The audio book tells us the flavor of Bertie Bott’s bean that Fred claims to have once tasted is “ moco“– the word for mucous, snot or “bogeys.” But the print book insists it was duende-flavored. This leaves me wondering what word will be used to distinguish the actual elves and leprechauns later in the series, given they are quite different beings.
The word for goblin is translated “ duende,” which can also be translated as elf or leprechaun, but which has also been described as one of the hardest Spanish words to convey in English. So, does this choice of translation make anyone rethink the possible significance of the original four words? And, has anyone read a different non-English translation to see if the meanings have remained consistent? Baratijas is typically translated “trinkets” but can also mean “odds and ends,” which fits well with “oddment.” And, p ellizco means “pinch” - going with “tweak” as in “tweak your nose” rather than the sense of changing something slightly. Llorones, interestingly, means “crybaby”– so the translators chose the “crying” meaning of “blubber” rather than “whale fat” variant. The words are: “ Papanatas! Llorones! Baratijas! Pellizco!” Papanatas is a pretty good translation of “nitwit,” meaning fool or simpleton. One thing I was very curious about is how the Spanish translation would handle Dumbledore’s famous “few words”– those whose meanings, if any, readers have debated for ages. Some even more intriguing gleanings from the Spanish translation after the jump. The print version changes the last to “ No sabes lo que ellos eran?”– or “You don’t know what they were?” - making this line about James and Lily, in the past, not Harry, in the present. yeh don’ know . . .” Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. “Yeh don’ know what yeh are?” he said finally. “What? My - my mum and dad weren’t famous, were they?” “Yeh don’ know . . . For instance, the print version makes a small but significant change to Hagrid’s line: Other differences cannot be explained as simple European-American language differences. When Harry wakes up the next morning, he switches to the familiar tu, the pronoun a child would use for an adult more emotionally close to them. Thus, Spanish readers have a clue that Harry has come to trust Hagrid fully, even before Rowling tells us a few pages later. I noticed that, when Hagrid turns up on the Hut-on-a-Rock, Harry addresses him as usted, the formal you that would be typical for a child speaking politely to an unfamiliar adult.
This seems to be correct, since Hedwig, as a snowy owl, lacks ear tufts. I had already mentioned that audio uses buho for owl, and the print lechuza, but interestingly, Hedwig is called una lechuza in both versions. Most notably, the print version distinguishes between the familiar ( vosotros) and formal ( ustedes) plural you’s, as is preferred in Spain, whereas the audio version uses ustedes for both, as is common in Latin America. I have picked up a few interesting tidbits that I would like to share.įirst, I am reading a print translation from Spain, while the audio version appears to come from the Americas, which probably accounts for some of the vocabulary differences: the use of medias versus calcitines for socks, for example. I have made it through the first seven chapters, through the much more alliterative “ Sombrero Seleccionador” chapter. I am now working my way through a second time slowly, listening to the audiobook while reading along with the text. I have made it through the first audiobook reading of Harry Potter y la piedra filosofil, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I could understand, given the length of time since I have done any serious Spanish study.
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