Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
猫、耗子和狗 Māo, hàozi hé gǒu	猫 māo = 'cat'. 耗子 hàozi = 'rat, mouse' (northern dialect). 和 hé = 'and'. 狗 gǒu = 'dog'.	Cat, Rat and Dog
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
貓、鼠、狗 Māo, shǔ, gǒu	貓 māo = 'cat'. 鼠 shǔ = 'rat/mouse'. 狗 gǒu = 'dog'.	Cat, Rat, Dog
Japanese
猫、ネズミ、犬 Neko, nezumi, inu	猫 neko = 'cat'. ネズミ nezumi = 'rat/mouse'. 犬 inu = 'dog'.	Cat, Rat, Dog
Korean
고양이와 쥐와 개 Goyangi-wa jwi-wa gae	고양이 goyangi = 'cat'. 와 -wa = and'. 쥐 jwi = rat; mouse'. 개 gae = dog'.	Cat and Rat and Dog
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Mèo, chuột và chó	mèo = 'cat'. chuột = 'rat/mouse'. và = 'and'. chó = 'dog'.	Cat, Rat and Dog
Mongolian (new)
Харх, муур, нохой Kharkh, muur, nokhoi	харх kharkh = 'rat'. муур muur = 'cat'. нохой nokhoi = 'dog'.	Rat, Cat, Dog

Three words for animals, referring to Crookshanks the cat, Scabbers (Pettigrew) the rat, and Sirius Black the dog.

'Cat' and 'dog' are fairly straightforward, both having uncontroversial names in all our languages. 'Rat' is more problematic as English makes a distinction between mice and rats that is not always important in other languages.

How is 'rat' translated?

• The standard spoken word for 'rat/mouse' in Chinese is 老鼠 lǎoshǔ (literally 'old rat'). The 'old' is prefixed to a small number of animals, including tigers and hawks, that are either familiar or feared. But neither of the Chinese-language translators use this word. the Taiwanese translator comes up with a simple, succinct title in a classical style, whereas the Mainland version is modern and colloquial in feel.
  
  
  • The word for 'rat/mouse' used in the Mainland Chinese edition, 耗子 hàozi, is a colloquial north Chinese word. Literally it means 'consume, waste', reflecting an old perception that rats were like rapacious officials and landlords in consuming the wealth of ordinary people. It is perhaps more likely to be identified as a rat than a mouse.
    
    
  • The Chinese translation from Taiwan uses the written expression for 'rat/mouse', which is 鼠 shǔ, minus the 老 lǎo 'old'.
  
  
• The Japanese translator writes 'cat' and 'dog' in Chinese characters while writing 'rat/mouse' in katakana as ネズミ. This is in line with standard usage: the character for nezumi (鼠) is not included in the list of characters for normal use (the 'jōyō kanji'). It is the norm to write animal names in katakana, except for very familiar domestic livestock and household pets.

• The Vietnamese uses chuột, the word for mouse or rat. When speaking of a mouse or rat in a normal context, the usual term is con chuột, where con is used to refer to animals.
  
  
• Mongolian is the only language here that makes a distinction similar to the English distinction between 'rat' (харх kharkh) and 'mouse' (хулгана khulgan). Rats are relatively uncommon in Mongolia.

How is 'and' translated (how are the three linked together)?

The three names are linked together in three ways:

• Follow the English pattern
  The pattern in English is to list words separated by commas, with an 'and' before the final word, thus: Cat, Rat and Dog.
  The Mainland Chinese and Vietnamese translators follow this pattern. China Mainland: A, B 和 C (A, B hé C); Vietnamese: A, B và C.
  
  
• Separate the three names by commas
  This is adopted in the Chinese (Taiwan), Japanese and Mongolian translations. By this means, the Taiwanese translation achieves a more succinct presentation than the Mainland translation.
  
  
• Use 'and' between each word
  This is adopted in the Korean translation. A와 B와 C (A-wa B-wa C).

See also Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs and Flesh, Blood and Bone.

(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)

(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)

⇚ Chapter 16

Chapter 18 ⇛