The Wizarding World of Harry Potter through the Magic of Muggle Languages!
Foods, as a literary device, are commonly changed in translation. Here are some of the hearty holiday comfort foods from around the world that have made their way into the Harry Potter translations.
Here's our first look at wizarding swears from around the world.
In Catalan, the Daily Prophet's article on the Gringotts break-in reads a bit more like an actual newspaper article.
Translation is a powerful tool, and even the smallest subtleties can create big differences in a story. Take a look at this case from the Low German translation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, where a connection is drawn between stupid trolls and the clever-faced goblins.
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.
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!