Mould-on-the-Wold

[zanooda2]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:


> ...names are usually not translated unless there is a very very 
> very good reason to do so.


zanooda:

You are absolutely right, names should not be translated. I fight against translated names in HP books everywhere I can :-). The only time I ever supported a change of a name was in case of "Moody", and only because this name sounds rude in Russian (it shares the root with a very bad curse word :-)). 

Why translators insist on changing names of HP characters, I have no idea. I suppose they think in a book like this names have meaning that should be conveyed. Many characters suffered in the process. The most unlucky of all is Neville, whose surname was changed (to the bad :-)) in many translations, including Russian.

However, I don't mind the change of a geographic name, if it is not real, but invented by the author. You don't expect them to keep "Godric's Hollow" as it is, without translation, do you :-)? I suspect it was translated into every language possible. Don't worry, they don't change real names - London is still London, and Tinworth is still Tinworth, although it was horribly mutilated in Russian transliteration :-). However, in one translation I met "Wiltshire" changed to some invented word, which enraged me to the point of throwing the printout across the room, LOL.