International book versions & character names

[ilojika]

No: HPFGUIDX 82150

Lui wrote:
> Even though in the Italian edition there 
> is a foreword explicitly dealing with the way the translator worked 
> on names, this doesn't change the fact that the choices she made 
> are awful. 

> After this, there are serious mistakes in actually understanding 
> the meaning of certain sentences that have been translated in a 
> completely wrong way, thus compromising the faithfulness to the 
> original and the reader's understanding of what the hell is going 
> on!

> Thirdly and more generally, the nuances and details of JKR's 
> writing have been nearly totally erased by very poor translating choices. I 
> know that a translation is never going to be up to the original, 
> but even I (not a translation expert in anyway!) could come up with 
> better ways of translating certain expressions in Italian!


Hi 

I´m glad you bring the point because it´s the same with the Spanish 
translation. The bits the translators think that are too difficult to 
translate into Spanish are skipped off. They give you a summary. 
Honest! They don´t pay any atention to the details either.  I´ve even 
noticed mistakes when translating idioms, etc. 

Characters´names are not translated. It´s Ok. But in PS Trevor the 
Toad became Trevor the Tortoise. Why? They didn´t bother in 
tranlating the animals´names in FB&WTFT: Is it too hard translating 
Augurey into Augurio? Moreover thay had translated Flobberworm in GoF 
(Gusarajo) but they kept Flobberworm in FB. Does it make sense? 

At least translators could "try". That´s what they are paid for.

ilogica 
(i´ll stick to the english version, thanks)