Why am I not surprised?

[desperance]

So the UK Govt recently introduced this internet thing, whereby concerned citizens can post petitions on the Number Ten website, and supportive types can sign 'em, and the PM ('s dept) promises a response.

So of course some of the petitions posted are serious, and some are silly, and some may not be serious but are none the less a Good Thing.

Among - I think - the latter, is a petition urging that Terry Pratchett should be knighted for his services to literature. (This is not Serious because - in my estimation - all such honours are ridiculous; and because - in their estimation - hey, he's just a genre writer, y'know...?)

Anyway: there it is, and here is their response.

And, as you can see, they couldn't even take the trouble to spell his name correctly.

The truly sad thing, of course, is that neither did the original petitioner...

Comments

[dedbutdrmng.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the trouble to sign this e-petition.

The Prime Minister recognises the achievements of Terry Pratchet and the widespread regard in which he is held. But it is of course the case that only about 60 Knighthoods are granted each year and Mr Pratchet has not made a Large contribution to Labour's election campaign.

However, the government can assure you that your support for this suggestion will be taken fully into account.

I fixed it.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm sure your fix does represent the true state of affairs; stupid of me not to have realised it earlier. Truth is, he hasn't bought that extra 't'. Letters cost money, y'know?

[dedbutdrmng.livejournal.com]

U no it tru.

(I feel dirty now.)

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

They'd probably stand a better chance for charitable work for oran utangs - and he may have to go via CBE or MBE first.

(Thomas More is probably the genre writer with the highest honour. But it was posthumous)

[desperance.livejournal.com]

He's got an OBE, but it ain't the same; it's not a title you can greet a person by (except in the case of Ian Rankin, obviously, whose son is still occasionally prone to calling him Obe-ran Kinobe).

What I love about the writerly saints is that there's actually quite a lot of them - and yet, who gets to be the patron saint of writers? Francis de Sales, who used to scribble pamphlets and scatter them in the street, or shove them under people's doors in the dead of night. Yup, he was the original spammer...

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Yeap, in 1998, and that was indeed for services to literature. I can't remember (and don't care) about the order of prestige of these things but I think it's OBE, MBE, CBE. Historically I believe you work your way up the chain of deference, although you don't have to buy all the houses before you get a hotel. He might need to raise his game if he wishes more letters. (I wish I could remember who it was who got his gong for charity not writing or performing - it seemed a dubious reason at the time, but then I hate the civil servants who get one simply for doing their job)

That dreadful series of documentaries on British film on Saturday nights seems to want to give everyone their honours in the captions. I think it's a little overkill.

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

The Wikipedia article gives their ranking:
The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:

• Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
• Knight Commander or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE)
• Commander (CBE)
• Officer (OBE)
• Member (MBE)

Only the two highest ranks entail admission into knighthood allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' (male) or 'Dame' (female) before his or her name.

There used to be a BEM (British Empire Medal) which was given for being a school crossing patrol for forty years and the like, but that was felt to be too divisive and the lowest order is now the MBE.

[mantichore.livejournal.com]

Hey! It's me again, hijacking a thread. Well, I suppose I could ask that 10, Downing Street site, but I may have more chances here. To wit: another of Mr Moore's thingies, close to the end, when he mentions people who make up the spirit of the city. Among them are: "The thieves, the whores and ditch-damp victims." I'm okay with the first two categories, but a bit perplexed about the next one. Is there a specific meaning to "ditch-damp victim", having to do with unlawful activities, or is it just someone suffering from some illness associated with the well-known dampness of ditches? Ditch-digger syndrome, or something like that?

(Hm, sudden brainstorm: maybe it's a victim, damp from the ditch he/she was dumped into after being killed? Isn't that a strange way to phrase it?)

I'm two pages from the end of what I think will be my last major correction tour. Next up is a final reading and, dare I say it? I might actually be finished with the translation (meaning: I will give up on it; translations are *never* finished).

[desperance.livejournal.com]

My suspicion is that your brainstorm has it right, that it's just his fancy way of saying exactly that. I did briefly think "no, hang on, there is a particular meaning of ditch-damp" - but actually I think I was just confusing pitchblende with firedamp. This things occur.

Will try shewhomust for a second opinion, just in case...

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Likewise, I'd read that without hesitation as "victims whose bodies are fished out of wet ditches". Now you ask, of course I hesitate. Is it strange by comparison with the rest of the language of the book?

Congratulations on nearing completion of this impossible task; I look forward to reading the result!

[mantichore.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the comments... Strange by comparison to the rest? Yes and no. I suppose I read it the wrong way the first time and stuck in that rut until the brainstorm. I really was wondering what dread disease ditch-damp might be.

Thanks for the congratulations, 15 months in the making. I've reached the end, and I'm in that awful state when I've a sneaking suspicion all I've done is crap, while at the same time thinking I've reached the end of my abilities and can't do anything more. While I'm fairly sure I've gotten everything, it's the style that worries me. Is it faithful yet readable, does it flow in French while keeping the flavour of the original? No is reaching a pretty high percentage in the polls, but that's just the post-correction depression speaking.

I hope so, anyway.

I so much prefer the simple clean joy of starting a fresh new translation. The world is such a better place, then.