Yes, another fic thing.

[mrv3000]

After talking to josephides, I'm wondering if I'm making a mistake in not using Brit spellings for a Brit show. Way back when, I just asked the UK Production Team (heh) to check for terms and phrases and to ignore spelling. Back when I read SG-1 fic, I'd notice UK spellings, but it really didn't bother me. However, I'm now thinking this could be an annoyance.

[Poll #840730]

Hmm. Is there anything out there that would spell check a massive amount of text, replacing words with Brit spellings? If there is, I supposed it'd be easy enough to do. And maybe something I should just *do.*

ETA: Apparently OpenOffice does have a UK dictionary (I don't have Word.) Have decided to go with the English English spellings.

Comments

[sleekuk.livejournal.com]

I put 'it really bugs me' because I'm a sad old pedant. But perhaps that's just because my work spell check is permanently set to US English and it winds me up no end when it tells me words like colour are misspelt.

Hmm, perhaps I need to calm down about it :)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Heh heh.

I'm also kinda thinking it might be more of an annoyance to UK readers since everything nowadays is being so Americanized. The last thing I want to do is bug people in writing for "their" show.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

I don't notice it either way anymore. I've read so much stuff in Britspelling that I'm almost as used to it as I am to what I grew up with. I don't know that I could manage writing all in Britspelling, though.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty used to seeing it now as well. Have even caught myself typing an occasional word with an extra 'u' before swearing at my monitor. :D

Oh, there is just no way I could ever write that way naturally. It'd have to be something I'd run the fic through afterward.

[woodface]

Word makes the destinction between Brit spelling and American spelling, no?

And honestly, I always use UK spelling. So nerh!

I can't help it, I feel dirty if I put z instead of s or if there's a u missing. It seems wrong!

[josephides.livejournal.com]

Heh. IT IS DIRTY.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't have Word. Got that OpenOffice thing. Not sure if it has a way to switch back and forth or not. :-\

[woodface]

Woe!

[josephides.livejournal.com]

Well, doesn't your Word have the UK English dictionary feature? Like. I have both - so when I was writing SG it would highlight the words I'd written in English English.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Don't have Word, sadly. I'll have to check OpenOffice when I get home. Wouldn't surprise me if it didn't since it's kind of a bare-bones deal.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

But free! Free's the important thing. Although, their version of Excel sucks. Glad I don't need to use it much at home.

[josephides.livejournal.com]

Damn. Well, anyway - look at your poll! Most people aren't bothered in the slightest!!

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Yes, but now it's starting to bug *me.* *flails*

[poohmusings.livejournal.com]

If you send your fic to me, I can easily stick it in Word and and do *something* to it so you'll know which words need to be changed spelling-wise. Highlight? Does OpenOffice show you highlighting?

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

WOO! *smooooooooch*

Yeah, I can see highlighting and also "compare document" notes.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Oh! Looks like OpenOffice may have it after all!

[meeshy.livejournal.com]

I don't notice it. If an author writes all US English or all English then I don't notice. I notice more when they try and write in one but they/their beta's read things (only human after all) and a wrong spelling or term is used - that throws me out more. It's like if I use US terminology and have one of the SGC peeps say "Whilst" that's such a brit thing!

I keep my spellings to my native brit but make sure all descriptors and phrasing are styled to the characters. They'll say colour but they won't say car park (parking lot). Hmmm did I even make sense there?

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

It's like if I use US terminology and have one of the SGC peeps say "Whilst" that's such a brit thing!

Oh, totally! I was originally more concerned with terms since those are glarring. But Jojo made me all flaily! :D

Hmmm did I even make sense there?

Yup. And that's what I was pretty much doing. Making sure words like "cell" was replaced with "mobile" but not changing spellings.

[meeshy.livejournal.com]

I think its perfectly legit to just change things like mobile and cell around and not change spellings *nods*

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Well, the last DW fic I did, I didn't do the spelling thing. But this is just so...big, I guess I'm trying to make sure its hair is combed and its shoes are tied. :D

[meeshy.livejournal.com]

LOL!!

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

You can just switch your spellchecker for UK English. If you don't currently have the UK spell check for Open Office Writer, you can download it easily from the Open Office site. Other languages are available as well -- I have Spanish, French, Dutch and Indonesian on mine.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Oh, it has it? WOO!! Think I may need to download since I've never seen the option. Probably didn't bother installing it when I downloaded originally.

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

Yep, you can find the list and how to install at http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Dictionaries

Enjoy! :)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Thanks!!

[makesometime.livejournal.com]

It does bug me, but I'm trying to teach myself to not let it bother me so much. It only really bugs me when someone/some technological thing tells me I'm spelling words wrong.

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Well, I think I've talked myself into changing the spellings. I mean, I really can't go wrong by doing that whereas keeping it American may have bothered some.

[nandamai]

Spellings don't bother me in the slightest, as long as it's correct somewhere -- the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, US, wherever.

What drives me up a wall are usage issues that I'm sure the UK Production Team have already caught. Garden where a USAnian would say backyard, for instance, or an American character saying lounge when they mean living room. Up. A. Wall. (I'd have the same issue in reverse if I read HP or DW, I'm sure.)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Yup yup yup.

I would *not* want to see US terms in a DW fic. It would be annoying, even to me.

Garden where a USAnian would say backyard, for instance,

Ha! I had no idea about that one! But I did use "garden" in the fic. Couple of times, actually. The UK folks probably thought I meant "backyard." Of course, in the context of the fic, it doesn't really matter if it was a garden or a backyard. Could work either way.

or an American character saying lounge when they mean living room

Oooh, knew that one! And I used "lounge" to begin with. Heh.

[nandamai]

It's the "let's have a barbecue in the garden!" thing that gets me. You'd burn all the flowers.

If it doesn't matter either way then you're probably safe. ;)

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

It's the "let's have a barbecue in the garden!" thing that gets me. You'd burn all the flowers.

HA!!

If it doesn't matter either way then you're probably safe. ;)

Heh. Or a really bad writer.

[slm76.livejournal.com]

As long as you don't have Rose saying, "Mom" and them using aluminum and talking about car trunks, you should be okay :) I used to use English English spelling for my SG-1 fics but made sure they used American terminology... if that makes sense?

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Mum? Check.

Aluminum? Nope.

Trunks? Nope.

PHEW! :D