Translating Harry Potter
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| | | That's quite the change in the text . . . | Jan 18, 2012 |
"The Ukrainian translation is interesting. They don't have (Hogwarts) school, they have an orphanage. And the reason is that in Ukrainian culture, the idea of a boarding school is completely unknown. The only thing they could conceive of as bringing children together was an orphanage."
Wouldn't that require quite the drastic change in the structure of the text? How does Harry, in fact, how do all of the students go "home" each school year at an orphanage? An... See more "The Ukrainian translation is interesting. They don't have (Hogwarts) school, they have an orphanage. And the reason is that in Ukrainian culture, the idea of a boarding school is completely unknown. The only thing they could conceive of as bringing children together was an orphanage."
Wouldn't that require quite the drastic change in the structure of the text? How does Harry, in fact, how do all of the students go "home" each school year at an orphanage? Any Ukrainian speakers or literary translators care to comment? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ty Kendall 
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:31
Hebrew to English
| Voldemort was originally in an orphanage.... | Jan 18, 2012 |
I'm not a Ukrainian speaker or a literary translator, but maybe the change doesn't have to be that drastic.
I'm not a complete Harry Potter buff, but I do remember that Voldemort was found in a (muggle) orphanage when he was a child. So maybe it was more a case of re-location and some slight retelling.
http://arts.ucalgary.ca/lrc/harrypottereditions<... See more I'm not a Ukrainian speaker or a literary translator, but maybe the change doesn't have to be that drastic.
I'm not a complete Harry Potter buff, but I do remember that Voldemort was found in a (muggle) orphanage when he was a child. So maybe it was more a case of re-location and some slight retelling.
http://arts.ucalgary.ca/lrc/harrypottereditions
The above link is the University of Calgary's page for audio versions of Harry Potter for a bunch of languages - it's interesting and fun!
[Edited at 2012-01-18 12:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Too drastic for my taste | Jan 18, 2012 |
Isn't this going too far? Even if boarding schools do not exist in Ukraine, thanks to globalisation, I'm quite sure most Ukrainian are aware that they do exist in other countries (they are not common in Spain either, but we all have the image of British boarding schools in mind).
Or, if needed, they could have added an explanation about this concept.
Just my opinion
Best regards,
... See more Isn't this going too far? Even if boarding schools do not exist in Ukraine, thanks to globalisation, I'm quite sure most Ukrainian are aware that they do exist in other countries (they are not common in Spain either, but we all have the image of British boarding schools in mind).
Or, if needed, they could have added an explanation about this concept.
Just my opinion
Best regards,
Cristina. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Max Chernov
Russian Federation
Local time: 17:31
Russian to German
+ ...
| They live on an another planet... | Jan 18, 2012 |
The only reason I can invent, but they are not alone... The belorussians are strange too. Interesting, whereabouts do live Harry in the belorussian translation?
But this situation with the school somewhere out, where the pupils live, not simply learn, is quite normal for us...
[Редактировалось 2012-01-18 16:21 GMT]
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 16:31
French to English
| what about Ron's parents???!! | Jan 18, 2012 |
what about all the scenes with Ron's parents? I mean, Harry actually stays with them several times in the holidays, and they do actually have quite important roles in some of the later volumes!
| | | | | Harry needs a home | Jan 19, 2012 |
Part of the problem of translating Hogwarts as an orphanage instead of a school is that the children need to have a home to go to during the holidays.
This is a particularly important part of the story for Harry as it is precisely because he has a home with his mother's sister, a mother who died to protect him and provided a lasting protection through her blood (i.e. her sister) that he is able to remain safe from Voldemort during the holidays when he is away from Hogwarts and Dumbl... See more Part of the problem of translating Hogwarts as an orphanage instead of a school is that the children need to have a home to go to during the holidays.
This is a particularly important part of the story for Harry as it is precisely because he has a home with his mother's sister, a mother who died to protect him and provided a lasting protection through her blood (i.e. her sister) that he is able to remain safe from Voldemort during the holidays when he is away from Hogwarts and Dumbledore.
I would have thought it would be better to translate it as a boarding school with an explanation, although I find it hard to believe that even if these facilities do not exist in the Ukraine, people would not know about them.
I don't see how you can change something that has such a fundamental role in the entire story.
Just my two pennies! ▲ Collapse
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 09:31
Membro (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| No residential schools at all? | Jan 19, 2012 |
Claire Loveridge wrote:
I would have thought it would be better to translate it as a boarding school with an explanation, although I find it hard to believe that even if these facilities do not exist in the Ukraine, people would not know about them.
Good point. I'd also be surprised that even if an analogous concept to a typical British boarding school didn't exist in a particular country, surely it must have some of kind residential schools or programs for older primary and secondary pupils from rural areas that are too remote to support advanced local schools.
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:31
Hebrew to English
| Smaller things bother me more | Jan 19, 2012 |
The boarding school turned orphanage perhaps does seem shocking to some but I find the smaller things can often have more of an impact in translation though. Especially all the terms with implied meanings, for example:
Slytherin
Ravenclaw
Hufflepuff
Gryffindor
Muggle (from slang "mug" meaning "fool/foolish")
In the Hebrew translation, all these things are merely transliterated, thus losing their implied meanings to the larger part of Israeli readers.
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