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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/34786
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I think that it fits better in certain books to use the local measurement system, but is there a rule about this?

Are some books more tolerant to change than others, like fantasy novels? Or does it depend more on the target audience?

For example, if a I write that a character drank a gallon of milk, most people in my country would think that he drank a full 20 liter barrel of milk.

If I said that someone walked one mile, would it be translated as 1km, 1.6 km or just kept in miles? Does it depend of the accuracy that you need?

Edit: Reading the answers a lot of people are taking that question in a pure writing aproach, so I suppose that a translation differs little to the actually writing process, you shold be able to decide whenever to change or not to keep the original idea.

Original score: 5