Ferret scene - Translation - GF schedule/mixed-House classes

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 34148

Fiat Incantatum wrote re: McGonagall:

>The only thing she protests about is the transfiguration itself, saying
>that they don't use transfiguration as a punishment, they give detentions
>instead.  I really don't get the idea that the bouncing is the issue.  At
>least, if it *was* the issue, it seems to be something that needs to be 
>read
>in, rather than being specifically stated.  It would make sense, but I 
>still
>get the idea that it's the transfiguration magic that disturbed McGonagall

I agree, and I think it's a bit of a joke on JKR's part:  this kid is being 
slammed against the floor repeatedly and McGonagall's chief concern is that 
he's been turned into a ferret.

I've never been able to laugh at the scene ("squealing in pain," etc. 
<shudder>) , even though it does not incline me to believe anything nice 
about Malfoy, such as that he missed Harry on purpose.  I can feel sorry for 
him without thinking any better of him.

Tabouli wrote:

>From these I've seen a few  illustrations of managing wordplay jokes in 
>translation.  One way is to translate directly and
>put in a footnote (NB: In the original English, this sentence is a play on 
>words, where
>Uranus=your anus), another is to try to come up with a wordplay joke along 
>the same lines in the
>language of translation (preferable, surely)

Hmm, not necessarily preferable, IMO.  With a joke as old and, frankly, 
adolescent as Uranus, sure, but with brilliant wordplay like Carroll's (and 
other cases of JKR's), I can't help feeling the reader of a translation is 
being shortchanged with this approach, even if the translator almost matches 
his/her linguistic talent.  All in all, I'd prefer both:  come up with one's 
own version and provide a footnote explaining the original.

I have got to get the French HPs.

Barb corrected the GF schedule:

>Actually, we also know that Care of Magical Creatures is shared
>(Gryffindor and Slytherin).

D'oh!  I knew that.

>Also, since Hermione is the only
>Gryffindor in her year taking Arithmancy, there must be students
>from other houses in that class as well.

That gets into the vexed question of how many Gryffindors are in Harry's 
year, which I won't touch.  But it is also possible that Arithmancy is a 
course students may begin in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th year, in which case 
Hermione might have been the only Gryffindor 3rd year to take it when she 
began, but be in with Gryffs of other years.  (Also, there are the two 
invisible Gryffindor girls, in whom I believe as an article of faith in 
Saint Jeralyn--interested folks, see the Lexicon 
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/hogwarts_students.html#Gryffindor 
girls).

I reckon the same as you, though, that it's a mixed group.  We know Ernie 
was taking Muggle Studies (PA 12).

>I also believe that sometimes Divination has been referred to
>as "Double Divination," so at those times one can assume that it
>will take up the amount of time that two classes would usually use.

It's double on Mondays in GF (first page of chapter 13); it's inconclusive 
whether it's also double in its Tuesday meeting.  Actually, now I'm trying 
to figure out how I even know it meets on Tuesdays . . . drat drat drat, 
misplaced the folder with the timeline notes, but it's here somewhere.

LOONily yours,
Amy

-------------------------------------------------------------
"As-tu tue le Jaseroque?
Viens a mon coeur, fils rayonnais!
O jour frabbejais!  Calleau!  Callai!"
Il cortule dans sa joie.
           -from the amazing Frank L. Warrin's translation
            of Jabberwocky (N.B. that he wisely surrenders
            the rhyme scheme, though not the meter, in order
            to have more latitude in creating great wordplay)
-------------------------------------------------------------


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