Languages

[charisjulia]

Richelle wrote:
> Does anyone know of a complete list of languages that Harry Potter 
>has been translated into?  I'm on a quest (a very slow moving one) 
>to get a Harry Potter book in every language it's been published 
>in.  So far I'm up to two. :)  Well, that doesn't count English, of 
course, I've got Danish and Russian.  


Well, I can personally certify that the books have been translated 
into German (I'm currently reading "Harry Potter und das Feuerkelch" 
(GoF, that is) and thoroughly enjoying it), Dutch (every book shop I 
step into has them in prominent position), French (have read "Harry 
Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban), Greek (never read the translation 
but flicked through the books looking for my favourite parts and 
throwing my hands up in consternation and disgust when I found them. 
I have a low opinion of the Greek version. Which is a pity and a 
great shame, because the Greeks are usually pretty good at 
translating literature. The Greek translations have got the same 
covers as the British editions BTW) 


A quick search using MSN revealed that there are also Spanish, 
Portuguese, Italian, Lithuanian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and 
Polish translations. (also Russian and Hebrew, but you've already got 
the first and Abigail mentioned the second)


I also happen to know that the books are currently being translated 
into Ancient Greek and Latin. According to Peter Needham, the 
translator "For the time being I'm calling Harry Harrius Potter. 
Arrius is a Latin name ... and it declines perfectly well so that, 
for example, we have Harrium Potterum. The literal translation of 
Potter would be Figulus but I very much hope Potter will survive"


But, roughly speaking, Richelle, I wouldn't be at all surprised if 
the HP translations reach 90 or 100. I mean, if we're into dead 
languages already, that's saying something, I should think. It would 
be an amazing feat to collect every single one. And * very* 
expensive. I'd take it as pretty much a given, for example, that it's 
been translated into every European language, and here we're looking 
at 13 languages in the EU alone. 


And then there's the rest of the world.


But, hey, don't let me put you off or anything. You could probably 
make it into the Guinness Book of Records if you pulled it off!

Charis Julia