Anime fanfiction and regional language

[prillalar]

Thanks, everyone, for your input on the Very Important Tuque Question. I really like hearing about different regional expressions. Vide the "huck" question. (Hmm, all these questions seem to involve Kaidoh in some way.)

But now I'm wondering if the question is as Very Important as I first thought. If I use tuque instead of knit cap (or Pudelmütze), I'm sure it will be fairly obvious from the context that Kaidoh has some sort of winter hat on his head.

I do try to use language appropriate to the canon and genre when I write fanfic. When I write about shows that take place in the US, I try not to let my Canadianisms slip in. When I write Harry Potter, I try to use more English expressions. (Not sure how well I do, of course.) Et cetera.

But when I'm writing in anime fandoms, what's appropriate? The source material is in a different language, one I understand very little of. I suppose that in tenipuri fandom, at least, the English language fandom is primarily American, and so that's the accepted default for fanfic.

Once I did see Kaidoh (*koff*) doing maths instead of math and I remember how much it charmed me. And regardless of the source, I always use Canadian spelling in my fanfic and nobody has every complained to me about it.

I wouldn't put Daniel Jackson or Draco Malfoy in a tuque but I don't see why Kaidoh shouldn't have one. (Unless no one wears those kinds of hats in Japan.)

So, here are the questions:

* If you are an anglophone American (is there such a thing or is anglophone just a Canadian term?) or Canadian who reads anime fanfic, how would you respond to a fic written in, for example, UK English? Would it impair your enjoyment of the story?

* If you are a non-American anglophone who writes anime fanfic, do you Americanize your language when you write? Why or why not?

* Do your answers to the above differ depending on the particular anime fandom?

* Am I a freak who thinks too much? (And makes too many parenthetical asides?)

Comments

[octopedingenue]

I'm an American, and I have a favorite "Inuyasha" fanfiction comedy series that's written in distinctly Australian English, and that very much adds to its charm for me. For the most part, though (especially in stories that aren't meant to be comedic), I find that sort of thing faintly jarring. I'm translating the anime from Japanese into English for the purpose of the story as I read (the reason that poorly used "fangirl Japanese" also jars me--when I'm already translating out of Japanese into English, I have to stop and translate in my head back into Japanese and then back into English again!), so running into really foreign English phrasing makes me feel like I'm 'translating wrong'. Aaargh, this makes no sense.

(Hi! You are very funny and a great writer! I am stalking you a little bit! Yay anime and stuff! Hi again! I will back away slowly now!)

[prillalar]

I think it makes sense. :) It's an interesting perspective! I wonder how people would write if a series were fansubbed in, say, Australian English. Would that flavour carry over into the fic of Americans?

Hmm, now we just need to get a research grant.

(And welcome aboard. Your username rocks. I'm playing the song right now.)

your icon! oh, sad now.

[octopedingenue]

I would love to see Australian-flavoured anime! There must be many fansub groups that aren't primarily American (the later "Inuyasha" fansubs I watched had a very international staff, apparently), but I haven't noticed non-standard-American subtitling very much.

(Fruvous + Spidey = two great tastes that taste great together!)