Who is RAB again. WAS:Re: Snape and Regulus/OFH!Snape

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 140867

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "finwitch" <finwitch at y...> wrote:
> 
> > Geoff:
> > This fascinates me because one of my interests has always been 
> > linguistics - especially the links between languages.
> -- 
> > The trouble with translations is that the word plays of the 
> > original are lost so the subtleties of such as Diagon Alley, 
> > Knockturn Alley, Durmstrang and Pensieve cannot be appreciated in 
> > the foreign editions.
> 
> Finwitch:
> 
> I am fascinated on the linguistics as well. The 'lost in 
> translation' - is one of the reasons why I prefer to read the books 
> in English. Another is plainly and simply that doing so helps me 
> learn-or keep up the language.
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> I don't know how the R.A.B. will come up once the translation is 
> done... if it was Regulus , it ought to say R.A.M. in Finnish, no 
> doubt. I think Rowling is quite busy answering what the 'B.' stands
> for to translators who need to know...
> 
> Finwitch

bboyminn:

OK, this is old news, I've ranted about this before, but I honestly
don't know why they translate the names. No matter what country I live
in, my name is my name, and that doesn't change. 

Of course, I understand that some names won't have the necessary
impact or implied cleverness in other languages, so I can understand
some name changes. For example, in another language 'Sirius - the Dog
Star' many have another name. In order to make the connection between
Sirius and dogs, his name might need to change. 

But JKR herself pointed out incomprehensible name changes. For
example, in Italian (I think) Professor Dumbledore has been changed to
Professor Silencio. The translators couldn't make head or tails out of
the deconstruction of 'Dumbledore'. The best they could do was make an
association between 'dumb' and 'silent' and came up with 'Silencio'.
In that case, the name should have simply been left alone. His name is
Dumbledore, which, while it may have meaning in it self, has no
meaning in the story, and therefore shouldn't be changed.

Other names are in-between, names like Remus Lupin. Both Remus,
regarding the legend of Romulus and Remus, and Lupin are, directly or
indirectly, wolf related references. If the translator couldn't come
up with new names that had the same 'wolf' implications then they
should have just left it alone. 

Just out of curiousity, in the legend of Romulus and Remus, two
infants raised by wolves, are their names changed in the various
foreign language version of that fable? 

I guess my basic point is that unless there is a compelling reason to
do so, names should not be translated.

Just one man's opinion.

Steve/bboyminn