#scholastic what the hell

[e-adlirez]

OSCAR THE ROACH IS DEAF?

So this began with a thing where a friend in a non-English side of the world told me that her local copy of Quest for Paradise has a bit where a character teaches Geronimo Italian sign language because said character is deaf

I looked through the Internet Archive’s French copy of Quest for Paradise because it had it AND:

OSCAR IS DEAF AND THE ONLY REASON HE’S BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO EVERYONE NORMALLY IS BECAUSE HE READS LIPS WHEN SOMEONE TALKS TO HIM AND TAUGHT HIMSELF HOW TO TALK

HERE’S THE TRANSLATION OF THE EXCERPT:

In the evening, we stopped to rest. Oscar lit a fire... put up the tent... and offered us a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

While I was sipping it... I found a crystal key: strange strange!

Then I congratulated Oscar: "My friend, you are great! You know how to do everything!

He smiled.

"If you want, I can even teach you something useful and fun: LSF!

I asked, intrigued: "LSF?"

Oscar proudly explained, "Yes, French sign language. It's a language like any other, like French, Italian or English! But it has something more: it's a natural language, visual, not spoken! I know this language because I was born deaf. I use it with those who know it. Otherwise, I learned to pronounce the words and even to... read lips!"

I was in awe: "I didn't realize you couldn't hear!"

Oscar smiled again. "I may be deaf, but I can therefore read the words you speak on your lips and I can speak like you!"

Then he taught me this extraordinary language:

The next part of the chapter is six entire pages of demonstrations for LSF (a localization, which makes sense because the Italian copy has Oscar teach Italian Sign Language/Lingua dei Segni Italiana)

Now you unenlightened folk may be wondering “Oh cool! Does the English translation do the same thing and have Oscar teach ASL?” and to that I very sadly and indignantly say “NO”. They don’t even mention Oscar being deaf or anything that could possibly allude to it. Unless a game of charades counts.

Those two pages comprise the entire chapter titled “A Peaceful Night”.

Yes this is sad, yes this is pathetic, yes this is why the chapter is so short, yes Scholastic I am very disappointed in you, do better. If you dare say that learning about people who can’t hear is something too heavy for 6-10 kids then I WILL LEGIT SLAP YOU

Follow-up edit: APPARENTLY THEY EVEN USED SIGN LANGUAGE LATER ON IN THE BOOK IN THE SCENE WHERE CACKLE INTERROGATES G ABOUT THE HEART

In the English book G just does a thing like “why the hell did Cackle conveniently turn away from G in the middle of her asking for the heart” and he points to the pond while Cackle is conveniently turned away

APPARENTLY IN THE ORIGINAL G TOLD OSCAR IN SIGN LANGUAGE THAT THE HEART WAS IN THE POND, ALL WHILE TALKING TO CACKLE

LIKE BRUH SCHOLASTIC WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL YOU CUT OUT AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BIT OF LORE FOR WUT???