magical world, and he played in the position of Seeker on
the Gryffindor House team.
-----The end of the citation-----
Can you imagine it? The US version is almost twice longer!
Another example:
-----Beginning of the citation-----
in "Half Blood Prince"
The UK version:
"He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more
completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send
members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise, and
your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban".
The US edition:
"He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right
side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly
imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother
tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had
died in your attempt to kill me - forgive me, but Lord Voldemort
probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had
captured and killed your mother - it is what they would do themselves,
after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban."
-----The end of the citation-----
Bye, Ardith!
Alexander Koryagin
fido7.english-tutor 2014
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