re Translation WAS Re: Dumbledore's Motives

[alhewison]

No: HPFGUIDX 40975

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "bboy_mn" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> > --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "pamscotland" <Pam at b...> wrote:
> > > --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "bboy_mn" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> > > <snip>
> 
> BBOY_MN Originally Said: 
> > > > Sorry to be such a jerk about this issue but it really punches
> my buttons. I have never been able to come up with even the most
> obscure twisted path of logic, that justifies translating a person
> name.< < <
>  
> PAMSCOTLAND said:
> > > It depends what you mean by 'translate'.  Most British English
> readers would probably not know that old English 'dumbledore' 
implied 'bumble bee' until someone told them or they read it 
somewhere. I  would therefore understand a Spanish translation using 
an Old Spanish word for a bumble bee for Dumbledore's name. < <
> 
> BBOY_MN Replies: 
> You still missed the point. Regardless of what Dumbldore means, it's
> his name. Names are never translated. Regardless of what the 
cultural  or historical origins are of the word 'Dumbledore'; it's 
still his  name. If most USA/UK/AUS English people don't know 
that 'dumbledore' translate to 'bumble bee' in modern english, then 
what's the point of translating it in another language.
> 
SNIP 
>  
> Again, how could anyone dispute the tranlation of the story, and the
> modification of unique cultural references and many many other 
things that could justifiably be change, altered, or translated. But 
that doesn't change the fact that no matter where the man goes, his 
name is still Albus Dumbledore.
>  
>  ...and yes, I am aware that I am still being a jerk about this, but
> peoples names are never translated.
>  
I disagree with you. Names are often translated. Whilst I call 
Christopher Columbus (as in the one who reached America in 1492), 
Christopher Columbus, I believe that is the Anglicised version. Don't 
the Spanish call him something slightly different? Mark Anthony was 
called Marcus Antonius by the Romans. I have seen French guide books 
talking about Mary 1st of England, calling her "Marie". Whilst these 
changes are just to make them sound "less foreign" to the reader, is 
it really any different to changing the names of Dumbledore etc so 
that their meaning is the same in different languages? "Dumbledore" 
is perhaps not one I would have choosen to change, but "Remus Lupin", 
his name was a dead give away (well once you knew he was a werewolf, 
and providing you knew some Roman history, so ok, it wasn't really 
that obvious).

I personally find it far harder to accept the US change of 
Philosophers Stone to Sorcerers Stone, then I do an attempt to carry 
the meaning of the name into a foreign language. Once reading the 
Potterverse, it became obvious to me (and huge numbers of other fans) 
that some of the names carried meaning. This understanding would be 
lost to readers of a foreign translation, and they would miss one of 
the rich layers of the Potterverse, if the names were not translated.


Ali