Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 月亮脸、虫尾巴、大脚板和尖头叉子 Yuèliang-liǎn, Chóng-wěiba, Dà-jiǎobǎn hé Jiǎntóu-chāzi |
月亮脸
Yuèliang-liǎn = 'moon face'. 虫尾巴 Chóng-wěiba = 'worm tail'. 大脚板 Dà-jiǎobǎn = 'large foot-sole' (dialect). 和 hé = 'and'. 尖头叉子 Jiǎntóu-chāzi = 'sharp-end prongs'. |
Moon-Face, Worm-Tail, Large Foot-sole and Sharp Prongs |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 月影、蟲尾、獸足與鹿角 Yuèyǐng, Chóngwěi, Shòuzú yǔ Lùjiǎo |
月影
Yuèyǐng = 'moon reflection/shadow'. 蟲尾 Chóngwěi = 'worm tail'. 獸足 Shòuzú = 'beast foot'. 與 yǔ = 'and' (written). 鹿角 Lùjiǎo = 'deer horn, antler'. |
Moon-Reflection, Worm-Tail, Beast-Foot and Deer-Horns |
| Japanese | ||
| ムーニー、ワームテール、パッドフット、プロングズ Mūnii, Wāmutēru, Paddofutto, Pronguzu |
ムーニー
Mūnii = 'moony'. ワームテール Wāmutēru = 'wormtail'. パッドフット Paddofutto = 'padfoot'. プロングズ Puronguzu = 'prongs'. |
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs |
| Korean | ||
| 무니와 웜테일과 패드풋과 프롱스 Muni-wa Womteil-gwa Paedeuput-gwa Peurongseu |
무니 Muni = 'moony'. 와/과 wa/-gwa = 'and'. 웜테일 Womteil = 'wormtail'. 패드풋 Paedeuput = 'padfoot'. 프롱스 Peurongseu = 'prongs'. |
Moony and Wormtail and Padfoot and Prongs |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Mơ mộng ngớ ngẩn, Đuôi trùn, Chân nhồi bông, và Dây nhợ lòng thòng | mơ mộng = 'day dream'. ngớ ngẩn = 'simple, foolish, empty-headed'. đuôi = 'tail'. trùn = 'earthworm'. chân = 'foot, leg, paw'. nhồi = 'stuffed, padded'. bông = 'cotton'. và = 'and'. dây = 'string, wire'. nhợ = 'rope, cord'. lòng thòng = 'hanging down, dangling'. |
Foolish Daydream, Earthworm-Tail, Cotton-padded Paw, and Dangling Wires. |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Солиот, Сүүлт, Том тавхайт, Эвэрт Soliut, Süült, Tom tavkhait, Evert |
солиут soliut = 'crazy'. сүүлт süült = 'with a tail'. том tom = 'big'. тавхай tavkhai = 'sole, paw, hoof, foot' эвэр ever = 'horn (antler)' |
Crazed, Tailed, Large-soled, Horned |
The nicknames of the four schoolmates indicate the animal that they habitually transform into. Of course, the meaning can't be made too clear at the outset or it would spoil the story.
How are the four nicknames rendered?
The four nicknames are difficult to translate because of their peculiar, elusive nature.
- In general, both Chinese-language translations (Mainland and Taiwan) make a creditable attempt at rendering the English names. However, the flavour of the names so created is quite different.
- The Taiwanese version takes advantage of the economy
and conciseness of written Chinese to coin short two-character compounds. For example, the translation uses 月 yuè 'moon' (classical written) in 月影 yuèyǐng 'moon reflection/shadow' and 尾 wěi 'tail' (classical written) in 蟲尾 chóngwěi 'worm tail'.
- By contrast, the Mainland translator uses longer colloquial expressions of 3-4 characters, e.g., 月亮 yuèliang (modern colloquial) for 'moon' in 月亮脸 yuèliang-liǎn 'moon face', and 尾巴 wěiba (modern colloquial) for 'tail' in 虫尾巴 chóng-wěiba 'worm tail'.
- The Taiwanese version takes advantage of the economy
and conciseness of written Chinese to coin short two-character compounds. For example, the translation uses 月 yuè 'moon' (classical written) in 月影 yuèyǐng 'moon reflection/shadow' and 尾 wěi 'tail' (classical written) in 蟲尾 chóngwěi 'worm tail'.
- The Mongolian translator creates four names ending in the suffix -т meaning 'having, with', resulting in a pleasing parallelism. Apart from солиут soliut 'crazy', which loses the connection with 'moon', all render the English names satisfactorily without totally giving the game away.
- The Vietnamese translator tries to capture the meaning of the English
but goes somewhat astray. 'Moony' appears to have been confused with 'mooning
about', losing the connection with the moon. 'Padfoot' becomes 'cotton-padded
foot/paw'. 'Prongs' has for some inexplicable reason been transformed into
'dangling cords/wires', perhaps 'electrical prongs'. This makes no connection with the magnificent deer Patronus.
- The Japanese and Korean simply transliterate the English names into katakana or hangul, which loses the meaning unless the reader is able to make the connection via English. This is possible to some extent, although ムーニー Mūnii in Japan runs the risk of being confused with a well known brand of paper nappies.
How is 'and' translated (how are the four linked together)?
There are three patterns for linking the four names into a list.
- Follow the English pattern
English lists words separated by commas, with an 'and' before the final word, thus: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.
Both Chinese translations and the Vietnamese translation follow this pattern. China Mainland: A, B, C 和 D (A, B, C hé D); Taiwan A, B, C 與 D (A, B, C yǔ D), where 與 yǔ is more written in style; and Vietnamese: A, B, C và D. - List the four names separated by commas -- no 'and'
This is the approach adopted in Japanese and Mongolian. - Use 'and' between each word.
This is the approach adopted in Korean. A와 B과 C과 D A-wa B-gwa C-gwa D. The form of the word for 'and' differs according to the word it is attached to.
See also Cat, Rat, and Dog and Flesh, Blood and Bone.
(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 17 |  |