The Titles of Magical Books in Harry Potter

 

Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul

 

Chinese (Mainland)	破碎的球：命运不吉的时候 Pòsuì de qiú: mìng-yùn bù jí de shíhou	破碎 pòsuì = 'magic'. 的 de = connecting particle 球 qiú = 'ball'. 命运 mìngyùn = 'fate'. 不 bù = 'not'. 吉 jí = 'auspicious'. 的 de = connecting particle 时候 shíhou = 'time'.	Broken ball -- when fate is adverse
Chinese (Taiwan)	Omitted from the Taiwanese version
Japanese	球が割れる ー ツキが落ちはじめたとき Tama ga wareru -- tsuki ga ochi-hajimeta toki	球が tama ga = 'ball' + subject particle 割れる wareru = 'to crack, break'. ツキが tsuki ga = 'luck' + subject particle 落ちはじめた ochi-hajimeta = past tense of 落ちはじめる ochi-hajimeru = 'to begin to fall', a compound verb formed from 落ちる ochiru 'to fall' + suffix はじめる hajimeru 'to begin'. とき toki = 'time'.	Ball breaks -- when luck has begun to fall
Vietnamese	Những Trái Cầu Bể: Khi Vận May Hóa Trò Xỏ Lá	những = plural marker trái = quantifier (classifier) cầu = 'ball'. bể = 'broken'. khi = 'when'. vận may = 'good luck' (vận = 運). hóa = 'to become'. trò = 'to play trick'. xỏ lá = 'knavish, rude, impolite'.	Broken balls: when luck begins to become knavish

One of the author's more wicked little jokes is the title 'Broken Balls', which actually refers to the crystal ball of fortune-tellers.

The Japanese word for 'ball' is tama, written with Chinese character 球 (in Chinese read qiú). Tama can also be written 玉, in which case it has a slightly different meaning, such as jewel, marble, or eyeball. The word tsuki is written in katakana as ツキ rather than in Chinese characters.

The Taiwanese translation fails to include the title at all.

Category: Divination