[HPforGrownups] RAB Revealed?

[Tammy Rizzo]

No: HPFGUIDX 143286

In a message dated 11/19/2005 4:42:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
April at cyberlinc.net writes:

I'm just  curious and don't know if this has been discussed.. but wouldn't 
all names  that start with B in norweigen or dutch be translated with a S
and Z  
respectivly?  So it wouldn't matter if the last name was Black or Benson  it

would still start with the same letter?

[Now Neil says:]   
I'm no expert in languages and this is purely a wild guess, but perhaps it  
has nothing to do with the letter B at all.  It might be the case that
these 
languages all had their own unique word for the color black and that is  why

the change in this one initial.  Benson could still be Benson because  it is

only a name and has no other meaning, where black is a color and should be  
represented by the word that means that color in the language.  Again, I
don't 
know this as a fact, its just a guess.

Neil

[Now Tammy says:] 
Neil, you have it right.  Having lived in two different European countries
in my youth, and having studied several languages while living there (though
that was over 25 years ago and I can't speak a thing but English anymore), I
can assure you that, when a book is translated, any names without
significant meaning are either carried over as is (ie, a Benson would be a
Benson in German, or in French, or in Italian), or the names are changed to
similarly nondescript names in the new language (such as, a Benson would be
a Schnickengruber in German, or a LeTour in French, or a Rizzo in Italian),
but when the name needing translation has a significant meaning, such as a
color (Black), or a profession (Wainwright - one who builds wagons, by the
way), or a state of being (Young), or whatever other actual MEANING, then
that name is translated into the word in the new language that means that
same color, or a guy who builds wagons, or the word for young.  The letter
it starts with originally has absolutely no bearing on what letters other
languages use.
 
So, if the Dutch translation lists RAZ and the Norwegian translation has
RAS, and Sirius' last name starts with Z in Dutch and S in Norwegian, then
we can safely assume that RAB is, indeed, Regulus A. Black.  At least, it's
quite sufficient for me to lay MY mind to rest about that particular
conundrum.  What *I* am wondering is how Regulus got the locket by himself,
or who did he take with him, and did Regulus or his accomplice drink the
potion?  My mind tends then to wonder if Kreachur once had a brother
house-elf who went off with young Master Regulus one dark, stormy night, and
never returned.  Or maybe if Kreachur wasn't always so nasty until young
Master Regulus took him for a little boat ride and a refreshing drink one
bright sunny day.
 
Tammy Rizzo
ms-tamany at rcn.com

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