Help! Translate my UK English

[Jo Zebedee]

I need a term for this that is understood in both the Uk and America. For the Uk chaps, it's a centreparcs style place

They are villages set in woodland, with lodges through the forest (self catering) and central facilities like swimming pools, restaurants, activities.

We call them holiday villages, but both Scifrac and Juliana say that term isn't known in america. A resort, in the Uk, is something different - usually beachy and a town rather than a secluded place.

Any ideas. I'll select my winner after the four pages of meritious arguments.

Thanks, all! J.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Mark Twain wasn't translated for UK.
Every reader may find something new in a book even if they are from the same country.

 

[HareBrain]

Could you not make up a brand-name, like Centreparcs, which could also be used as a generic term and accurately gets across what it is?

(No, I couldn't either.)

 

[Grimward]

Given the term "holiday village", I'm presuming that one typically does not LIVE at these places, but rather vacations there, correct?

And Scfrac and Juliana are correct; they're all resorts over here, and can be found anywhere, really (along side rivers, at the beach, in the mountains, etc.). Typically also include a golf course or twelve over here.

Sometimes you will see the term "retreat" (the most famous of which is Camp David), or holiday spot, but both of these are more generic in use over here than your description of the holiday village seems to allow for. Speaking of which, you can see the term "camp" used, but most (I would say "all") of the time these implies some focus on camping. "Lodges" here would be the most common term for woodland resorts, but your description seems to imply a "building" more than the entire village.

"Spa" might be a possibility, although again it's more in the category of retreat or holiday spot...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Mark Twain wasn't translated for UK.
Every reader may find something new in a book even if they are from the same country.

My usual rule of thumb is if, with the context, it translates I leave it. But here two americans with full context are confused, so if I can find an alternate that translates to both, I'll use it. If not, yep, my american chums will have to learn something new.

Could you not make up a brand-name, like Centreparcs, which could also be used as a generic term and accurately gets across what it is?

(No, I couldn't either.)

It still doesn't explain what the darn thing is, though...


Grimward, holiday camp might be the one that bridges it, then.

 

[HareBrain]

It still doesn't explain what the darn thing is, though...

It would if it was clever enough. Landrover is a good example -- it's a brand name that describes its function and does so snappily enough to be used as a shorthand for the entire class of vehicle (in the past, anyway).

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Vacation Village?

Camp in USA seems to be almost more like a Permanent Scout Camp here (but not for just for scouts in USA), for school kids than a Holiday Camp / Village for Adults & Families. But perhaps I have watched too much Charlie Brown.

I think you can even stay in Portmeirion now.

Do the US have such things as the fake villages at the beach or woods like here in Ireland where the "cottages" are modern self catering apartments faked to look like cottages and the "village" shops and recreation buildings are also modern but faked to look old (pre 1890s) and all belong to the camp operator? These are not "Time share" you can just book a week or month or whatever like a hotel and even not bother cooking. Useually these are closed in winter (open Easter to End Sept or Oct typically).

 

[HareBrain]

A resort, in the Uk, is something different - usually beachy and a town rather than a secluded place.

But I think "woodland resort" or "forest resort" would get you away from that image and would be understandable to both cultures.

The trouble with "holiday camp", at least for a UK reader, is Butlin's.

 

[Grimward]

Do the US have such things as the fake villages at the beach or woods like here in Ireland where the "cottages" are modern self catering apartments faked to look like cottages and the "village" shops and recreation buildings are also modern but faked to look old (pre 1890s) and all belong to the camp operator? These are not "Time share" you can just book a week or month or whatever like a hotel and even not bother cooking. Useually these are closed in winter (open Easter to End Sept or Oct typically).

*Grins ruefully*

If it will make a buck, sadly, you can be sure we have it here, Ray. There's another term I intentionally left out of the discussion that applies to such scams over here; tourist trap. Didn't get the impression that this would be appealing (and such places rarely are appealing to anyone bothering to look below the gilt and "authentic" description).

 

[Hex]

I haven't encountered a holiday village but I do see what it means. I wonder if (forgive me) the confusion may be with the context rather than the term you used?

e.g. "As they drove over the hill, the holiday village appeared spread beneath them like an especially elaborate tablecloth. Ginny could see the little lodges hidden among the trees. Children were running, screaming, down one of the paths that led to the restaurants. She hoped it would serve vegetarian food that wasn't yesterdays-vegetables-with-pasta, unlike the place they'd stayed in last year..."

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I haven't encountered a holiday village but I do see what it means. I wonder if (forgive me) the confusion may be with the context rather than the term you used?

e.g. "As they drove over the hill, the holiday village appeared spread beneath them like an especially elaborate tablecloth. Ginny could see the little lodges hidden among the trees. Children were running, screaming, down one of the paths that led to the restaurants. She hoped it would serve vegetarian food that wasn't yesterdays-vegetables-with-pasta, unlike the place they'd stayed in last year..."

Yep, done that. sort of - they're in the village when it starts. But pretty close.

 

[hopewrites]

I only know about the Northwest USA, where "camp" generally means "places to pitch your tent with a pre-dug and sanded fire pit, and the neighborring tent site too close too feel like you are secluded in the woods though there are lots of trees. Often the other side of the camp has graveled lots for the RVs to park, the camp will advertise whether it has full or partial hookups (just water and sewer, or electric [and sometime cable]) in the "middle" (usually just close-ish to the check in and out spot) there is some kind of public toilet, if its a nice place, with showers and rentable lodge and if your lucky a pool that's not green.

Resort tends to bring to mind an all inclusive building. Like a cruse, but without the sea.

"Hollidaye village" would first have me thinking of Christmas Town or Halloween Town like in Nightmare Before Christmas, but set in the woods it would soon take on a "Robin Hood" feel and be more like the Elf village in Ella Enchanted.

There's a local spot called Enchanted Forest, which when I drove past it for ages conjured up the idea you expressed, but when I went turned out to be a cheaply maintained tourist trap that only takes half a day to cover. I'll give them credit for maintaining some lovely land while craming way more onto it than one would think. The map shows you how your always cramed up against another part of the park, yet its hard to see it. But the nursery rhymes are unfamiliar to most now, the rollercoasters should be condemned, the animatronics need updating/ replacing, and the audio for the fantasy light show warbles likes its under the water feature.
I havent been in years, but it's one of those places that never changes.

 

[Mouse]

It's a holiday village. Call it a holiday village. If it gets published and your editor doesn't understand it, they'll ask you to change it then.

 

[Glitch]

I knew Mouse would come with the answer

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Yes, Miss Mouse.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

In New Zealand that would just be a camp - most of ours have not just places for tents, but also caravan parks and chalets, central facilities, community areas and the rest.

But if you go more upmarket they become "retreats" so woodland retreat would work well in my view.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Good day, springs! It may be too late to jump in here, but I have a few suggestions (first though I think I agree with those who suggest you call the location a holiday village. It works for your home market, and even as a native born American, I have heard of the term; some in the USA might know the term already, or could easily infer the meaning of the term, from your story.).

First, in the US's northeastern states, where I'm from originally, campground, or campsite could be a place similar to a holiday village...these infer, to a New Yorker at least something much more than just a camp (which might be a simple tent in the wilderness). I would think, with campgrounds and campsites, of RVs with electrical supplied onsite; a pool for kids, trails, etc. And bungalow colony is another term that in some parts of the country could be similar to a holiday village.

All this said, I still think 'holiday village' might work best for you! CC

 

[tinkerdan]

Center Parcs. a number of holiday villages in the UK and Europe originally operated by a Dutch company which opened its first centre in the UK in 1987. The accommodation is in small houses in the countryside, usually in a forest.

Or holiday resort should work also. They might not get the exact idea but something close.
We have a lot of cabins in the woods with pavilions.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I definitely won't use Centreparcs - it's not exactly set in one, as I'm mostly adding and taking away what I need. Also, I don't want to get sued...

Thanks, all!

 

[Mark R]

I think you could refer to it by a brand name that is similar to centreparcs and then add a small descriptor.

"FamilyWoods, a chain of vacation spots that provided "a summer camp experience for the whole family" had no doubt been marketed by someone who had never been to summer camp. Or part of a family."