Harry Potter in translation

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File:Harry Potter wordmark.svg
The Harry Potter logo first used in the American and non-English editions of the novel series, and then in film series.

The Harry Potter series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling have become some of the most widely read works of children's literature in history, with readers of all ages and in many countries. In April 2011 worldwide sales of Harry Potter books were estimated to be about 450 million copies,[1] and the books have been translated from the original English into at least 68 other languages. However, there are two separate Portuguese translations (one into European Portuguese and one into Brazilian Portuguese) as well as two separate Chinese translations (one using Traditional Chinese characters and the other Simplified Chinese characters). Therefore, editions of the books have been published in at least 70 distinct language versions. (This does not include the separate American English edition, nor the Valencian adaptation of the Catalan edition, nor the separate Serbian edition published in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet.)[2][3]

Translation process

For an authorised translation, the publisher must first negotiate and sign a contract with the author's agents, The Blair Partnership.[4] A list of authorised publishers can be read on J. K. Rowling’s website. The publishers select translators locally.

Translators were not granted access to the books before their official release date in English; hence, translation could start only after the English editions had been published, creating a lag of several months before the translations were made available. This necessary delay has boosted the sales of English language editions of the books to impatient fans, in countries where English is not the first language. Such was the clamour to read the fifth book that its English edition became the first English-language book ever to top the bookseller list in France.[5] In Italy, impatient Potter fans organised "Operation Feather", deluging the publisher Salani with feathers (reminiscent of Hogwarts' messenger owls) to demand expedited publication for the Italian translation of the seventh and final book in the series.[6] This has also caused unauthorised translations and fake versions of the books to appear in many countries.

The high profile and demand for a high-quality local translation means that a great deal of care is often taken in the task. In some countries, such as Italy, the first book was revised by the publishers and issued in an updated edition in response to readers who complained about the quality of the first translation. In countries such as China and Portugal, the translation is conducted by a group of translators working together to save time. Some of the translators hired to work on the books were quite well known before their work on Harry Potter, such as Viktor Golyshev, who oversaw the Russian translation of the series' fifth book. Golyshev was previously best known for having translated William Faulkner and George Orwell,[7] and was known to snub the Harry Potter books in interviews and refer to them as inferior literature. The Turkish translation of books two to five was undertaken by Sevin Okyay, a popular literary critic and cultural commentator.[8]

List of translations by language

The original British English versions of the book were published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury. There is no complete official list of authorised translations currently available. Editions exist in the following languages (including the original):

Translations of the Harry Potter series
Language Country Publisher(s) and distributor(s) Translator(s) Title(s)
1. Afrikaans  South Africa Human & Rousseau (pty) Ltd.[9]
  1. Janie Oosthuysen[10] (I-V)
  2. Kobus Geldenhuys[11] (VI-VII)
  1. Harry Potter en die Towenaar se Steen
  2. Harry Potter en die Kamer van Geheimenisse
  3. Harry Potter en die Gevangene van Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter en die Beker Vol Vuur
  5. Harry Potter en die Orde van die Feniks
  6. Harry Potter en die Halfbloed Prins
  7. Harry Potter en die Skatte van die Dood
2. Albanian  Albania Publishing House Dituria[12] Amik Kasoruho
  1. Harry Potter dhe guri filozofal
  2. Harry Potter dhe Dhoma e të fshehtave
  3. Harry Potter dhe i burgosuri i Azkabanit
  4. Harry Potter dhe kupa e zjarrit
  5. Harry Potter dhe urdhri i Feniksit
  6. Harry Potter dhe Princi Gjakpërzier
  7. Harry Potter dhe Dhuratat e Vdekjes
3. Arabic Arab League Arab world Nahdet Misr[13] Muhammad Ibrahim
  1. هاري بوتر وحجر الفيلسوف
  2. هاري بوتر وحجرة الأسرار
  3. هاري بوتر وسجين أزكابان
  4. هاري بوتر وكأس النار
  5. هاري بوتر وجماعة العنقاء
  6. هاري بوتر والأمير الهجين
  7. هاري بوتر ومقدسات الموت
4. Armenian  Armenia Gasprint Publishing House[14]

L. Mkrtčyan (I)[15]

  1. Հարի Պոտերը և Փիլիսոփայական քարը
5. Asturian  Spain ( Asturias) Trabe[16] Xesús González Rato
  1. Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal
6. Azerbaijani  Azerbaijan Qanun[17]
  1. Fəxrəddin Ağazadə (I)[18]
  2. Kifayət Haqverdiyeva (II)[19]
  3. Fərid Hüseynli (III)[20]
  1. Harri Potter və fəlsəfə daşı
  2. Harri Potter və sirlər otağı
  3. Harri Potter və Azkaban məhbusu
7. Basque  Spain ( Basque Country) Elkarlanean[21] Iñaki Mendiguren (I-VII)
  1. Harry Potter eta Sorgin Harria
  2. Harry Potter eta Sekretuen Ganbera
  3. Harry Potter eta Azkabango presoa
  4. Harry Potter eta Suaren Kopa
  5. Harry Potter eta Fenixaren Ordena
  6. Harry Potter eta Odol Nahasiko Printzea
  7. Harry Potter eta Herioaren Erlikiak
8. Bengali Ankur Prakashani[22]
  1. Sohrab Hasan (I)
  2. Muniruzzaman (II-III)
  3. Asim Chowdhury (IV-VI)
  4. Mohsin Habib (VII)
  1. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য ফিলোসফার্স স্টোন
  2. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য চেম্বার অব সিক্রেটস
  3. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য প্রিজনার অব আজকাবান
  4. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য গবলেট অব ফায়ার
  5. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য অর্ডার অব দ্য ফিনিক্স
  6. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য হাফ ব্লাড প্রিন্স
  7. হ্যারি পটার এন্ড দ্য ডেথলি হ্যালোজ
9. Bosnian  Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirjana Evtov [25]
  1. Harry Potter i kamen mudrosti[26]
  2. Harry Potter i odaja tajni[27]
  3. Harry Potter i zatvorenik Azkabana[28]
10. Breton  France ( Brittany) An Amzer[29][30]
  1. Mark Kerrain[29]
  1. Harry Potter ha Maen ar Furien
11. Bulgarian  Bulgaria Egmont Bulgaria[31]
  1. Teodora Dzhebarova (I)
  2. Mariana Melnishka[32] (II-IV)
  3. Emiliya L. Maslarova (V-VII)
  1. Хари Потър и Философският камък
  2. Хари Потър и Стаята на тайните
  3. Хари Потър и Затворникът от Азкабан
  4. Хари Потър и Огненият бокал
  5. Хари Потър и Орденът на феникса
  6. Хари Потър и Нечистокръвния принц
  7. Хари Потър и Даровете на Смъртта
12. Catalan Editorial Empúries;[33] Valencian adaptation published by Tàndem Edicions, S.L.[34]
  1. Laura Escorihuela (I-IV) [ Valencian adaptation of Escorihuela's translation by Salvador Company, (I-II)[35][36]]
  2. Marc Alcega (IV)
  3. Xavier Pàmies (V-VII)
  1. Harry Potter i la pedra filosofal
  2. Harry Potter i la cambra secreta
  3. Harry Potter i el pres d'Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter i el calze de foc
  5. Harry Potter i l'orde del Fènix
  6. Harry Potter i el Misteri del Príncep
  7. Harry Potter i les relíquies de la Mort
13. Chinese
Simplified:
Traditional:
Simplified:
People's Literature Publishing House (人民文学出版社);
Traditional:
Crown Publishing Company Ltd (皇冠出版社)[37]
Simplified:
  1. Su Nong (苏农) (I)
  2. Ma Aixin (马爱新) (II, IV, V)
  3. Zheng Xumi (郑须弥) (III)
  4. Ma Ainong (马爱农) (V)
  5. Cai Wen (蔡文) (V)
Traditional:
  1. Peng Chien-Wen (彭倩文; Peng Qianwen) (I-IV)
  2. Crown Editor and Translator Group (皇冠編譯組; Huangguan Bianyi Zu) (V-VII)
Simplified:
  1. 哈利·波特与魔法石
  2. 哈利·波特与密室
  3. 哈利·波特与阿兹卡班的囚徒
  4. 哈利·波特与火焰杯
  5. 哈利·波特与凤凰社
  6. 哈利·波特与“混血王子”
  7. 哈利·波特与死亡圣器
Traditional:
  1. 哈利波特—神秘的魔法石
  2. 哈利波特—消失的密室
  3. 哈利波特—阿茲卡班的逃犯
  4. 哈利波特—火盃的考驗
  5. 哈利波特—鳳凰會的密令
  6. 哈利波特—混血王子的背叛
  7. 哈利波特—死神的聖物
14. Croatian  Croatia Algoritam[38]
  1. Zlatko Crnković (I-III)
  2. Dubravka Petrović (IV-VI)
  1. Harry Potter i Kamen mudraca
  2. Harry Potter i Odaja tajni
  3. Harry Potter i Zatočenik Azkabana
  4. Harry Potter i Plameni Pehar
  5. Harry Potter i Red feniksa
  6. Harry Potter i Princ miješane krvi
  7. Harry Potter i Darovi smrti
15. Czech  Czech Republic Albatros[39]
  1. Vladimír Medek (I, II, IV)
  2. Pavel Medek[40] (III, V, VI, VII)
  1. Harry Potter a kámen mudrců
  2. Harry Potter a tajemná komnata
  3. Harry Potter a vězeň z Azkabanu
  4. Harry Potter a ohnivý pohár
  5. Harry Potter a Fénixův řád
  6. Harry Potter a princ dvojí krve
  7. Harry Potter a relikvie smrti
16. Danish  Denmark Gyldendal[41] Hanna Lützen
  1. Harry Potter og De Vises Sten
  2. Harry Potter og Hemmelighedernes Kammer
  3. Harry Potter og Fangen fra Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter og Flammernes Pokal
  5. Harry Potter og Føniksordenen
  6. Harry Potter og Halvblodsprinsen
  7. Harry Potter og Dødsregalierne
17. Dutch Standaard / Uitgeverij De Harmonie[42] Wiebe Buddingh'
  1. Harry Potter en de Steen der Wijzen
  2. Harry Potter en de Geheime Kamer
  3. Harry Potter en de Gevangene van Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter en de Vuurbeker
  5. Harry Potter en de Orde van de Feniks
  6. Harry Potter en de Halfbloed Prins
  7. Harry Potter en de Relieken van de Dood
18. English

(Original editions; not translations)

(edited for American readers)[43]

UK/ROI: Bloomsbury Publishing:[44]
Australia/New Zealand: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd (Distributor):[45]
Canada: Bloomsbury/Raincoast (currently dist. through Penguin Books):[46]
South Africa: Jonathan Ball Publishers[47]
United States: Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books[48]
  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (USA: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
19. Estonian  Estonia Varrak Publishers[49]
  1. Kaisa Kaer
  2. Krista Kaer
  1. Harry Potter ja tarkade kivi
  2. Harry Potter ja saladuste kamber
  3. Harry Potter ja Azkabani vang
  4. Harry Potter ja tulepeeker
  5. Harry Potter ja Fööniksi Ordu
  6. Harry Potter ja segavereline prints
  7. Harry Potter ja Surma vägised
20. Faroese  Faroe Islands Bókadeild Føroya Lærarafelags[50]
  1. Gunnar Hoydal (I-III)
  2. Malan Háberg (IV)
  3. Bergur Rasmussen (V-VI)
  1. Harry Potter og Vitramannasteinurin
  2. Harry Potter og Kamarið Við Loynidómum
  3. Harry Potter og Fangin Úr Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter og Eldbikarið
  5. Harry Potter og Føniksfylkingin
  6. Harry Potter og Hálvblóðsprinsurin
  7. Harry Potter og Arvalutir Deyðans
21. Filipino  Philippines Lampara Books[51] Becky Bravo
  1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Filipino Edition
22. Finnish  Finland Tammi Jaana Kapari-Jatta[52]
  1. Harry Potter ja viisasten kivi
  2. Harry Potter ja salaisuuksien kammio
  3. Harry Potter ja Azkabanin vanki
  4. Harry Potter ja liekehtivä pikari
  5. Harry Potter ja Feeniksin kilta
  6. Harry Potter ja Puoliverinen prinssi
  7. Harry Potter ja Kuoleman varjelukset
23. French Éditions Gallimard Jean-François Ménard[53] (plus the school books[54])
  1. Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers
  2. Harry Potter et la Chambre des secrets
  3. Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter et la Coupe de feu
  5. Harry Potter et l'Ordre du phénix
  6. Harry Potter et le Prince de sang-mêlé
  7. Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort
24. West Frisian  Netherlands ( Friesland) Uitgeverij Bornmeer[55] Jetske Bilker
  1. Harry Potter en de stien fan 'e wizen
25. Galician  Spain ( Galicia) Editorial Galaxia
  1. Marilar Aleixandre (I)
  2. Eva Almazán (II-IV)
  3. Laura Sáez (V, VII)
  4. Carlos Acevedo (VI)
  1. Harry Potter e a pedra filosofal
  2. Harry Potter e a Cámara dos Segredos
  3. Harry Potter e o preso de Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter e o Cáliz de fogo
  5. Harry Potter e a Orde do Fénix
  6. Harry Potter e o misterio do príncipe
  7. Harry Potter e as reliquias da morte
26. Georgian  Georgia Bakur Sulakauri[56] Publishing
  1. Manana Antadze (I)
  2. Davit Gabunia (II, III)
  3. Ketevan Kanchashvili (IV, VI)
  4. I.Beriashvili (V)
  5. Tsitso Khotsuashvili (VII)
  1. ჰარი პოტერი და ფილოსოფიური ქვა
  2. ჰარი პოტერი და საიდუმლო ოთახი
  3. ჰარი პოტერი და აზკაბანის ტყვე
  4. ჰარი პოტერი და ცეცხლოვანი თასი
  5. ჰარი პოტერი და ფენიქსის ორდენი
  6. ჰარი პოტერი და ნახევარპრინცი
  7. ჰარი პოტერი და სიკვდილის საჩუქრები
27. German Carlsen Verlag Klaus Fritz
  1. Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen
  2. Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens
  3. Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban
  4. Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch
  5. Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix
  6. Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz
  7. Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes
28. Low German  Germany Verlag Michael Jung
  1. Hartmut Cyriacks
  2. Peter Nissen
  3. Luke Hedin

Et al.

  1. Harry Potter un de Wunnersteen
  2. Harry Potter un de grulig Kamer
29. Modern Greek  Greece Psichogios Publications[57]
  1. Máia Roútsou (I)
  2. Kaíti Oikonómou (II-V)
  1. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και η Φιλοσοφική Λίθος
  2. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και η Κάμαρα με τα Μυστικά
  3. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και ο Αιχμάλωτος του Αζκαμπάν
  4. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και το Κύπελλο της Φωτιάς
  5. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και το Τάγμα του Φοίνικα
  6. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και ο Ημίαιμος Πρίγκηψ
  7. Ο Χάρι Πότερ και οι Κλήροι του Θανάτου
30. Ancient Greek Bloomsbury Andrew Wilson (I)[58][59]
  1. Ἅρειος Ποτὴρ καὶ ἡ τοῦ φιλοσόφου λίθος
31. Greenlandic  Greenland Atuakkiorfik Greenland Publishers[60] Stephen Hammeken
  1. Harry Potter ujarallu inuunartoq[61]
32. Gujarati  India (Gujarat) Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. [62]
  1. Harish Nayak
  2. Jagruti Trivedi
  1. હેરી પોટર અને પારસમણિ
  2. હેરી પોટર અને રહસ્યમય ભોંયરુ
  3. હેરી પોટર અને અઝકાબાનનો કેદી
  4. હેરી પોટર અને આગનો પ્યાલો
  5. હેરી પોટર અને ફિનિક્સની ફોજ
  6. હેરી પોટર અને હાફ-બ્લડ પ્રીન્સ
  7. હેરી પોટર અને મોતની સોગાદો
33. Hebrew  Israel Miskal Ltd. (Yedioth Ahronoth and Sifrey Hemed)[63] / Books in the Attic Ltd.[64] Gili Bar-Hillel[65]
  1. הארי פוטר ואבן החכמים
  2. הארי פוטר וחדר הסודות
  3. הארי פוטר והאסיר מאזקבאן
  4. הארי פוטר וגביע האש
  5. הארי פוטר ומסדר עוף החול
  6. הארי פוטר והנסיך חצוי־הדם
  7. הארי פוטר ואוצרות המוות
34. Hindi  India Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.[66] Sudhir Dixit[67] (I-VII)
  1. हैरी पॉटर और पारस पत्थर
  2. हैरी पॉटर और रहस्यमयी तहख़ाना
  3. हैरी पॉटर और अज़्काबान का क़ैदी
  4. हैरी पॉटर और आग का प्याला
  5. हैरी पॉटर और मायापंछी का समूह
  6. हैरी पॉटर और हाफ़-ब्लड प्रिंस
  7. हैरी पॉटर और मौत के तोहफे
35. Hungarian  Hungary Animus Publishing[68] Tóth Tamás Boldizsár
  1. Harry Potter és a bölcsek köve
  2. Harry Potter és a Titkok Kamrája
  3. Harry Potter és az azkabani fogoly
  4. Harry Potter és a Tűz Serlege
  5. Harry Potter és a Főnix Rendje
  6. Harry Potter és a Félvér Herceg
  7. Harry Potter és a Halál ereklyéi
36. Icelandic  Iceland Bjartur[69]
  1. Helga Haraldsdóttir (I-VII)
  2. Jón Hallur Stefánsson (V)
  1. Harry Potter og viskusteinninn
  2. Harry Potter og leyniklefinn
  3. Harry Potter og fanginn frá Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter og eldbikarinn
  5. Harry Potter og Fönixreglan
  6. Harry Potter og Blendingsprinsinn
  7. Harry Potter og Dauðadjásnin
37. Indonesian  Indonesia Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama[70] Listiana Srisanti[71] (I-V)
  1. Harry Potter dan Batu Bertuah
  2. Harry Potter dan Kamar Rahasia
  3. Harry Potter dan Tawanan Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter dan Piala Api
  5. Harry Potter dan Orde Phoenix
  6. Harry Potter dan Pangeran Berdarah-Campuran
  7. Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian
38. Irish Bloomsbury Máire Nic Mhaoláin (I)
  1. Harry Potter agus an Órchloch
39. Italian Adriano Salani Editore[72]
  1. Marina Astrologo (I-II)
  2. Beatrice Masini (III-VII)

Illustrated by Serena Riglietti

  1. Harry Potter e la Pietra Filosofale
  2. Harry Potter e la Camera dei Segreti
  3. Harry Potter e il Prigioniero di Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter e il Calice di Fuoco
  5. Harry Potter e l'Ordine della Fenice
  6. Harry Potter e il Principe Mezzosangue
  7. Harry Potter e i Doni della Morte
40. Japanese  Japan Say-zan-sha Publications Ltd.[73] Yuko Matsuoka (松岡 佑子 Matsuoka Yūko?)[74]
  1. ハリー・ポッターと賢者の石
  2. ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋
  3. ハリー・ポッターとアズカバンの囚人
  4. ハリー・ポッターと炎のゴブレット
  5. ハリー・ポッターと不死鳥の騎士団
  6. ハリー・ポッターと謎のプリンス
  7. ハリー・ポッターと死の秘宝
41. Khmer  Cambodia Cambodia Daily Press[75][76] Un Tim
  1. ហេរី ផោតធ័រ និង សិលាទេព
  2. ហេរី ផោតធ័រ និង បន្ទប់ សម្ងាត់[77]
42. Korean  Republic of Korea Moonhak Soochup Publishing Co.[78]
  1. Kim Hye-won (I-IV)
  2. Inja Choe (V)
  1. 해리 포터와 마법사의 돌
  2. 해리 포터와 비밀의 방
  3. 해리 포터와 아즈카반의 죄수
  4. 해리 포터와 불의 잔
  5. 해리 포터와 불사조 기사단
  6. 해리 포터와 혼혈 왕자
  7. 해리 포터와 죽음의 성물
43. Latin Bloomsbury[79] Peter Needham[79] (I-II)
  1. Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis
  2. Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum
44. Latvian  Latvia Jumava[80]
  1. Ingus Josts (I-VII)
  2. Ieva Kolmane (IV-VII)
  3. Sabīne Ozola (V,VII)
  4. Māra Poļakova (V,VII)
  1. Harijs Poters un Filozofu akmens
  2. Harijs Poters un Noslēpumu kambaris
  3. Harijs Poters un Azkabanas gūsteknis
  4. Harijs Poters un Uguns biķeris
  5. Harijs Poters un Fēniksa Ordenis
  6. Harijs Poters un Jauktasiņu princis
  7. Harijs Poters un Nāves dāvesti
45. Lithuanian  Lithuania Alma Littera Company Limited[81] Zita Marienė
  1. Haris Poteris ir Išminties akmuo
  2. Haris Poteris ir Paslapčių kambarys
  3. Haris Poteris ir Azkabano kalinys
  4. Haris Poteris ir Ugnies taurė
  5. Haris Poteris ir Fenikso Brolija
  6. Haris Poteris ir Netikras Princas
  7. Haris Poteris ir Mirties relikvijos
46. Luxembourgish  Luxembourg Kairos Edition[82] Florence Berg
  1. Den Harry Potter an den Alchimistesteen
47. Macedonian
  1. REDIRECT Template:Country data North Macedonia || Publishing House Kultura (I-V)
    Mladinska kniga Skopje (VI-VII)[83] ||
  2. Blagorodna Bogeska-Ančevska[84] (I-V)
  3. Lavinija Shuvaka (VI-VII)
  1. Хари Потер и Каменот на мудроста
  2. Хари Потер и Одајата на тајните
  3. Хари Потер и Затвореникот од Азкабан
  4. Хари Потер и Пламениот пехар
  5. Хари Потер и Редот на фениксот
  6. Хари Потер и Полукрвниот Принц
  7. Хари Потер и Реликвиите на смртта
48. Marathi  India Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.[81]
  1. Priyanka Kulkarni(III)
  2. Manjusha Amdekar(II,IV,V,VI)
  3. Bal Urdhwareshe(I)
  1. हॅरी पॉटर आणि परीस
  2. हॅरी पॉटर आणि रहस्यमय तळघर
  3. हॅरी पॉटर आणि अझ्कबानचा कैदी
  4. हॅरी पॉटर आणि अग्निचषक
  5. हॅरी पॉटर आणि फीनिक्स सेना
  6. हॅरी पॉटर आणि हाफ-ब्लड प्रिन्स
  7. हॅरी पॉटर अँड द डेथली हॅलोज
49. Malay  Malaysia Pelangi Books[81][85]
  1. Harry Potter dengan Batu Hikmat
  2. Harry Potter dan Bilik Rahsia
  3. Harry Potter dengan Banduan Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter dalam Piala Api
  5. Harry Potter dalam Kumpulan Phoenix
  6. Harry Potter dengan Putera Berdarah Kacukan
  7. Harry Potter dengan Azimat Maut
50. Malayalam  India (Kerala) Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.[86] Radhika C. Nair[87]
  1. ഹാരി പോട്ടര്‍ രസ്ആയനക്കലല്‍ [hāri pōṭṭar‍ rasāyanakkalal‍]
  2. ഹാരി പോട്ടര്‍ നിഗൂഢ നിലവറ [hāri pōṭṭar‍ nigūḍha nilavaṟa]
51. Mongolian  Mongolia Nepko Publishing Д.Аюуш & Д.Батбаяр
  1. Харри Поттер ба Шидэт Чулуу
  2. Харри Поттер ба Нууц Өрөө
  3. Харри Поттер ба Азкабаны Хоригдол
  4. Харри Поттер ба Галт Хундага
  5. Харри Поттер ба Фениксийн Бүлгэм
  6. Харри Поттер ба Эрлийз Хунтайж
  7. Харри Поттер ба Үхлийн Өлгүүд
52. Nepali    Nepal Sunbird Publishing House [88][89]
  1. Shlesha Thapaliya
  2. Bijaya Adhikari
  1. ह्यारी पोटर र पारसमणि
53. Norwegian  Norway N.W. Damm & Søn A.S.[90] Torstein Bugge Høverstad
  1. Harry Potter og de vises stein
  2. Harry Potter og Mysteriekammeret
  3. Harry Potter og fangen fra Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter og ildbegeret
  5. Harry Potter og Føniksordenen
  6. Harry Potter og Halvblodsprinsen
  7. Harry Potter og dødstalismanene
54. Occitan  France ( Occitania) Per Noste Edicions[91][92]
  1. Karina Richard Bòrdanava (I)
  2. Patric Guilhemjoan (II)
  1. Harry Potter e la pèira filosofau
  2. Harry Potter e la crampa deus secrets
55. Persian  Iran Tandis Books[81][93] Vida Eslamiyeh
  1. هری پاتر و سنگ جادو
  2. هری پاتر و تالار اسرار
  3. هری پاتر و زندانی آزکابان
  4. هری پاتر و جام آتش
  5. هری پاتر و محفل ققنوس
  6. هری پاتر و شاهزاده دورگه
  7. هری پاتر و یادگاران مرگ
56. Polish  Poland Media Rodzina[94] Andrzej Polkowski
  1. Harry Potter i Kamień Filozoficzny
  2. Harry Potter i Komnata Tajemnic
  3. Harry Potter i więzień Azkabanu
  4. Harry Potter i Czara Ognia
  5. Harry Potter i Zakon Feniksa
  6. Harry Potter i Książę Półkrwi
  7. Harry Potter i Insygnia Śmierci
57. Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese:
European Portuguese:
Brazil:
Editora Rocco Ltda.[95]
Portugal:
Editorial Presença[81]
Brazil:
Lia Wyler
Portugal:
  1. Isabel Fraga (I)
  2. Isabel Nunes
  3. Manuela Madureira
Brazil:
  1. Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal
  2. Harry Potter e a Câmara Secreta
  3. Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo
  5. Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix
  6. Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe
  7. Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte
Portugal:
  1. Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal
  2. Harry Potter e a Câmara dos Segredos
  3. Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo
  5. Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fénix
  6. Harry Potter e o Príncipe Misterioso
  7. Harry Potter e os Talismãs da Morte
58. Romanian
  • Ioana Iepureanu (Egmont I-VII)[97][98]
  • Florin Bacin (Arthur I)[96]
  1. Harry Potter și Piatra Filozofală
  2. Harry Potter și Camera Secretelor
  3. Harry Potter și Prizonierul din Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter și Pocalul de Foc
  5. Harry Potter și Ordinul Phoenix
  6. Harry Potter și Prințul Semipur
  7. Harry Potter și Talismanele Morții
59. Russian  Russia
  • Azbuka-Attica: Machaon (Swallowtail) [99]
  • Rosman Publishing[100]
  1. Maria Spivak (I-VII)[101] (originally unofficial translations published officially in 2014 by Machaon)
  2. Igor W. Oranskij (I)
  3. Marina D. Litvinova (II-V)
  4. Vladimir Babkov (V)
  5. Viktor Golyshev (V)
  6. Leonid Motylev (V)
  7. Sergei Iljin (VI)
  8. Maya Lahuti (VII)
  1. Гарри Поттер и философский камень
  2. Гарри Поттер и тайная комната
  3. Гарри Поттер и узник Азкабана
  4. Гарри Поттер и кубок огня
  5. Гарри Поттер и орден феникса
  6. Гарри Поттер и принц-полукровка
  7. Гарри Поттер и Дары Cмерти
60. Serbian
  • Alfa – Narodna Knjiga (withdrawn)
  • Evro Giunti[102]
  • Montenegro: Nova Knjiga[103]
  1. Draško Roganović & Vesna Stamenković Roganović (I-VII)
  2. Ana Vukomanović (II)
Latin alphabet:
  1. Hari Poter i Kamen mudrosti
  2. Hari Poter i Dvorana tajni
  3. Hari Poter i zatvorenik iz Askabana
  4. Hari Poter i Vatreni Pehar
  5. Hari Poter i Red feniksa
  6. Hari Poter i Polukrvni Princ
  7. Hari Poter i relikvije Smrti
Cyrillic alphabet: [104][105]
  1. Хари Потер и Камен мудрости
  2. Хари Потер и Дворана тајни
  3. Хари Потер и затвореник из Аскабана
  4. Хари Потер и Ватрени пехар
  5. Хари Потер и Ред феникса
61. Sinhala  Sri Lanka Sarasavi Publishers (Pvt) Ltd [106]
  1. Abhaya Hewawasam (I-V)
  2. Thomson J Vendabona (VI)
  1. හැරී පොටර් සහ මායා ගල
  2. හැරී පොටර් සහ රහස් කුටිය
  3. හැරී පොටර් සහ අස්කබාන්හි සිරකරු
  4. හැරී පොටර් සහ අග්නි කුසලානය
  5. හැරී පොටර් සහ ෆීනික්ස් නිකාය
  6. හැරී පොටර් සහ අඩ ලේ කුමාරයා
62. Slovak  Slovakia Ikar [107]
  1. Jana Petrikovičová (I-II)
  2. Oľga Kralovičová (III-VI)
  1. Harry Potter a Kameň mudrcov
  2. Harry Potter a tajomná komnata
  3. Harry Potter a väzeň z Azkabanu
  4. Harry Potter a Ohnivá čaša
  5. Harry Potter a Fénixov rád
  6. Harry Potter a polovičný princ
  7. Harry Potter a Dary smrti
63. Slovene  Slovenia

Mladinska knjiga[81]

  1. Jakob J. Kenda (I-VII)
  2. Branko Gradišnik (VI)
  1. Harry Potter in Kamen modrosti
  2. Harry Potter in Dvorana skrivnosti
  3. Harry Potter in Jetnik iz Azkabana
  4. Harry Potter in Ognjeni kelih
  5. Harry Potter in Feniksov red
  6. Harry Potter in Princ mešane krvi (2nd translation by Kenda), Harry Potter in Polkrvni princ (1st translation by Gradišnik)
  7. Harry Potter in Svetinje smrti
64. Spanish Ediciones Salamandra[108]
  1. Alicia Dellepiane Rawson (I)
  2. Nieves Martín Azofra (II-IV)
  3. Adolfo Muñoz García (II-IV)
  4. Gemma Rovira Ortega (V-VII)
  1. Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal
  2. Harry Potter y la cámara secreta
  3. Harry Potter y el prisionero de Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter y el cáliz de fuego
  5. Harry Potter y la Orden del Fénix
  6. Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe
  7. Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte
65. Swedish Tiden Young Books[109] / Raben & Sjögren[110] Lena Fries-Gedin[110]
  1. Harry Potter och de vises sten
  2. Harry Potter och Hemligheternas kammare
  3. Harry Potter och fången från Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter och den flammande bägaren
  5. Harry Potter och Fenixorden
  6. Harry Potter och Halvblodsprinsen
  7. Harry Potter och dödsrelikerna
66. Thai  Thailand Nanmee Books[111]
  1. Sumalee Bumrungsuk (I-II, V-VII)
  2. Waleephon Wangsukun (III)
  3. Ngarmpun Vejjajiva (IV)
  1. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับศิลาอาถรรพ์
  2. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับห้องแห่งความลับ
  3. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับนักโทษแห่งอัซคาบัน
  4. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับถ้วยอัคนี
  5. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับภาคีนกฟีนิกซ์
  6. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับเจ้าชายเลือดผสม
  7. แฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์กับเครื่องรางยมทูต
67. Tibetan[112]  People's Republic of China (Tibet Autonomous Region) Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang
  1. Nor dkyil Bu chung rgyal (I-II) [113] [Norkyil Buchung Gyal (ནོར་དཀྱིལ་བུཆུངརྒྱལ་) [114]]
  1. ༄༅།།ཧ་རུའེ་ཕོད་ཐར་དང་ཚེ་རྡོ།།
  2. ༄༅།།ཧ་རུའེ་ཕོད་ཐར་དང་གསང་བའི་ཁང་པ།།
68. Turkish  Turkey
  • Dost Kitabevi (first novel only)
  • Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık[115]
  1. Mustafa Bayındır (I)
  2. Ülkü Tamer (I)
  3. Sevin Okyay[116] (II-VII)
  4. Kutlukhan Kutlu[116] (II-VII, the school books[54])
  1. Harry Potter ve Felsefe Taşı
  2. Harry Potter ve Sırlar Odası
  3. Harry Potter ve Azkaban Tutsağı
  4. Harry Potter ve Ateş Kadehi
  5. Harry Potter ve Zümrüdüanka Yoldaşlığı
  6. Harry Potter ve Melez Prens
  7. Harry Potter ve Ölüm Yadigârları
69. Ukrainian  Ukraine A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA[81]
  1. Victor Morozov[53] (all 7 books)
  2. Sofiia Andrukhovich (part of IV)
  1. Гаррі Поттер і філософський камінь
  2. Гаррі Поттер і Таємна кімната
  3. Гаррі Поттер і в'язень Азкабану *
  4. Гаррі Поттер і Келих вогню *
  5. Гаррі Поттер і Орден Фенікса *
  6. Гаррі Поттер і Напівкровний Принц *
  7. Гаррі Поттер і Смертельні Реліквії *
    * The Ukrainian movie titles use another variant of the word "and" (in Ukrainian, there are two variants of the word: "і" and "та"): "та" (ta)
70. Urdu  Pakistan Oxford University Press[117] Darakhshanda Asghar Khokhar[117][118] (I-IV)
  1. هیرى پوٹر اور پارس پتهر
  2. هیرى پوٹر اور رازوں کا کمرہ
  3. هیرى پوٹر اور ازكبان كا قیدى
  4. هیرى پوٹر اور آگ كا پیاله
71. Vietnamese  Vietnam Youth Publishing House[119] Lý Lan
  1. Harry Potter và Hòn Đá Phù Thủy
  2. Harry Potter và Phòng Chứa Bí Mật
  3. Harry Potter và Tên Tù Nhân Ngục Azkaban
  4. Harry Potter và Chiếc Cốc Lửa
  5. Harry Potter và Hội Phượng Hoàng
  6. Harry Potter và Hoàng Tử Lai
  7. Harry Potter và Bảo Bối Tử Thần
72. Welsh  United Kingdom ( Wales) Bloomsbury[81] Emily Huws[120] (I)
  1. Harri Potter a Maen yr Athronydd
73. Tamil  India Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.[121] PSV Kumarasamy (I-II)
  1. ஹாரி பாட்டரும் ரசவாதக் கல்லும்
  2. ஹாரி பாட்டரும் பாதாள அறை ரகசியங்களும்
74. Telugu  India Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.[122] M. S. B. P. N. V. Rama Sundari
  1. హ్యారీ పోటర్ పరుసవేది

Not listed in this table is the long-planned translation into Scots Gaelic; initially scheduled for release in December 2006 but delayed indefinitely.[123][124]

The government of Kazakhstan has ordered a Kazakh translation of the Harry Potter novels to be made.[125]

Some translations, such as those to the dead Latin and Ancient Greek languages, were done as academic exercises, to stimulate interest in the languages and to provide students of those languages with modern reading texts. The Ancient Greek version, according to the translator, is the longest text written in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD, and took about a year to complete.[126]

Note that in some countries, such as Spain and India, the book has been translated into several local languages (see section on publishers); sometimes the book has been translated into two dialects of the same language in two countries (for example, separate Portuguese versions for Brazil and for Portugal).

Unauthorised translations

The impatience of the international Harry Potter fan community for translations of the books has led to the proliferation of unauthorised or pirate translations that are often hastily translated and posted on the internet chapter-by-chapter, or printed by small presses and sold illegally. The work may be done by multiple translators to speed the process. Such translations are often poorly written and filled with errors. Cases have occurred in many areas of the world, but China is one of the most common areas of the world for unauthorised translations and pirated editions to be sold.[127]

One notable case involved a French 16-year-old who published serialised translations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows online. He was arrested and his site was later shut down; however, the wife of the official translator noted that these works do not necessarily hurt the official translation.[128]

Another example occurred in Venezuela in 2003, when an illegal translation of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, appeared soon after the release of the English version and five months before the scheduled release of the Spanish translation. The pirate translation was apparently so bad that the translator added messages, including "Here comes something that I'm unable to translate, sorry," and "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what that meant" in some sections. Two people were arrested in connection with the pirated version.[129]

Another case involved the internet fan translation community, Harry auf Deutsch, formed to translate the Harry Potter books into German more rapidly.[130] The German publisher of the Harry Potter books, Carlsen Verlag, filed a cease and desist against the fan translators; they complied, taking down the translations.[131]

In some countries, when there were no authorised translations into the local language, translations not sanctioned by J. K. Rowling were prepared and published. Such was the case, for example, in Sri Lanka, where the books have been unofficially translated into Sinhala and possibly into Tamil.[132] However, there have been more recent translations into both Sinhala and Tamil published by Sarasavi Bookshop and Manjul Press respectively that are authorised by J. K. Rowling.[81]

In Iran, several unauthorised translations of the Harry Potter books exist side by side. According to one source, there may be as many as 16 Persian translations in existence concurrently.[133] Iran is not a member of the Universal Copyright Convention, so publishers are not prosecuted for publishing foreign books without respecting copyright or paying royalties.[134]

A team consisting of seven Esperantist volunteers completed the translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone into Esperanto (under the title Hari Poter kaj la ŝtono de la saĝuloj) in 2004. Rowling's representatives did not respond to offers from Esperanto-USA to make the translation available for publication. An on-line petition aimed at raising interest in the Esperanto translation has obtained support from approximately 800 individuals.[135]

Agents representing J. K. Rowling have stated in the past that they cannot and do not intend to prevent individuals from translating Rowling's books for their own personal enjoyment, as long as the results are not made available to the general public.[136]

Fake translations

Whereas "pirate translations" are unauthorised translations of true Harry Potter books, "fake translations" have also appeared, which are published pastiches or fanfics that a foreign publisher has tried to pass off as the translation of the real book by Rowling. There have been several such books, the most famous of which is probably Harry Potter and Bao Zoulong which was written and published in China in 2002, before the release of the fifth book in Rowling's series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Other fake Harry Potter books written in Chinese include Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll (哈利・波特与瓷娃娃 or Hālì Bōtè yǔ Cíwáwa), Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle, and Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase.[137] In August 2007, The New York Times noted that the publication of Rowling's Deathly Hallows had inspired "a surge of peculiarly Chinese imitations," and included plot synopses and excerpts from a number of derivative works, among them Harry Potter and the Chinese Overseas Students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry Potter and the Big Funnel. [138] In 2003, legal pressure from the licensors of Harry Potter led an Indian publisher to stop publication of Harry Potter in Calcutta, a work in which Harry meets figures from Bengali literature.[139]

Americanisation as translation

The differences between the British and American editions of the books have sometimes been referred to as "translation" into American English. The most noted example of this is the difference in the titles of the first book in the series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the United Kingdom, versus Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States. The book's title was changed due to the American publisher's concern that children would be confused by a reference to philosophy. Other translations have also changed the first book's title, namely the French translation which changed "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to "Harry Potter at the School of Wizards" for the same reason as the American translation, citing that the reference to the Philosopher's Stone legend was "too obscure for a book aimed at the youth."[140] A comprehensive list of differences between the American and British editions of the books is collected at the Harry Potter Lexicon web site.[141] The changes are mostly simple lexical switches to reflect the different dialects and prevent American readers from stumbling over unfamiliar Briticisms. Changes of this sort are common when adapting any text from British to American editions[142] but in the case of the Harry Potter books, this standard practice has occasionally drawn criticism from readers who feel that the British English adds flavour to the series.[143] Rowling herself expressed regret after changing the first book's title, as the Philosopher's Stone is an age-old legend.

In an Associated Press interview, Rowling described how the alterations to the American editions came about:

Rowling pretended to bang her head against the sofa in mock frustration. "SO much has been made of that," she groans, noting that it was only done where words had been used that really meant something very different to Americans. Her American editor pointed out that the word jumper – British for pullover sweater – means a kind of dress in American. She had had no idea. "He asked, 'Can we change it to sweater,' which is just as British?" That was fine with Rowling.[144]

Publisher Arthur Levine of Scholastic explained the changes in an interview in The New Yorker:

I wasn't trying to, quote, "Americanize" them... What I was trying to do is translate, which I think is different. I wanted to make sure that an American kid reading the book would have the same literary experience that a British kid would have."[145]

The same article, however, points out that some British dialect was retained in the books, and in some cases certain phrases were replaced with more stereotypical British phrases, such as "spanking good" for "cracking."

Issues in translation

The Harry Potter series presents many challenges to translators, such as rhymes, acronyms, dialects, culture, riddles, jokes, invented words, and plot points that revolve around spellings or initials. These have been dealt with by various translators with different degrees of modification to the meaning of the original text.

Translation strategies

The books carried a number of words that are considered loaded names by linguists and translators, meaning that they carry a semantic load, and that their morphology (structure) and phonology (sound) need to be adapted when translating them to a foreign language, for example the house names (Ravenclaw = raven + claw), or Voldemort's name ("flight of death" or "theft of death" in French).[146] These words were translated in different countries using several translation strategies, such as copying the names with no attempt to transmit the original English meaning, transliterating even if the name lost its original meaning, replacing the name with another given name from the target language, or translating the name using native words that conveyed the same meaning.[146][147] For example, in the Russian first book the transliterating strategy was used for some names because the "th" sound does not exist in Russian, so "Slytherin" was transliterated as "Slizerin". The translator of the second book chose the translating strategy instead, and he renamed the houses, "Hufflepuff" becoming "Puffendui" and "Ravenclaw" becoming "Kogtevran" (from the Russian word for claw, "kogot'").

Culture and language

Many of the nuances of British culture and language will be unfamiliar to international readers. Such things require careful and creative translating. Nonstandard English present in the book also had to be given careful consideration. The character Rubeus Hagrid's West Country dialect, for example, needed to be rendered in other languages to reflect the fact that he speaks with an accent and uses particular types of slang.[148] In the Japanese translation, he speaks in the Tōhoku dialect, which to a Japanese reader conveys a similar provincial feel.[149] For the Hebrew translation, some of the Christian references were changed, because Israelis have less familiarity with cultural Christianity than readers elsewhere: a scene in which Sirius Black sings a parody of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" replaced the song with a parody of "Mi Y'malel," a Chanukah song.[150] In the French translation, explanations of certain features of British schools unfamiliar to French students were inserted in the dialogues (e.g., "Prefect" and "Head Boy"), but they were not distinguished from explanations in the original text of differences between ordinary British schools and wizarding schools. This could mislead readers into thinking that these features of the house and boarding systems didn't exist in real-world British schools.[151]

Rhymes, anagrams, and acronyms

The series involves many songs, poems, and rhymes, some of which proved difficult to translators.[152] One rhyme, a riddle told by a sphinx in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, posed a particular problem.[note 1] The riddle involves taking words from a poem and using them to form a longer word, "spider," in answer to the riddle. In the Taiwanese translation, the English words are simply put in parentheses.[153] In other translations, the riddle is changed to provide different words that can be put together to make up the translated version of "spider."

Some acronyms also proved difficult; the abbreviations O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) and N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) needed to be translated to reflect the fact that their abbreviations spelled out the names of animals associated with the wizarding world, which did not always work in other languages. N.E.W.T.s was translated into Swedish as F.U.T.T. (Fruktansvärt Utmattande Trollkarls-Test, Terribly Exhausting Wizard's Test). Futt means measly in Swedish.[148]

Another issue was the translation of "The Mirror of Erised," since "Erised" is created by reading English desire backwards. In German the word desire is spelled Begehren, so the mirror was called "Der Spiegel Nerhegeb". The Finnish translation also follows this formula of reversing a word; the mirror is called Iseeviot-peili "iseeviot" being "toiveesi" (your wish) written backwards. In Polish the mirror is called Zwierciadło Ain Eingarp (Mirror = Zwierciadło; Pragnienia = Desire (in genitive case)). In Indonesian, The Mirror of Erised is called "Cermin Tarsah" (Cermin = Mirror; Hasrat = Desire).

Areas in which anagrams are present do not make the transition easily into other languages. The name "Tom Marvolo Riddle", first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is rearranged to spell "I am Lord Voldemort". This has required translators to alter Riddle's name to make the anagram work. Sometimes translators manage to alter only one part of the name. For example, Tom Riddle's middle name of Marvolo was changed to Marvolodemus in the Serbian second edition; the first edition had lacked the anagram and the original name Tom Marvolo Riddle had simply been copied. In the Bulgarian translation his middle name becomes "Mersvoluko" so the whole name forms an anagram for "And here I am, Lord Voldemort" (instead of "I am Lord Voldemort" as in the original English). Analogous alterations of the middle name Marvolo have been made in several other languages; for example; it became Servolo in Brazilian Portuguese, Vandrolo in Hebrew, Marvoldo in Turkish, Vorlost in German, Narvolo in Russian, Sorvolo in Spanish, Rojvol in Czech, Marvoloso in Slovak, and Orvoloson in Italian. (Note: the original Italian version kept the English name, having Riddle translate the anagram in his speech that immediately follows. The change to Orvoloson was made in later editions.)

In other languages, translators replaced the entire name to preserve the anagram. In French, Riddle's full name becomes Tom Elvis Jedusor (i.e. phonetically "game of fate" for the French "Jeu du sort"; but there is a playword: "Jedusor" is phonetically pronounced in French as "Jet du sort" which means "Casting spell") which forms an anagram for "Je suis Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"). In Norwegian, his name is Tom Dredolo Venster, an anagram of "Voldemort den store", which means "Voldemort the Great". In Greek, his name is "Anton Marvolo Hurt" (Άντον Μαρβόλο Χέρτ), anagram of "Άρχον Βόλντεμορτ" which means "Lord Voldemort". In Icelandic, his name is Trevor Delgome, which becomes "(Ég)Eg er Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"), but his middle name is not used for the anagram and stays as Marvolo. In Finnish his name is "Tom Lomen Valedro"; the corresponding anagram is "Ma(ä) olen Voldemort", "I am Voldemort". In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn", an anagram of "Mijn naam is Voldemort", or "My name is Voldemort". In Swedish, his name is "Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder", an anagram of "Ego sum Lord Voldemort", where "ego sum" is Latin, not Swedish, for "I am".

In Slovenian, both names are completely changed. Tom Marvolo Riddle is Mark Neelstin and Lord Voldemort is translated as Lord Mrlakenstein. When the name Mark Neelstin is rearranged in the scene, it spells Mrlakenstein. Because the books in Slovenia were released with a three-year delay, the translation of Voldemort is consistent throughout the series. The film series corresponds with the book translation. The Danish translation uses abbreviation and suffix to make the name work. The translation is Romeo G. Detlev Jr an anagram of "Jeg er Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort").

In Hungarian, Voldemort's name becomes "Tom Rowle Denem", which is an anagram of "Nevem Voldemort" ("My name is Voldemort"), with the "w" in the name becoming two "v"s. This caused a name collision with the character Thorfinn Rowle, who first appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but who is not related to Voldemort. Because of this collision, in the Hungarian translation his family name was altered to Rovel. The Arabic version avoids the issue entirely by having Riddle directly write out, "I am Lord Voldemort" (أنا لورد فولدمورت). These changes to the name created problems in later books however; in the English edition, a line of dialogue mentions that Tom Riddle shares his given name with the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron, and this becomes a plot point. However, this is not the case in all translations. In the Latin version his name is Tom Musvox Ruddle, which is an anagram of "Sum Dux Voldemort", or "I am the leader Voldemort".

Invented words, proper nouns, and names

Rowling invented a great number of words and phrases for the books such as spells, incantations, magical words, items, and place names. Many of these words involve wordplay, rhyming, and historical references that are difficult to translate. A large number of spells are drawn from or inspired by Latin, and have a certain resonance with English speakers. For example, priori incantatem (a spell which causes the last spells performed by a wand to be reproduced in reverse order) would be familiar to many English-speaking readers as the words prior (previous) and incantation (spell, charm). To create a similar effect in the Hindi version, the Sanskrit, typical in mantras, has been used for the spells. Some translators have created new words themselves; others have resorted to transliteration.

Names that involve wordplay, such as Knockturn Alley and Pensieve are also difficult to translate. The former, an unsavoury area in London's magical market, is semi-homophonous with "nocturnally," suggesting darkness and evil. The latter is a magical bowl into which memories and thoughts can be placed and examined, and is a portmanteau of two words: pensive, meaning "musingly or dreamily thoughtful," and sieve, a type of bowl with perforations through which fine particles of a substance (such as flour) may be passed to separate them from coarser ones. Translators must creatively render such names. If the words are simply transliterated, the shades of meaning are lost; but, when new word-games are invented, they can end up sounding quite different from the original, and often reflect the translator's personal interpretation and preferences. For instance, the Turkish version of Pensieve is Düşünseli, which is a portmanteau of the words Düşünmek (to think, to imagine) and sel (a flood of water). The German version of Pensieve is Denkarium with denken, meaning "to think," and "aquarium." The Swedish version of Pensieve is Minnessåll which means memory's sieve. The Norwegian translation of Pensieve is tanketank which translates to Thought-tank. The Hebrew version achieves a similar effect to the English in its translation of Pensieve; Pensieve is הגיגית (Hagigit), which is a combination of the word הגיג (hagig) meaning thought, and the word גיגית (gigit) meaning tub. In the Czech translation, Pensieve is "Myslánka" (from "myslet" – think) and Knockturn Alley is Obrtlá ulice, a rather complex neologism with many meanings and associations, but based on the word "obrtlík" (swivel) and the phrase "otočit se na obrtlíku" (run away suddenly). The "Nocturnal" wordplay is not used in the Czech translation. The Vietnamese version of "Pensieve" is "Tưởng Ký", which is a combination word of "tư tưởng" ("thought" or "mind") and "ký" (literally means something to keep thoughts, like a diary.)

Often, names in Harry Potter have historical or linguistic significance in English, which may create problems if the translator does not recognise or misjudges it. Rowling commented on this phenomenon in Conversations with J.K. Rowling, in which she complained that the Italian translation of Professor Dumbledore's last name was "Silente"; rather than recognizing that "Dumbledore" was an old Devon word for "bumblebee," the translator took the word "dumb" and translated it as "silent".[154] In contrast, the Czech translator used the Old Czech word for bumblebee – Brumbál (in modern Czech čmelák).

Plot points

In some cases, English-speaking fans have sought clues to the story's mysteries by examining the way certain parts of the books have been translated in foreign editions. A case in point is the identity of a character mentioned by initials only in the book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The English initials R.A.B. could have belonged to several minor characters from the books, but variations on the initials in other languages gave evidence to the true identity of the mystery character: in the Dutch edition of the book R.A.B. was translated into R.A.Z., 'zwart' being Dutch for 'black'; in the Norwegian edition, R.A.B. translates to 'R.A.S.', svart being Norwegian for 'black'; and in the Finnish edition the initials were R.A.M., 'musta' being Finnish for 'black'. Fans took this to mean that the character was Regulus Black, the brother of Sirius Black; when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published, this was revealed to be the case.

Similarly, the title for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did not make it obvious whether the word "Order" referred to a group of people or to a directive. The information that it was a group of people was then determined by viewing the title in other languages. The Vietnamese translation, which was originally published in instalments, originally interpreted "Order" as a directive and translated it as "Harry Potter và Mệnh lệnh Phượng hoàng"; when it became clear that "Order" referred to a group of people, the title was changed to "Harry Potter và Hội Phượng hoàng".

Rowling released an alternative title for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for use by translators finding difficulty translating its meaning. The alternative title (in English) is Harry Potter and the Relics of Death.[155]

Character gender

A few characters in the series are identified with a title and last name, or with a gender-neutral name. In some languages—for example, those where adjectives are gendered—it was necessary for the translator to guess the character's gender. The Hebrew translation initially made Blaise Zabini a girl, though the character was revealed to be a boy in later books.[150] To avoid this problem, Isabel Nunes, the Portuguese translator, asked Rowling about the gender of some of the characters—Zabini, Professor Sinistra, and "R.A.B."—while working on her translations.[156]

Notes

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References

  1. ABC News on Harry Potter: "Rowling has sold about 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books worldwide, according to Blair." (4 April 2011)
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  43. Whether adaptation into American English constitutes a translation is discussed.
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  52. Ms. Kapari-Jatta has discussed her translation effort in the popular-style fact book Pollomuhku ja Posityyhtynen (2008).
  53. 53.0 53.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. 54.0 54.1 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages
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  63. [1] Archived 7 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine
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  76. web|url=http://imgur.com/77GUYBm
  77. web|url=http://kienforcefidele.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/hp2coverkh.jpg
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  85. [2] Archived 13 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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  98. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-84731270.html
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  105. There seems to be no evidence that Books 6 and 7 were ever published in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet.
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  112. This may be an unauthorised translation since one of the references cited here claims that the translation was made at least in part from the Chinese edition.
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  127. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.also see Chinese literature, bookmarket
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  135. Help us make an Esperanto Harry Potter!
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  137. Leifer, Andrew. "Harry Potter and the Battle of the International Copyright Law", Stanford University Boothe Prize, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  138. Op-Ed Contributors. "Memo to the Dept. of Magical Copyright Enforcement", The New York Times, 2007-08-10. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
  139. Wu, Tim. "Harry Potter and the International Order of Copyright." Slate. Friday 27 June 2003. Retrieved on 11 May 2009.
  140. http://www.erudit.org/revue/meta/2006/v/n3/013553ar.html
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  146. 146.0 146.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (page 6 on pdf)
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  149. 'Potter' makes Tohokuites proud, Masayuki Aihara, Japan Times, 30 July 2003
  150. 150.0 150.1 When Harry’ met Hebrew, Cleveland Jewish News, Sarah Bronson, 18 October 2007
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  154. Conversations with J.K. Rowling, Lindsey Fraser, Arthur E. Levine Books, 2001
  155. Swedish Deathly Hallows translation may give clues, Mugglenet, 25 May 2007
  156. Rumor: Full name of R.A.B. revealed, David Haber, 8 October 2006

External links