Multiple Harry Potters--No Polyjuice Potion Required
Open Access
Author:
James, Christine
Area of Honors:
Professional Writing (Berks/Lehigh)
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Sandy Feinstein, Thesis Supervisor Thomas Lynn, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Sandy Feinstein, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Harry Potter translation theory translation
Abstract:
Having been translated into over 60 different languages, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series can be found in almost every country around the world. Yet is the Harry Potter in China the same as the Harry Potter in America? Is the Harry Potter in America the same as the Harry Potter in Latin America? Different translation theories, such as Western Translation Theory, Contemporary Translation Theory, Chinese Post-Colonial Translation Theory, and Descriptive Translation Theory, provide a means to answer these questions. However, in order to analyze the texts, they must be back-translated into a common language. The back-translations, then, of the Mandarin Chinese and Spanish editions of the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, offer insights into how language alters translations. Translations, though, are not only between different languages, but also different dialects. Therefore, this thesis also examines the first chapter of the American text, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in relation to the original British text. Through the analysis of back translation, this thesis shows how and why translations of a single text deviate from that text.
