Please be very careful in claiming you’re “right” because there are many different perspectives and angles to be considered. I have, for instance often been told that “Here in Australia, we drive on the right side of the road, the left”. So what’s right for you may be wrong (or left) for me. This is the subject of Edward de Bono’s deliberation on “Water Logic” in contrast to what he calls stone logic. Logic is really simple mathematics, all about yes and no, but it has all to do with perception of course. The spell check on my computer is a real source of irritation and it keeps proposing the most horrible alternatives, referring to something called “American English”. Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who commented upon two nations separated by a common language?
This week, we have been creating adverts for the Lubes´n´Greases magazines. There are, as you may know, two versions, one for North America and another for EMEA (Europe Middle East & Africa). Just too late, we realised that there were “spelling errors” in the American version. We had written it in English. A harbour is not a harbour, it’s a harbor! Being British, however, I can never see this as “wrong”. I would like to refer to a previously widespread Twitter message from @Queen_UK : “Dear Mr Jobs, There is no such thing as American English. There is English and there are mistakes”. Signed: Elisabeth Windsor. Thank you, Your Majesty, for these words of wisdom. In our ever more gender-conscious world, the customer is Queen .. and always right.
Graham February 28th , 2014