The Hogwarts School Song (Book 1)

 

The Hogwarts school song, which everybody sang to a different tune under Dumbledore's direction. Looking at the carefree, zany words of this song, could we imagine how dark the tone of later books would become? The song appears in Book 1, Chapter 7 (The Sorting Hat).

English

Chinese (Mainland)

Chinese (Taiwan)

Japanese

Vietnamese

 

English

School Song Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something, please, Whether we be old and bald Or young with scabby knees, Our heads could do with filling With some interesting stuff, For now they're bare and full of air, Dead flies and bits of fluff, So teach us things worth knowing, Bring back what we've forgot, Just do your best, we'll do the rest, And learn until our brains all rot.

Note that 'Hoggy Warty' plays on the underlying meaning of 'Hogwarts', i.e., 'hog + wart'. One possible translation would be to use words along the lines of 'pig blister'.

 

Chinese (Mainland)

校歌 霍格沃茨，霍格沃茨，霍格沃茨，霍格沃茨， 请教给我们知识， 不论我们是谢顶的老人 还是跌伤膝盖的孩子， 我们的头脑可以接纳 一些有趣的事物。 因为现在我们头脑空空，充满空气， 死苍蝇和鸡毛蒜皮， 教给我们一些有价值的知识， 把被我们遗忘的，还给我们， 你们只要尽全力，其他的交给我们自己， 我们将努力学习，直到化为粪土。

Xiàogē Huògéwōcì, Huògéwōcì, Huògéwōcì, Huògéwōcì, Qǐng jiāo gěi wǒmen zhīshi, Búlùn wǒmen shì xièdǐng de lǎorěn Háishì diēshāng xīgài de háizi, Wǒmen de tóunǎo kěyǐ jiēnà Yīxiē yǒu qù de shìwù. Yīnwèi xiànzài wǒmen tóunǎo kòngkòng, chōngmǎn kōngqì, Sǐ cāngying hé jīmáo-suànpí, Jiào gěi wǒmen yīxiē yǒu jiàzhí de zhīshi, Bǎ wǒmen yìwàng de, huán gěi wǒmen, Nǐmen zhǐ yào jìn quánlì, qítā de jiāo gěi wǒmen zìjǐ, Wǒmen jiāng nǔlì xuéxí, zhídào huà wéi fèntǔ.

The Mainland version does not translate 'Hoggy Warty', nor does it even try to reproduce the effect, although the last two occurrences of 霍格沃茨 Huògéwōcì are given in a slightly different font.

The Mainland version is based on the Taiwanese version (below). Despite certain changes, the common source is easily discernible.

'Our heads could do with filling' is incorrectly translated as 我们的头脑可以接纳 Wǒmen de tóunǎo kěyǐ jiēnà 'our heads can accommodate'. The correct meaning is 'our heads would benefit from filling'.

'Bits of fluff' is translated as 鸡毛蒜皮 jīmáo-suànpí ('chicken feathers and garlic skins'), a conventional expression for trivia. This is a very nice translation, although obviously as much modelled on the Taiwanese translation below as on the English.

'Until our brains all rot' is translated as the colourful 直到化为粪土 zhídào huà wéi fèntǔ 'until they turn into dung and dirt'.

 

Chinese (Taiwan)

校歌 霍格華茲，霍格華茲，霍霍格格霍格華茲， 求求你教給我們一些知識， 不論我們是禿頭老人 還是膝上帶疤的年輕小子， 我們的腦袋需要裝進 一些有趣的玩意， 因為現在裡面空空洞洞，充滿空氣， 死蒼蠅和瑣瑣細細， 所以請教給我們一些值得學習的東西， 召回我們遺忘已久的記憶， 你們只要盡力去做，其他的就交給我們自己， 我們會用力學習直到頭殼壞去。

Xiàogē Huògéhuázī, Huògéhuázī, Huòhuògégé-huázī, Qiúqiú nǐ jiāo gěi wǒmen yīxiē zhīshi, Búlùn wǒmen shì tū tóu de lǎorén Háishì xī-shang dài bā de niánqīng xiǎozi, Wǒmen de nǎodài xūyào zhuāngjìn Yīxiē yǒu qù de wán'yì, Yīnwèi xiànzài lǐmiàn kòngkòng dòngdòng, chōngmǎn kōngqì, Sǐ cāngying hé suǒsuǒ-xìxì, Suǒyǐ qǐng jiāo gěi wǒmen yīxiē zhíde xuéxí de dōngxi, Zhāohuí wǒmen yìwàng yǐ jiǔ de jìyì, Nǐmen zhǐ yào jìnlì qù zuò, qítā de jiù jiāo gěi wǒmen zìjǐ, Wǒmen huì yònglì xuéxí zhídào tóuké huài qù.

'Hoggy Warty' is not translated. The effect is reproduced by reduplicating the first two syllables: 霍霍格格 Huòhuògégé.

 

Japanese

校歌 ホグワーツ　ホグワーツ ホグホグ　ワツワツ　ホグワーツ 教えて　どうぞ　僕たちに 老いても　ハゲても　青二才でも 頭にゃなんとか詰め込める おもしろいものを詰め込める 今はからっぽ　空気詰め 死んだハエやら　がらくた詰め 教えて　価値のあるものを 教えて　忘れてしまったものを ベストをつくせば　あとはお任せ 学べよ脳みそ　腐るまで

Kōka Hoguwātsu, Hoguwātsu Hoguhogu, Watsuwatsu, Hoguwātsu Oshiete, dōzo, boku-tachi ni Oite mo, hagete mo, ao-nisai demo Atama nya nantoka tsume-komeru Omoshiroi mono o tsume-komeru Ima wa karappo, kūki-zume Shinda hae yara, garakuta-zume Oshiete, kachi no aru mono o Oshiete, wasurete shimatta mono o Besuto o tsukuseba, ato wa o-makase Manabeyo nōmiso, kusaru made

The meaning of 'Hoggy Warty' is not translated. The sound effect is recreated with ホグホグ　ワツワツ Hoguhogu, Watsuwatsu.

The Japanese translator takes considerable liberties with the form and sense of the original. The result is succinct, coherent, and faithful to the spirit of the English.

 

Vietnamese

Bài ca của trường Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Làm ơn dạy chúng tôi đôi điều dù chúng tôi già hói hay trẻ măng với đầu gối ghẻ Đầu chúng tôi có thể nhồi nhét những điều thú vị Bởi vì bây giờ chúng tôi trần tuụi và đầy không khí Ruồi chết và ít lông bụi Hãy dạy chúng tôi điều gì đáng biết Trả lại điều gì chúng tôi dã quên Hãy làm hết sức mình, phần còn lại để chúng tôi tợ lo và học cho đến khi đầu ọc nhũn rữa.

The Vietnamese translator neither translates the meaning nor reproduces the sound effect of 'Hoggy Warty'.