Chapter 1: The Other Minister
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 另一位部长 Lìng yíwèi bùzhǎng |
另
lìng = 'other'. 一位 = yíwèi 'one' + classifier. 位 wèi is respectful and used for people 部长 bùzhǎng = 'minister (of a department/ministry)'. |
Another Minister |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 另一個部長 Lìng yíge bùzhǎng |
另 lìng = 'other'. 一個 = yíge 'one' + classifier. 部長 bùzhǎng = 'minister (of a department/ministry)'. |
Another Minister |
| Japanese | ||
| むこうの大臣 Mukō no daijin |
むこう mukō = 'over there, the other side'. の no = connecting particle 大臣 daijin = 'minister (of a department/ministry)'. |
The Minister from Over There |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Ông thủ tướng kia | ông = 'Mr'. thủ tướng (首相) = 'Prime Minister'. kia = 'that, the other'. |
That Mr Prime Minister |
The title is gently mocking. In addition to his usual complement of ministers in charge of (for instance) finance, foreign affairs, energy, transportation, education, etc., the Prime Minister finds that he has one peculiar and troublesome minister that he hadn't bargained for and wished would go away — the Minister of Magic. This is the 'other' minister, a minister that the PM would rather not name.
How is 'the other' translated?
- The Chinese and Taiwanese translations are quite literal, using 另一 lìng yī, meaning 'another' (or 'different') one. The implication is that there is 'another' minister different from the ordinary ones we know. The Mainland translation uses the classifier 位 wèi, which is respectful. The translation from Taiwan uses plain 個 -ge, which is the normal classifier for people.
- The Japanese refers to the minister from 'over there' (向こう mukō), where 'over there' refers to the magical world.
- In the Vietnamese translation, the Minister of Magic is regarded by the Muggle Prime Minister not as 'That Minister', but as 'That Mr Prime Minister'. This is actually quite logical. Although the Ministry of Magic sounds like it is a Ministry reporting to the Muggle Prime Minister, in fact it is better thought of as a parallel government in charge of the magical world. Fudge acts more like a prime minister liaising with his counterpart in the Muggle world than a minister reporting to the Prime Minister. 'Other' is rendered as kia, meaning 'that' or 'the other'.
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
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