part two: Een droomvakantie voor Betty
I'm baaahaackk (finally) with another two chapters of the Dutch version of "Dawn on the coast". I'm not in full snark mode yet, but I'm learning and it will come, oh yes!
http://bsc-snark.livejournal.com/540469.html
Chapter Two
Chapter Two is rather boring, even without the usual exposition stuff. It basically describes chaos in the house of Gertie Bouwman (Kristy Thomas) and a sleepover in honour of Queen Betty (our heroine Dawn).
Betty thinks it was such a great party she and her friends had! At the mansion where Gertie lives, you know, because Harry (Watson) is a millionaire! It’s big and has plenty of rooms. Which is apparatenly needed, because except for Gertie the house also provides a roof for Kristies Mum (not sure of her name now), Harry, Nico (Charlie), Johan (Sam), Willem-Jan (David Michael), Wodan (Shannon), Pieter (Andrew), Edward Rietveld (Ben Brewer) and last but not least Karin (Karen).
And this always irked me. I’m named Karen too, why the hell was in changed with one letter? Into Karin...which even sounds the same. Not that I’d want to share a first name with the ill-behaved apprentice of Satan, but still. Was weirded out when I found out, because Karen is a perfectly normal name over here.... . There is a Karen later on in the Dutch versions, I believe it’s the snob Amanda (with her 800 dollar persian cat). Yes, that girl they named Karen...for the love of.... .
Anywho, fun party for friends when Karin decides to join them to watch the movie. My sister would have been kicked out so fast when she’d wanted to do that, but I almost forgot: Gertie loves her sister and it’s not allowed to deny Karin anything anyway, so there you go. (I do love my sisters dearly now, they’re my best friends. But when we were young, not so much then....) .
On with the chapter, Gertie orders (actually orders) them all to go upstairs. And they actually march upstairs! (it literally says that in the translation, I suppose ‘troop’ has the same ring to it...). I’d think when a friendship resembles the army, well, get out as fast as you can. Allhtough, that’s probably desertion and so death by bullet then. Wouldn’t put it past Gertie to do so.... .
And then they order a pizza. Now, this is general curiosity: did the girls have dinner before this party or not? I wonder this with every pizza party in the series, because when we order pizza, it’s one pizza per person. Ordering just two pizza’s for six people, I’d be hungry as hell. But maybe it a general thing in the US, to either not eat that much pizza, or have dinner before the pizza party? I really do not know.... .
Betty ofcourse has to have a “healthy” pizza. Yes, because all that cheesy sauce is o-so healthy. But to demand broccoli on a pizza is just strange... Pleny of other veggie options I’d think, that everyone would agree on? And as a way of giving in, only half a pizza is good enough for Betty (again, two pizza’s for six girls and Betty is basically reserving a whole half of one of them?). But granted, it’s supposed to be a part in her honour, so I’ll grant her her brocolli pizza, covered in worms (oh so funny Johan).
Joke (CLaudia) has snacks with her. In the Dutch version this is drop (liquorice) and an apple for Betty. I suppose Tootsie Rolls Pops are unknown over here, but fruit bars do exist, so why did they go with an apple.... .
And that’s basically all that’s snark-and tell worthy for this chapter.... On to the flight.
Chapter Three
Betty is in for a long flight. Now i do understand her being very nervouw pre-flight. I’m the same, I’d rather leave really early than risk being late. ANd I check tickets and passports every five minutes.
It’s apparently a ten hour flight. Which seems right for flying to South America from here, so translators did a continuity check there.
Now Betty has a weird stewardess. And she’s weird because of her make-up. Probably if Joke had put on this make-up, it would have been so original and totally cool and sophisticated. But ofcourse, the stewardess does not belong to the cult, so she now is labelled weird. Granted, her behaviour is really weird. I’d be angry not the first time being ignored, but if this happened the whole flight long, yes I’d be pretty pissed. Also, giving away a reserved meal, how does that even happen? I’m sure that’s a law suit waiting for you, in this day and age of the world.... (well maybe not, not in Belgium for sure. But that alone would be plenty of reason for compensation, because, well, that’s just a shitty thing to do) But ofcourse, Betty being thirteen and me at age thirteen, I would not have spoken up either.
By the way, in the Dutch AND English version it literally has this line “I’m not a strict ve getarian, but..” . Ha! She’s not a strict vegetarian! Then what’s all this meat hate in future books hmm? Writers gone astray?
She talks with mr Handsome Tom (wow no name chang!) about Cats (probably the only theater name they could come up with, in stead of Paris Magic?).
THe plane lands in airport Zaanderij (quick google check = well done translators). ANd finally Betty is reunited with her dad, her brother Dennis and her best friend Sunny (yeah I think by this book they got tired of looking for new names?). Sunny has a surprise for her! WHat o what could it be.
AND THIS IS WHY I AM RATHER ANGRY BY NOW. CONTINUITY AND WELL DONE TRANSLATORS MY ASS. THEY ACTUALLY CUT A WHOLE CHAPTER. IN MY DUTCH BOOK THEY NEVER EVER VISIT DISNEYLAND. I FEEL SO CHEATED. My chapter four, which is for next snark, just starts with “after walking through town all day, visiting all the old places, I went to Sunny’s home.” Grrr, just aargh!
Hope to have the next few chapter up by Wednesday! They get more interesting I think, in differences and creative ways the translators deal with them... Hope you enjoyed this snark :)