Author Baldur Babbling
A look at what makes the translation of Harry Potter such an interesting phenomenon. Using examples from Hufflepuffs to trolls to the translation of puns, we take a look at what Harry Potter can show us about 80+ language communities around the world!
A look at what makes the translation of Harry Potter such an interesting phenomenon. Using examples from Hufflepuffs to trolls to the translation of puns, we take a look at what Harry Potter can show us about 80+ language communities around the world!
Translating Harry Potter into Hebrew was an interesting choice. Only a century ago it was a holy language, but now it’s used to translate tales of witches and wizards! The novelty of modern Hebrew is apparent in the translation, which reflects its young literary culture and its large number of non-native learners. See how it scores on the Spellman Spectrum!
There are at least hundreds of people active online in discussing, collecting, and trading translations of Harry Potter. The total number of collectors worldwide probably numbers in the thousands. One of the primary goals of Potter of Babble is to… Continue Reading →
Translating Harry Potter into Hebrew was an interesting choice. Only a century ago it was a holy language, but now it’s used to translate tales of witches and wizards! The novelty of modern Hebrew is apparent in the translation, which reflects its young literary culture and its large number of non-native learners.
Albus Dumbledore is a treat. Famously, his favorite treat is the lemon drop. Or sherbet lemons. Or is it lemon sorbet? Translations can’t agree on what it is, or on the password he uses for his office in the Chamber of Secrets.
An explanation of the Spellman Spectrum, a scale that quantitatively measures and compares translations of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. A high score on the scale indicates a target-oriented (gist) translation, while a low score on the scale indicates a source-oriented (literal) translation.
Harry Potter is a fascinating tale to translate. That famous first sentence shows us just how much thought and creativity a translator must put into communicating this magical world. We’ll show you how translators across the world grappled with the Dursleys using 6 different translation strategies!
Harry Potter is a fascinating tale to translate. That famous first sentence shows us just how much thought and creativity a translator must put into communicating this magical world. We’ll show you how translators across the world grappled with the Dursleys using 6 different translation strategies!