# Clumsy attempts at conversion from British to American English or vice versa **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564 "2018-09-19T02:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/21 "2018-09-21T09:17:13Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Reading the new Robert Galbraith book _Lethal White_ in the (American) Kindle edition, near the beginning of Part 2 Chapter 56 (yeah, it’s a long book). Two background characters are described as sitting in a room “playing drafts”. > > No, if they were playing “draughts” in the original British English, they’d be playing “checkers” in American English. Stupid autotranslate software, and stupid copyeditor relying on it. Now all we need for this thread is to find an American novel that features characters “playing checkers”, where the British edition renders this as “playing chequers”. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/22 "2018-09-21T09:18:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In Britain, could people once be “draughted” into the military? > > A legitimate question; I am not being facetious. That sense of “draught” is not listed in the _Oxford English Dictionary_. The conscription sense is found only under “draft”, and is marked as an Americanism. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/23 "2018-09-21T10:51:10Z")
I recently got a new car, which runs on diesel. It features “BlueInjection is the cutting-edge SCR diesel technology from Vauxhall that uses AdBlue® to further reduce the level of nitric oxide and work towards cleaner emissions.” Further instructions includes the following gem: “Cars fitted with the Blueinjection system need Adblue refills approximately every 2,485 to 4,038 miles depending on the vehicle and engine as well as your driving style.” After my initial reaction of “Whaaaat…?” I converted the numbers to kilometres, and it all suddenly made sense. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/24 "2018-09-21T11:42:24Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > I recently got a new car, which runs on diesel. It features “BlueInjection is the cutting-edge SCR diesel technology from Vauxhall that uses AdBlue® to further reduce the level of nitric oxide and work towards cleaner emissions.” > > Further instructions includes the following gem: > > “Cars fitted with the Blueinjection system need Adblue refills approximately every 2,485 to 4,038 miles depending on the vehicle and engine as well as your driving style.” > > After my initial reaction of “Whaaaat…?” I converted the numbers to kilometres, and it all suddenly made sense. Ha! That’s ones especially funny, since they straight-up say “approximately.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/25 "2018-09-21T15:15:58Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone. A little insulting to US audiences, ruins the object to boot. First one I thought of, and annoyed the shit out of me. Even if you thought the reference was too, I dunno, esoteric, it’s the perfect opportunity to just leave it the hell alone and teach a kid something. “Hey, Mom/Dad, what’s a philosopher’s stone?” :smack: Kids are only as dumb as you let them be – don’t assume they’re idiots. (Or, who knows, maybe they were avoiding the awkward situation of a parent not knowing what a philosopher’s stone was but, even then, hey, let’s teach mom and dad something!) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/26 "2018-09-21T15:22:05Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > That sense of “draught” is not listed in the _Oxford English Dictionary_. The conscription sense is found only under “draft”, and is marked as an Americanism. Thank you. Next question: In what way did “National Service” differ from conscription or the draft? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/27 "2018-09-21T18:25:39Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > That sense of “draught” is not listed in the _Oxford English Dictionary_. The conscription sense is found only under “draft”, and is marked as an Americanism. [Apparently](https://www.etymonline.com/word/draft) related to “draft/draught” as in beer, in the sense of an amount “drawn off” from the whole for a particular purpose. Originally (early 18th century) used of a group of soldiers “drafted” for special duty, and subsequently of a group of civilians “drafted” to serve as soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/28 "2018-09-21T18:40:42Z")
Someone in a Whatcha Readin’ thread here awhile back said he had a British edition of Stephen King’s _11/22/63_ which laughably changed several Americanisms into Britishisms, including changing “cigarettes” to “fags,” which is not something anyone in 1963 Texas would ever have called them. _Ever_. Supposedly the _Boston Globe_’s newsroom computers once had a macro which changed any reference to “black” to “African American,” which resulted in the headline, “Governor says next year’s state budget will be back in the African American.” > [@terentii](#): > > …Next question: In what way did “National Service” differ from conscription or the draft? Short answer: it didn’t; that’s what it was called from 1939-60. More than you might have wanted to know: > **[National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_(Armed_Forces)_Act_1939)** > > The National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 3 September 1939, the day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany at the start of the Second World War. It superseded the Military Training Act 1939 (enacted in May of that year) and enforced full conscription on all male British subjects between 18 and 41 who were present in Great Britain, subject to certain exemptions. By a royal declaration in January 1941, the term Great Britain was ex Des... > **[National Service Act 1948](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_Act_1948)** > > The National Service Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 64) was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of "National Service". After a bill with the same purpose had been approved in 1947, expected to be implemented 1 January 1949, the Cold War and the Malayan Emergency caused a revised and extended version of the new legislation to be approved in December 1948, only days before the new arrangeme... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/29 "2018-09-21T19:34:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Short answer: it didn’t; that’s what it was called from 1939-60. More than you might have wanted to know: > > [National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_(Armed_Forces)_Act_1939) > [National Service Act 1948 - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_Act_1948) Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/30 "2018-09-21T19:34:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Someone in a Whatcha Readin’ thread here awhile back said he had a British edition of Stephen King’s _11/22/63_ which laughably changed several Americanisms into Britishisms, including changing “cigarettes” to “fags,” which is not something anyone in 1963 Texas would ever have called them. _Ever_. At least the arithmetic editors didn’t change the title to 1/126 - otherwise they wouldn’t have known it was the same book! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/31 "2018-09-21T19:36:25Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Someone in a Whatcha Readin’ thread here awhile back said he had a British edition of Stephen King’s _11/22/63_ which laughably changed several Americanisms into Britishisms, including changing “cigarettes” to “fags,” which is not something anyone in 1963 Texas would ever have called them. _Ever_. Or today, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564/32 "2018-09-21T20:10:43Z")
The TV show “How it’s Made” is full of these. It is a Canadian show so all of the distances, dimensions, and temperatures are in metric. For rebroadcast in the States everything is converted to standard units. You get a lot of cooked at 347°F or 19.7" long (175°C and 50 cm). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clumsy-attempts-at-conversion-from-british-to-american-english-or-vice-versa/821564.md?page=1)