Bokrecension: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix av J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter. You could say that name to almost any child in the world and he would instantly know what you are talking about. But this wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the translations of the books. The seven books about Harry Potter has been written, published and by now translated into more than 65 different languages. Translating such a complicated story featuring many songs, rhymes and clever names that all need to be done right to make the tale justice.
My interest for the Harry Potter books is very big and even though I started out by reading the Swedish translations, I was merely 11 when the first book was brought to my attention, I have read them in English since I could understand. The fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the first one I read in English and it was really a different thing. I have gone back and read the early books in English just to get the idea of how they are in the original language. I think the story really comes through in a different way when you read a book in the original language. I have chosen to compare a few, short parts of the book just to show how the language, feeling and meaning change when you translate a text.


1.
This scene takes place in the very beginning of the book when Harry still is in Little Whinging and is on his way home with his cousin Dudley when they suddenly encounter two Dementors.
The English text contains lots of excitement, I can sense the tension and fear Dudley feels and the cold, sweaty feeling is very real. Harry’s way of telling Dudley to be quiet is very real also, he is truly standing there, tip-toe ready to act at the slightest sign of danger. J.K.Rowling writes in a way that makes you feel like you are there with the characters in the books, hearing their shallow breaths and watching them as they await the attack.
The last sentence is different when you read it in Swedish because they change the word for “shut up”. When Harry tells Dudley to shut up for the first time it is translated into “håll klaffen” which is a bit softer that the latter one; “håll käften”. Maybe the translator felt that the latter one needed a bit more edge and strength to get through.
The translation is very good also but I can’t really sense the same close feeling as with the English version. I can imagine that because this is more of a children’s book it feels a bit simple for my taste when translated into Swedish. The language is a bit juvenile and it doesn’t feel as serious as the English original even in a situation as grave as the one described above. I guess it is very hard to translate a situation this grave and still make it feel serious and scary.


2.
Here we have a different sort of situation which concerns feelings a lot more. The English version still seems more serious and the feelings described in the text feel more adult when read in English. When I read it in Swedish I just don’t think it seems as genuine and the words do not feel as natural as they do in English. I think the dialogue comes through in a better way when presented in English and it feels affected when read in Swedish.
Love is of course a subject and a feeling that is very hard to describe and even though I am not really convinced by the Swedish translation I still think they have done a good job considering how hard it is to translate a text full of feelings.
In the beginning of the text it is described how Cho makes a sound which in English is described as “funny” and in Swedish as “konstigt”. I think the meaning is different when you call it “konstigt” because the word has a negative feeling about it. It sounds as if her sound is sort of strange or at least not good. When you use the word “funny” instead I think it becomes more positive and a bit cute, and since “funny” comes from “fun” which is a positive word it makes you of being happy.



3.
This is a text where you use a lot of adjectives and it is a challenge to translate these words to make the description as alike the English version as possible and capture the same feeling. Of the four texts I have chosen to look at closer this is the one that I think is the best translated. But still I am not entirely convinced by the translation, it rather sounds as if you still are just a human who is crawling along on the floor. You are supposed to feel just like the snake, slithering along the corridor.
Apart from that I am very impressed by the translation, especially “det var mörkt, men ändå kunde han se föremål skimrande I märkliga, livliga färger…” which is a very good description. And the hesitation with “vid första ögonkastet var korridoren tom…men nej…det satt en man…” is very striking and makes you kind of wanting to lean forward and look whether the man really is sitting there.
4.
Here we have a lot of dialogue which of course is another difficulty to overcome when you translate texts; it has to sound natural and flowing. I already find a problem in the first sentence with the word “mutter” and the Swedish translation “prata”. For me, these two words have different meanings; “muttering” is when you kind of whisper under your breath and “prata” in Swedish is just to talk in the ordinary way. Then a bit further in into the text we see “brutally” being used when Harry is mean to Ron. In Swedish this is translated into “fräckt” which to me is not at all the same thing. “Brutal” sounds very hard and harsh in comparison with “fräckt” which is a pretty weak word. I think the language is neater for the most part in Swedish and it does not sound as natural and flowing as it does in English.


This is, as I said earlier, the fifth book about Harry Potter. He turns 15 now and it is the age where feelings usually become more prominent. But it is different for Harry, because he does not only have his own feelings to hold back but also Lord Voldermorts which he has been sharing more and more since the return of the evil wizard who murdered his parents. The new year at Hogwarts is not a very happy one because the Ministry of Magic is interfering. A new teacher, Ms Umbridge is disturbing the peace with one Educational Decree after another making life hard for Harry and his friends. But they will not stand it so they form a defence group called D.A, Dumbledore’s Army, where they learn how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts and Lord Voldemort.
The books about Harry Potter is written by Joanne Rowling (the K. in her names is for Kathleen, her grandmothers name which she took when the publishers wanted her to have to initials in her name) who now is the 13th wealthiest woman in Great Britain (even wealthier than the Queen) all thanks to Harry Potter. She came up with the character on a four-hour delayed train trip from Manchester to London. She wrote the novel in different cafés and the final edition was written on an old type-writer. At first she had some problems getting someone to publish it but finally, one year later, Bloomsbury agreed to publish it. Now she was on a roll, with the first book out and the public was demanding more books about the wizard Harry Potter.

The books have now been sold in nearly 400 million copies and the interest is higher than ever with films, games and fan trivia. I think the success of the books is partly because of Rowling’s way of describing the events, feelings and creatures of the world she created is very good. She really had a stroke of luck, coming up with such a great story which interests not only children but people of all ages. I got my first Harry Potter book when I turned eleven and I have been hooked ever since. I have probably read all of the books maybe at least seven times each, because every time you read them you find something new and exciting. I read the books in English and I have done that since I was fourteen because I do not want to miss out on any of the wonderful ways Rowling describes things or the jokes which are superb when you read them in the original language. You get the feeling and understand the characters personalities much better when you read the books in English.
I can not do anything else than recommend these books to the ones who has not read them. It is a real adventure which you would not like to miss.


Frida Borg Es3MB
Vt-08
Uddevalla Gymnasieskola



Bilaga:
1.
Dudley’s terrified voice broke into Harry’s ear.
‘W-what are you doing? St-stop it!
‘I’m not doing anything! Shut up and don’t move!’
‘I c-can’t see! I’ve g-gone blind! I –‘
‘I said shut up!’
Harry stood stock still, turning his sightless eyes left and right.
The cold was so intense he was shivering all over; goose bumps
had erupted up his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck
were standing – he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring
blankly around, unseeing.
It was impossible … they couldn’t be here … not in Little
Whinging .. he strained his ears … he would hear them before
he saw them …
‘I’ll tell Dad!’ Dudley whimpered.’ W-where are you? What are
you d-do-?’
‘Will you shut up?’ Harry hissed. ‘I’m trying to lis-‘


Dudleys skräckslagna röst exploderade i örat på Harry.
”V-vad g-gör du? S-sluta med det!”
”Jag gör ingenting! Håll klaffen och rör dig inte!”
”Jag k-kan inte se! Jag har b-blivit blind! Jag…”
”Jag sa håll klaffen!”
Harry stod still och vände sina oseende ögon mot vänster och
höger. Kylan var så intensiv att han skälvde i hela kroppen, huden
knottrade sig på armarna och håren i nacken stod rakt upp. Han
spärrade upp ögonen på vid gavel, stirrade tomt omkring sig,
utan att se.
Det var omöjligt … de kunde inte vara här… inte i Little Whinging…
Han skärpte till hörseln… han skulle höra dem innan han såg dem…
”Jag ska tala om för pappa!” gnällde Dudley. ”V-var är du? Vad h-håller
du på m-med…?”
”Kan du hålla käft?” väste Harry. ”Jag försöker lyss…”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

2.
Cho made a funny sound halfway between a sob and a laugh.
She was even nearer to him now. He could have counted the
freckles on her nose.
‘I really like you, Harry.’
He couldn’t think. A tingling sensation was spreading through
him, paralysing his arms, legs and brain. She was much too close.
He could see every tear clinging to her eyelashes…


Cho gav ifrån sig ett konstigt ljud, halvvägs mellan snyftning
och skratt.
Hon var ännu närmare nu. Han kunde ha räknat
fräknarna på hennes näsa.
”Jag tycker om dig, Harry.”
Han kunde inte tänka. En pirrande känsla spred sig genom honom,
förlamade armarna, benen och hjärnan. Hon var alldeles för nära.
Han kunde se varenda tår som satt fast i hennes ögonfransar…

----------------------------------------------------------------------

3.
His body felt smooth, powerful and flexible. He was
gliding between metal bars, across dark, cold stone…
he was flat against the floor, sliding along on his
belly…it was dark, yet he could see objects around
him shimmering in strange, vibrant colours…
he was turning his head…at first glance the corridor
was empty…but no…a man was sitting on the floor
ahead, his chin drooping on to his chest, his outline
gleaming in the dark.

Hans kropp kändes slät, kraftfull och smidig. Han
gled mellan glänsande metallstänger, över mörk,
kall sten… han låg platt mot golvet, slingrade fram