TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, chapter 1

Harry Potter is a children’s book series of immense worldwide popularity, and it has also become a household name in Vietnam through the work of translator Lý Lan. The book’s success in Vietnam depended a great deal on the translator’s ability to preserve the original content and style, while adjusting it for the target culture and readership. In this essay, from the viewpoint of a reader and translation major, I intend to assess Lý Lan’s translation of the first chapter of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on its coherence with the source text, connection with the target culture and certain translation issues. The very first chapter has been chosen as it roughly represents the translation style of the rest of the book, and plays an important part in readers’ first impressions of the entire story.

First of all, I feel that Lý Lan has succeeded in transferring aspects of the novel across languages. The translated content follows the original quite closely, keeping main ideas and developments as well as most details intact. Thus, Vietnamese readers will not miss out on the story or major features of the Harry Potter world. Comprehensibility, naturalness and clarity of expression are also maintained.

Most notable, however, is the stylistic equivalence between the translation and original. Lý Lan’s smart choice of words has allowed her to reproduce the storytelling style, feelings and impacts intended by J. K. Rowling. For a start, she has retained the novel’s comical tone, which is visible from the opening paragraph. Readers are addressed as “bà con”, a creative translation from the neutral English “you”, setting a friendly, informal atmosphere. This is followed by expressive, exaggerated word choices such as “vĩ đại” for “very large”, “ốm nhom” for thin, and wordplay exclusive to the translation such as “cái bí mật đó bị ai đó bật mí”. What’s more, the translation is able to deliver the author’s implications about the characters being introduced. The Dursleys, for example, appear through Rowling’s storytelling not just as any normal English family, but quite an obnoxious and haughty one. In chapter 1, to strengthen this impression, Lý Lan translated the same phrase “small boy” as “quý tử” for Dudley Dursley, and “đứa con trai nhỏ” for Harry Potter. The word “quý tử” bears a sarcastic implication that the Dursleys dote on their child to the point of spoiling him, whereas “đứa con trai nhỏ” is more neutral, possibly even evoking endearment. In this way, the translator’s wording and tone allow readers to notice different character traits, thereby conveying the author’s intention.

As a northern Vietnamese reader, I would also like to note from a personal perspective that Lý Lan’s southern dialect seems to fit the novel’s style quite well. Not only does the dialect carry humor and charm – the characteristic tone of Harry Potter – but it also creates a sense of strangeness for non-speakers. To some extent, this matches the eccentricity of the British people

and particularly of the wizard community in the book. Altogether, the translation’s dialect presents a unique, peculiar and comical atmosphere that stands out and appeals to readers in a very specific manner. Overall, this is a hugely successful delivery of the original novel’s content and style.

A second noteworthy feature of Harry Potter’s Vietnamese version is that it has been tailored for the target culture and readership. Various strategies were used to translate elements that are unfamiliar to readers from the Vietnamese culture. British geographical names, for instance, were omitted and generalized in translating a news report, from “Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee” into “Nhiều quan sát viên ở các vùng khác nhau”. In a more recent translation, these foreign names may be transferred to the target text as modern-day Vietnamese people are accustomed to similar cases. However, this book was translated in 2000, when globalization was not as strong, Vietnam had less access to Western cultures and the naturalization of foreign words was a tendency. Considering these factors, Lý Lan’s choice to generalize these geographical names reduced the strain of unfamiliar cultural elements on contemporary Vietnamese readers while hardly affecting the translation’s content. The inclusion of less recognized items in the translation was also avoided by reproducing the meaning without the form. In an example, “she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair”, the high chair is a type of chair designed for feeding young children, commonly used in Western countries but not in Vietnam, especially around the early 2000s. Rather than explaining the term, Lý Lan rewrote the phrase as “vật lộn với cậu quý tử Dudley đang gào khóc vùng vẫy, không chịu ngồi ăn sáng tử tế”. Despite the difference in form of expression, the scenario evoked by this translation is both close to the original and immediately understandable by the target reader. It is easier for a Vietnamese reader to relate to children not sitting still during meals than imagining an item hardly associated with their practices. Thus, this is another instance of bridging the cultural gap between the original and the translation.

Regarding the translation’s consideration for target readers, it is also important to note that the Harry Potter novels are aimed mainly at a younger readership. The aforementioned strategies of processing foreign elements play a role in supporting these young readers, as a more naturalized translation demands less cultural knowledge. Additionally, in this chapter, the translator has broken down certain parts into smaller ideas. For instance, the original describes Mr. Dursley’s trip to work and day at work in three paragraphs, but the translation reorganizes the ideas into seven paragraphs. This new division with reduced paragraph length is relatively easier to read, more appealing and appropriate for young readers, once again illustrating the translation’s attention to target readership.

On the other hand, there remain certain errors in the Vietnamese version of this Harry Potter chapter that can lead to information misrepresentation or confusion. Misunderstanding of the source text is one case, as can be seen from the following part: “A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all.” This sentence carries a sarcastic meaning, criticizing wizards who celebrate too loudly and

risk being discovered by ordinary people (Muggles) right after the disappearance of the Dark Lord (You-Know-Who). However, when translated as “Giá mà khi Kẻ-Mà-Ai-Cũng-Biết-Là-Ai-Đấy biến đi hẳn, người Muggle mới phát hiện ra chúng ta thì hay biết mấy”, the tone of the sentence becomes positive and expectant, as if being discovered by Muggles was desirable. This may lead to readers’ confusion or miscomprehension of the intended meaning. Another questionable case involves mistranslation: “Well, I just thought...maybe...it was something to do with...you know...her crowd.” Her crowd, or Lily Potter’s crowd in this context, refers to wizards and witches in general. Translating “her crowd” as “dì nó”, indicating Lily Potter only, clearly changes the implication of the possible person behind the incident. A second issue lies in the word “dì nó”, a familiar Vietnamese way of addressing a sister-in-law. Although the use of this word creates cultural naturalness, considering the Dursleys’ resentment of the Potters and refusal to acknowledge them as relatives, this is perhaps too intimate a term. It does not correctly reflect the relationship between the characters. Such mistranslations, along with others throughout the translation, may affect reader comprehension of details, though not significant ones.

As this is the first chapter of not only the book but also the entire series, a third problem related to terminology arises from the translation. Specifically, translation of proper names or terms invented by the author, which will make recurring appearances later in the series, is not satisfactory due to an initial lack of context. For example, Lý Lan used “cái tắt-lửa” for the term Put-Outer in chapter 1, but used different phrases such as “bật tắt lửa” or “tắt sáng” in later books. This inconsistency may confuse readers and is generally inadvisable regarding terminology. Another case is the name Sirius Black, translated as “Sirius Đen”, where the word “Black” seems to be interpreted as a nickname related to the color black. However, this requires correction as “Black” is the character’s actual surname, as to be used in the names of other characters from the same family. This mistake was later revised in the republished editions of the translation.

Overall, Lý Lan’s translation of Harry Potter, as represented by chapter 1, does a commendable job in its equivalence to the source novel in various aspects, as well as cultural and formal adaptations for Vietnamese readers. In several parts, translation problems remain to be addressed for a more fulfilling book in coherence with the entire translated series. Nevertheless, it can be said that Lý Lan’s translation has successfully seized a lasting and unforgettable position in the heart of Vietnamese readers and Harry Potter fans.

References:

Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone. London: Bloomsbury

Publishing.

Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter và hòn đá phù thủy [Harry Potter and the philosopher’s

stone]. (Ly Lan, Trans.). Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam: Tre Publishing House. (Original

work published 1997)