I am trying to figure out the thought processes that lie behind the French translations of the Harry Potter books.
And I am hoping that someone out there can help me.
I am currently engrossed in the third novel, Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban. It's slow going (because my understanding of written French is not perfect) but excellent.
What I am noticing, however, is that certain names get translated/changed while others do not. The most notable of the names that are not translated are those of our hero trio: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are all the same in the French translation. The Dursleys retain their English names, as do Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. And the two major new characters in the third book remain "Sirius Black" and "R.J. Lupin".
But Professor Snape is changed to "Rogue", Hogwarts becomes "Poudlard", Hogsmeade becomes "Pré-au-lard" and Neville Longbottom becomes "Neville Londubat". As I have discussed before, Tom Riddle becomes "Elvis Jedusor" and Draco Malfoy becomes "Drago Malefoy" (note, Crabbe and Goyle remain Crabbe and Goyle).
Among the animals, Hedwig and Errol keep their names (perhaps owls are exempt) while Scabbers is translated into "Croutard" and Cruickshanks becomes "Pattenrond".
I could go on and on (and maybe I should to see if a pattern develops) but, as things are now, I don't understand when the translators decided to keep a name the same and when they chose to "translate" it.
I would think that Sirius Black would be a fairly easy translation: Sirius Noir. But that translation is not made.
I wonder why? I am not intending to criticize the translators -- I think they do a tremendous job -- and I am certainly not questioning how they translate the names when they choose to do so.
I just don't understand the pattern of translation/non-translation for the names of people, places and pets.
Showing posts with label Poudlard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poudlard. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A Bagshot surprise
I didn't think it was possible. Not in this country. Not in this day and age.
I actually found myself in a room with 11 other people and not one of them (not ONE of them) was a fan of Harry Potter. In fact, none of them had even read or watched Harry Potter enough to know who Bathilda Bagshot is.
How did I find this out? Well, the room in question was a classroom at my place of work. And the 11 other people were my classmates and my French instructor. And the way I learned it was about as embarrassing as you can imagine.
I had to do a ten-minute oral presentation on a well-known personage from French-Canadian society. The personage assigned to me was a 20th Century union and anti-poverty activist from Caraquet, New Brunswick by the name of Mathilda Blanchard.
I decided to start my presentation with a joke, by telling my classmates how excited I was to have been assigned Mathilda Blanchard, since she was such an interesting character from the novels of J.K. Rowling.
I was playing on the similarity in the names between Mathilda Blanchard, well-known activist, and Bathilda Bagshot, author of "A History Of Magic" as featured in the Harry Potter novels and films. I even produced a photograph of Bathilda from the movies.
I expected big laughs. I expected dawning realisations and happy faces.
What I got was... nothing. Blank looks. Slow blinks of non-comprehension. The instructor was staring at me like I'd lost my mind.
Oh well. The presentation went well and I got the chance to tell more people about the wonders of Harry Potter and Poudlard, that famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
But I also left wondering: will I ever again, as long as I live, meet 11 people at the same time, none of whom have read the Harry Potter novels nor seen the films?
Not likely.
I actually found myself in a room with 11 other people and not one of them (not ONE of them) was a fan of Harry Potter. In fact, none of them had even read or watched Harry Potter enough to know who Bathilda Bagshot is.
How did I find this out? Well, the room in question was a classroom at my place of work. And the 11 other people were my classmates and my French instructor. And the way I learned it was about as embarrassing as you can imagine.
I had to do a ten-minute oral presentation on a well-known personage from French-Canadian society. The personage assigned to me was a 20th Century union and anti-poverty activist from Caraquet, New Brunswick by the name of Mathilda Blanchard.
I decided to start my presentation with a joke, by telling my classmates how excited I was to have been assigned Mathilda Blanchard, since she was such an interesting character from the novels of J.K. Rowling.
I was playing on the similarity in the names between Mathilda Blanchard, well-known activist, and Bathilda Bagshot, author of "A History Of Magic" as featured in the Harry Potter novels and films. I even produced a photograph of Bathilda from the movies.
I expected big laughs. I expected dawning realisations and happy faces.
What I got was... nothing. Blank looks. Slow blinks of non-comprehension. The instructor was staring at me like I'd lost my mind.
Oh well. The presentation went well and I got the chance to tell more people about the wonders of Harry Potter and Poudlard, that famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
But I also left wondering: will I ever again, as long as I live, meet 11 people at the same time, none of whom have read the Harry Potter novels nor seen the films?
Not likely.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Watching Harry Potter in French
I've just come back from an immersion course in French. In order to try to keep up the momentum, I thought I should try to expose myself to the language every chance I get.
So, yesterday when I sat down to watch The Deathly Hallows, Part 1, on Blu Ray (since Part 2 is no longer playing in my town!!!!), I thought I should switch over to the French soundtrack and watch the movie entirely in French. In order to aid my efforts, I also turned on the French subtitles so I could read as I listened.
Two problems quickily appeared.
First, it would appear that two different people translated the script into French for the spoken and written versions. As a result, what you read is NOT what you hear being spoken. It got so confusing, I actually turned off the subtitles after a while.
Second, since the reality is the French language usually uses more words to express the same thought than does the English language (and, for the sake or realism, the people doing the French-language soundtrack try to ensure that the spoken French matches the moving lips on screen), they speak VERY QUICKLY on the French soundtrack.
In other words, it wasn't the most satisfying experience I've ever had.
On the other hand, I was very pleased to see that the French soundtrack followed the French versions of the novels when it came to names of characters and places. For example, in both the French novels and the French soundtracks, Hogwarts is "Poudlard" and Snape is "Rogue".
I still don't understand why the translator changed the names in the first place but at least they're being consistent!
So, yesterday when I sat down to watch The Deathly Hallows, Part 1, on Blu Ray (since Part 2 is no longer playing in my town!!!!), I thought I should switch over to the French soundtrack and watch the movie entirely in French. In order to aid my efforts, I also turned on the French subtitles so I could read as I listened.
Two problems quickily appeared.
First, it would appear that two different people translated the script into French for the spoken and written versions. As a result, what you read is NOT what you hear being spoken. It got so confusing, I actually turned off the subtitles after a while.
Second, since the reality is the French language usually uses more words to express the same thought than does the English language (and, for the sake or realism, the people doing the French-language soundtrack try to ensure that the spoken French matches the moving lips on screen), they speak VERY QUICKLY on the French soundtrack.
In other words, it wasn't the most satisfying experience I've ever had.
On the other hand, I was very pleased to see that the French soundtrack followed the French versions of the novels when it came to names of characters and places. For example, in both the French novels and the French soundtracks, Hogwarts is "Poudlard" and Snape is "Rogue".
I still don't understand why the translator changed the names in the first place but at least they're being consistent!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Hagrid Flies? Really?
I've often wondered about this and it has struck me again as I read J.K.'s first book in French. When Harry asks Hagrid how he got to the rock in the middle of the sea to deliver Harry's Poudlard (Hogwarts) letter to him, Hagrid tells Harry he flew there.
J.K. never explains how Hagrid flew there.
He could not have come on a broom for two reasons: first, he doesn't bring a broom back to London and, second, it is explained in a later novel that Hagrid is too heavy for a broom.
He could not have come via Sirius' motorbike (upon which Hagrid had flown the infant Harry to Privet Drive in the first place) since he would have had to leave it on the rock when he takes Harry away with him on the boat.
He could not have apparated there, since Hagrid is never shown to have mastered Apparition, he was kicked out of Hogwarts in his third year before he could have taken lessons and earned his Apparition license, and, besides, Apparition requires a fully functioning wand. Hagrid's was broken in half when he was forced to leave school.
Since it is established in The Deathly Hallows that only Voldemort can fly on his own (several members of the Order tell the others with amazement that "Voldemort can fly" after the Death Eaters ambush the seven Harrys), it would seem to me that there are only three possible explanations as to Hagrid's claim that he had flown to the rock in the sea:
1) He flew in on a Hippogriff or Thestral, which delivered Hagrid and then flew away again. I wonder if either a Hippogriff or a Thestral would be strong enough to carry Hagrid, however;
2) He was taken there by someone else via Side-Along Apparition, though I don't understand why that person wouldn't have stayed to talk to Harry; or
3) Hagrid is not being truthful about how he got to the rock.
It's one of the few details in the entire Harry Potter series that doesn't make sense to me, that doesn't seem to follow Rowling's usually consistent rules for the wizarding world.
I know. I'm probably holding J.K. to too high a standard: this is the first book and it's likely she hadn't quite worked out all of the details of her magical world at this point.
More on flying tomorrow.
J.K. never explains how Hagrid flew there.
He could not have come on a broom for two reasons: first, he doesn't bring a broom back to London and, second, it is explained in a later novel that Hagrid is too heavy for a broom.
He could not have come via Sirius' motorbike (upon which Hagrid had flown the infant Harry to Privet Drive in the first place) since he would have had to leave it on the rock when he takes Harry away with him on the boat.
He could not have apparated there, since Hagrid is never shown to have mastered Apparition, he was kicked out of Hogwarts in his third year before he could have taken lessons and earned his Apparition license, and, besides, Apparition requires a fully functioning wand. Hagrid's was broken in half when he was forced to leave school.
Since it is established in The Deathly Hallows that only Voldemort can fly on his own (several members of the Order tell the others with amazement that "Voldemort can fly" after the Death Eaters ambush the seven Harrys), it would seem to me that there are only three possible explanations as to Hagrid's claim that he had flown to the rock in the sea:
1) He flew in on a Hippogriff or Thestral, which delivered Hagrid and then flew away again. I wonder if either a Hippogriff or a Thestral would be strong enough to carry Hagrid, however;
2) He was taken there by someone else via Side-Along Apparition, though I don't understand why that person wouldn't have stayed to talk to Harry; or
3) Hagrid is not being truthful about how he got to the rock.
It's one of the few details in the entire Harry Potter series that doesn't make sense to me, that doesn't seem to follow Rowling's usually consistent rules for the wizarding world.
I know. I'm probably holding J.K. to too high a standard: this is the first book and it's likely she hadn't quite worked out all of the details of her magical world at this point.
More on flying tomorrow.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
How do you say "Hogwarts" in French?
I'm well into the french translation of The Philosopher's Stone, though in French it's called Harry Potter a L'ecole des Sorciers which translates into "Harry Potter at the School for Sorcerors".
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the novel is just as fun and exciting in French as it is in English.
I feel entitled to feel surprised, though, that the translator, Jean-Francois Menard, has chosen to "translate" some of J.K.'s made up words as well. For example, "Hogwarts" has been changed to "Poudlard" and "Muggles" is "Moldus" in French.
Menard could have simply left them as is: not changed them at all. After all, "Harry" is still "Harry". And I'm told by French-speaking friends that neither "Poudlard" nor "Moldus" has any real meaning in French, at least no meanings that are related to the novels.
Interesting.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the novel is just as fun and exciting in French as it is in English.
I feel entitled to feel surprised, though, that the translator, Jean-Francois Menard, has chosen to "translate" some of J.K.'s made up words as well. For example, "Hogwarts" has been changed to "Poudlard" and "Muggles" is "Moldus" in French.
Menard could have simply left them as is: not changed them at all. After all, "Harry" is still "Harry". And I'm told by French-speaking friends that neither "Poudlard" nor "Moldus" has any real meaning in French, at least no meanings that are related to the novels.
Interesting.
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