Harry Potter in translation



The Harry Potter series has been translated from the original English into several other languages.

List of translations by language
The original (British) English versions of the book were published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury. Official translations have been done in the following languages (languages are listed twice if more than one translation was prepared, once if the difference is merely a difference of country and distributor):


 * 1) Afrikaans, South Africa: Human & Rousseau (pty) Ltd., translated by Janie Oosthuysen
 * 2) Albanian, Albania: Publishing House Dituria, translated by Amik Kasoruho
 * 3) American English, United States: Arthur A. Levine Books
 * 4) Arabic, Egypt: Nahdet Misr
 * 5) Basque, Spain: Ediciones Salamandra / Elkarlanean, translated by Iñaki Mendiguren (I-IV)
 * 6) Bengali language|Bengali, Bangladesh: Ankur Prakashani
 * 7) Bulgarian language|Bulgarian, Bulgaria: Egmont Bulgaria, translated by Mariana Melnishka (I-IV), Emiliya L. Maslarova (V-VI)
 * 8) Catalan, Spain: Editorial Empúries, translated by Laura Escorihuela (I-IV), Marc Alcega (IV), Xavier Pàmies (V-VI)
 * 9) Chinese, People's Republic of China (Simplified Characters): People's Literature Publishing House, translated by Su Nong (I) (苏农), Ma Aixin (II, IV, V) (马爱新), Zheng Xumi (III) (郑须弥), Ma Ainong (V) (马爱农), and Cai Wen (V) (蔡文)
 * 10) Chinese, Taiwan (Traditional Chinese Characters): Crown Publishing Company Ltd, translated by Peng Chien-Wen (彭倩文; Peng Qianwen)
 * 11) Croatian, Croatia: Algoritam, translated by Zlatko Crnković (I-III),  Dubravka Petrović (IV-VI)
 * 12) Czech, Czech Republic: Albatros, translated by Vladimír Medek (I, II, IV), Pavel Medek (III, V, VI)
 * 13) Danish, Denmark: Gyldendal, translated by Hanna Lützen (all 6 so far)
 * 14) Dutch, Netherlands and Belgium: Standaard /Uitgeverij De Harmonie (I-V), translated by Wiebe Buddingh'
 * 15) English (non-UK editions, no translations) : Australia, Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd (Distributor); Canada, Bloomsbury/Raincoast; South Africa, Jonathan Ball Publishers (Distributors)
 * 16) Estonian, Estonia: Varrak Publishers, translated by Krista and Kaisa Kaer
 * 17) Faroese, Faroe Islands: Bokadeild Foroya Laerarafelags, translated by Gunnar Hoydal (I-III), Malan Háberg (IV)
 * 18) Finnish, Finland: Tammi, translated by Jaana Kapari (all 6 so far)
 * 19) French, France, Canada, Belgium, and others: Gallimard Jeunesse, translated by Jean-François Ménard (all 6 so far, plus the 2 "school books")
 * 20) Galician (Galego), Spain: Ediciones Salamandra, translated by Marilar Aleixandre
 * 21) Georgian, Georgia: Bakur Sulakauri Publishing, translated by Manana Antadze (I), Davit Gabunia (II, III) and Ketevan Kanchashvili (IV, VI forthcoming)
 * 22) German]], Germany: Carlsen Verlag, translated by Klaus Fritz (all 6 so far)
 * 23) Low German, Germany: Verlag Michael Jung, translated by Hartmut Cyriacks, Peter Nissen et al
 * 24) Greek (modern), Greece: Psicholgios Publications, translated by Máia Roútsou (book I); Kaíti Oikonómou (book II-V)
 * 25) Greek (ancient): Bloomsbury, translated by Andrew Wilson, NPR interview
 * 26) Greenlandic, Greenland: Atuakkiorfik Greenland Publishers, translated by Stephen Hammeken
 * 27) Gujarati, India: Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., translated by Jagruti Trivedi and Harish Nayak
 * 28) Hebrew, Israel: Books in the Attic Ltd. / Miskal, translated by Gili Bar-Hillel (All 6 so far)
 * 29) Hindi, India: Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., translated by Sudhir Dixit (I-IV, Offical Site)
 * 30) Hungarian language|Hungarian, Hungary: Animus Publishing, translated by Tóth Tamás Boldizsár (all 6 so far)
 * 31) Icelandic, Iceland: Bjartur, translated by Helga Haraldsdóttir (I-VI) and Jón Hallur Stefánsson (V)
 * 32) Indonesian, Indonesia: Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, translated by Listiana Srisanti (I-V)
 * 33) Irish: Bloomsbury, translated by Máire Nic Mhaoláin, released October 4, 2004 (I)
 * 34) Italian, Italy: Adriano Salani Editore, translated by Marina Astrologo (I-II), Beatrice Masini (III-V) and illustrated by Serena Riglietti
 * 35) Japanese, Japan: Say-zan-sha Publications Ltd., translated by Yuko Matsuoka
 * 36) Khmer, Cambodia: University of Cambodia Press, translated by Un Tim
 * 37) Korean, Korea: Moonhak Soochup Publishing Co., translated by Kim Hye-won (I-IV), Inja Choe (V)
 * 38) Latin: Bloomsbury, translated by Peter Needham (I-II)
 * 39) Latvian', Latvia: Jumava, translated by Ingus Josts (I-VI), Ieva Kolmane (IV-VI), Sabīne Ozola (V), Māra Poļakova (V)
 * 40) Lithuanian, Lithuania: Alma Littera Company Limited, translated by Zita Marienė (all 6 so far)
 * 41) Macedonian, Republic of Macedonia: Publishing House Kultura
 * 42) Marathi, India: Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., translated by Shukla Vikas
 * 43) Malay, Malaysia: Pelangi Books
 * 44) Malayalam, India: Manjul Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., translated by Dr. Radhika C. Nair
 * 45) Norwegian, Norway: N.W. Damm & Son A.S., translated by Torstein Bugge Høverstad (all 6 so far)
 * 46) Persian, Iran: Vidaa Slamiyeh /Ghazal, translated by Saeed Kebriyaee (I), Nahid (I-V)
 * 47) Polish, Poland: Media Rodzina of Poznań, translated by Andrzej Polkowski (all 6 so far)
 * 48) Portuguese, Portugal: Editorial Presença, translated by Isabel Fraga (I), Isabel Nunes and Manuela Madureira
 * 49) Portuguese]], Brazil: Editora Rocco Ltda. Editora Rocco Ltda., translated by Lia Wyler
 * 50) Romanian, Romania: Egmont Romania, translated by Ioana Iepureanu
 * 51) Russian,  Russia: Rosman Publishing, translated by Igor W. Oranskij (I), Marina D. Litvinova (II-V), Vladimir Babkov (V), Viktor Golyshev (V), Leonid Motylev (V), Sergei Iljin (VI), Maya Lahuti (VI)
 * 52) Scots Gaelic, Bloomsbury, scheduled for December, 20061
 * 53) Serbian, Serbia: Alfa – Narodna Knjiga, translated by Vesna Stamenkovic Roganovic & Draško Roganović (I, III-VI); Ana Vukomanovic (II)
 * 54) Sinhala, Sri Lanka; unauthorised translations;
 * 55) Slovak, Slovakia: IKAR, translated by Jana Petrikovičová (books 1,2) Oľga Kralovičová (books 3,4)
 * 56) Slovene, Slovenia: EPTA, translated by Jakob J. Kenda (I-V) and Branko Gradišnik (VI)
 * 57) Spanish (Castilian), Spain and Latin America: Emece Editores / Salamandra: translated by Alicia Dellepiane Rawson (I), Adolpho Muñoz Garcia (II-IV), Nieves Martín Azofra (II-IV), Gemma Rovira Ortega (V-VI)
 * 58) Swedish, Sweden: Tiden Young Books / Raben & Sjögren, translated by Lena Fries-Gedin (all 6 so far)
 * 59) Tamil, India and Sri Lanka; rumored unauthorised translation
 * 60) Thai, Thailand: Nanmee Books, translated by Sumalee Bumrungsuk (I-II, V), Waleephon (III), Ngarmphan Wetchacheewa (IV)
 * 61) Turkish, Turkey: Yapi Kredi Kultur Sanat Yayincilik, translated by Mustafa Bayindir, Ülkü Tamer (I), Sevin Okyay (II-V) and Kutlukhan Kutlu (IV, V)
 * 62) Ukrainian, Ukraine: A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, translated by Victor Morozov (I - V), and Sofiia Andrukhovich (IV)
 * 63) Urdu, Pakistan: Oxford University Press, translated by Darakhshanda Asghar Khokhar (I-III)
 * 64) Valencian]], Spain: Editorial Empuries
 * 65) Vietnamese]], Vietnam: Trẻ Publishing House, translated by Lý Lan
 * 66) Welsh (UK), translated by Emily Huws

Although some sources refer to translations "from Arabic to Zulu", the books have in fact never officially been translated into Zulu.

Some translations, such those to the extinct Latin and Ancient Greek languages, were done as academic exercises, to stimulate interest in the languages and to give students of those languages modern texts to read. The Ancient Greek version, according to the translator, is the longest text translated into the language in over 1500 years, and took one year to complete.

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 different dialects of the same language in two different countries (for example, separate Portuguese versions for Brazil and Portugal).

Issues in translation
As with many texts, the Harry Potter series presents some special challenges to translators:

Culture
The cultural environment of the book is decidedly English. The stories follow a familiar theme in English children's books, that of adventures at boarding school, and many of the cultural nuances will be unfamiliar to readers in translation. Such things require careful and creative translating.

Language
The language of the books, reflected, for example, in Hagrid's manner of speaking, reveals much about the various characters. Various expressions and forms of speech are regional. Scholastic executives chose to issue the books with some adaptations to American English, a practice which is quite common with books that "cross the pond" in either direction, but which was met with a certain amount of reader outrage in the case of Harry Potter.

Invented words and proper nouns
Several words and phrases in the books such as spells, incantations, magical words, items and place names were invented by Rowling. Many of the 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 incant ("recite, utter"). Some translators have created new words themselves, others have resorted to transliteration.

Names such as Knockturn Alley and the Pensieve are extremely difficult to translate. The latter is a magical bowl into which memories and thoughts can be placed and examined at leisure, 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. The name Knockturn Alley, an unsavoury section of Diagon Alley (the place where London's magic market is located), suggests something beaten up or twisted, and is also semi-homophonous with "nocturnally", suggesting darkness and, by extension, evil. Translators must use creativity and sensitivity in rendering such names, and some are more successful than others.

The anagram of Tom Riddle's name that appears in the second book similarly does not make the transition easily into other languages. Translators have sometimes altered the names in the book in order to make the anagram work in that language; for instance, Riddle's middle name of Marvolo was changed to "Vandrolo" in the Hebrew edition, and in French, Riddle's full name becomes "Tom Elvis Jedusor". In Icelandic his name becomes Trevor Delgome.

Certain shared names present additional problems; for example, Tom Riddle should share his first name with Tom the bartender, but this is not the case in all translations.

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. The most famous case of this is the identity of the mysterious R.A.B., a character mentioned in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince who is thought by many to be Regulus Black, the brother of Sirius Black. The Dutch edition of the book translates R.A.B. as 'R.A.Z'. As 'Zwart' is Dutch for 'black' (Sirius Black is called Sirius Zwarts in the Netherlands), this has been taken by some as proof of the Regulus Black theory. However, it has never been noted by Rowling, that any additional information is given to translators, so whether or not these presumptions are accurate, is still unknown. It is also interesting to note that in the Hebrew version the note had the same initials as th English version(transliterated into the Hebrew letter equivalent). However, throughout the series, the name 'Black' is not translated into the Hebrew equivalent, thus leaving it the same name as in the English versions.

Similarly, the title for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did not make it obvious whether 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.

Pirate translations
From the first book in the series onwards, individuals have illegally produced unauthorised "pirate" translations of the novels, some of which have been released far ahead of the official translation in some languages. One notable 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.

Another notable example was an internet community, Harry auf Deutsch, formed to translate the Harry Potter books into German more rapidly. After being prevented by the German publisher from openly releasing their translations, they converted their project a community site which (1) translates the books for the enjoyment of their own members (thus avoiding copyright issues, apparently), (2) translates fan fiction, (3) discusses discrepancies in the official translations, and (4) creates their own lexicon.

The agents representing J. K. Rowling have stated in the past that they can not 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.

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 Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon which was written and published in China in 2002, prior to the release of the fifth book in the 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. In Bengali, Harry Potter Kolkataye (Harry Potter in Calcutta), written by Uttam Ghosh, has appeared.