Re: Writing British English

[Mike Bygrave <bygravem -at- INTUITIVE -dot- CO -dot- UK>]

>I read this post and thought - 'You have *got* to be kidding me'.  I can
only
>imagine a company in America thinking that British English is so different
>that you have to make it a language.  I'm sorry - it's not only weird,
it's
>almost offensive...
> <<snip>>
>And that's it.  No big deal.  And I'm sure the British are quite capable
of
>reading American manuals, just as we in New Zealand and Australia
>are. After all the world has had to adjust to the American way of doing
>things, not the other way around.

What is 'British English'? - there's no such thing.  There's English, and
then there are variations on it (such as American English).  Suggesting or
inferring that people in Britain speak a dialect called 'British English'
is (and I quote) "not only weird, it's almost offensive..."

Speaking for myself, while I am quite capable of reading American manuals,
they often drive me mad.  I (and I think most other British readers) would
strongly prefer to read a manual written in English rather than American
English.  Having said that, if I went to my boss and asked him to allocate
resources for me to translate my English manual into American English, I
can think of several places where he'd tell me to go!

  Mike Bygrave (bygravem -at- intuitive -dot- co -dot- uk)
 Standard disclaimer - please don't sue me.
"I like deadlines.  I like the whooshing sound
they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams