Since its publication, Harry Potter continues to introduce new generations to Hogwarts School For Witchcraft and Wizardry. The immersive world of the orphan boy who discovers he’s The Chosen One has captured imaginations for decades, inspiring films, video games, and now even an imminent television series designed to delve into the source material even further. Even so, original iterations of Harry Potter is a gift that keeps on giving.

No matter how many times it is rebooted, the franchise, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the titular character, remains iconic. Viewers watch him, Ron and Hermione grow up before their very eyes with many entertaining results to show for it. But beyond even the movies themselves, there is even more of an assortment of content. Harry Potter has spread to many countries all over the world and some translations of the films and books make the source material even more enjoyable. However, there are some that shocked fans with hilarious mistranslations that go beyond the iconic “Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?” meme.

Everyone Remembers When Ron Gets a Yelling Email

Ron’s Howler in Harry Potter-1

The one tragic fact of being in the wizarding world is the lack of electricity or modern comforts. One of the things a young witch or wizard has to sacrifice for magic is the use of the internet. Or at least, they do in the main context of the books. In the movies, one Chinese translation added a spin to the commonly understood lore of Harry Potter. The scene in question is the famous interaction in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Ron receives a Howler for taking his father’s flying car to school.

His mother reprimands him in the form of a red screaming letter that embarrasses him in the Great Hall. The Chinese subtitles, courtesy of Geraldine Cheung on Quora, describe the Howler not as a letter but as something a little more modern. “Ron got a yelling email,” Harry says, according to this translation. While the phrase still gets the gist of Molly Weasley’s communication, it isn’t exactly accurate.

The Ford Anglia Offers More Hilarity in Chamber of Secrets

Ron and Harry are in a flying car in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Ron and Harry get into many shenanigans in Chamber of Secrets that lead to misinterpretations of the text. Another scene from the film involves Arthur Weasley’s favorite car when the boys get locked out of Platform 9 3/4. They conclude that the most logical explanation is to steal the enchanted car and fly it to school so they won’t be late. The mind of a 12-year-old boy is a confounding place to be.

Ron and Harry’s adventure in the illegal vehicle flying over London has many twists, such as the main mechanic, which would have allowed them to go undetected. While the boys were at first invisible when they took off, they started reappearing. “Oh no, the invisibility booster must be faulty,” Ron bemoans in the film. Chinese subtitles instead capture Ron saying, “Oh no, we must be flowing,” which is a far cry from the intent of the dialogue. It’s unclear what this is even supposed to mean, and fans are better off not meditating on it for too long.

The Rogue Bludger Is Too Strange for Words

Bludger

The Chamber of Secrets is a series of near misses for Harry. After narrowly avoiding being expelled for using a flying car in front of Muggles and crashing into the Whomping Willow, the rest of the year isn’t that much safer. Harry’s one reprieve from the onslaught of his destiny is Quidditch, and even that isn’t even safe. During a match, a rogue bludger gunning for Harry doesn’t stop until it takes him out.

Custom image of Dobby snapping his fingers in front of a background image of Harry and Dobby in Chamber of Secrets© Provided by CBR

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Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) vocalizes this first, noting that the rogue bludger is going for Harry. Instead of stating that in the subtitles, Hagrid is translated as saying: “The bad temper Boge is looking at Harry!” It would take a real linguist to parse out exactly what that is supposed to mean.

Malfoy’s Slur Doesn’t Translate as Well

Draco Malfoy playing Quidditch and smirking

At the beginning of Draco Malfoy’s tenure as a Harry Potter antagonist, he has spewed some truly heinous rhetoric. Generally absorbed by his prejudicial Death Eater father, Lucius, Malfoy has some offensive opinions, particularly about Muggle-Borns. Hermione becomes the target of his inflammatory language, which hits a fever pitch in the second film. While surrounded by Slytherins, Malfoy calls Hermione a “filthy little Mudblood,” a racist term later explained to Harry.

A split image of Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter© Provided by CBR

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The translation tones down this sentiment slightly by subtitling Malfoy as calling Hermione “you dirty melon.” Not the most offensive thing Malfoy could have said by a longshot, but it is still off-putting. The humorous translation takes away from the gravity of the serious situation of judging someone for their parentage. Melon is apparently how these translations tackle the word Mudlbood as it reoccurs through many similar translations.

Vernon Has Had Enough of That Owl

Vernon, Dudley, and Petunia Dursley posing for a photo

Harry’s time with his maternal relatives, the Dursleys, is vicious and, at times, abusive. Even so, they insist on keeping Harry in their house when no one involved is happy. Harry’s first summer after learning he is a wizard is especially telling when Vernon insists on keeping his owl, Hedwig, under look and key. When Ron has had enough of Harry not answering his letters — due to the meddling of Dobby, the House-elf — he rescues him with the help of his twin brothers, Fred and George.

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Harry’s uncle wants none of this, telling Harry that he and his owl aren’t going anywhere. This line of dialogue becomes slightly more mature when translated into Chinese. Vernon says: “You and that pair of f***ing pigeons don’t think going anywhere.” In addition to being factually inaccurate, this is one of the more nonsensical translations that have no basis in reality.

Voldemort Can’t Help But Falling In Love With His New Name

Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) looking sinister in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.© Provided by CBR

Some translations aren’t strictly connected to the films but to the books as well. When Harry Potter is translated into other languages, some things get lost, such as names. The reveal that Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram for “I Am Lord Voldemort” is a big twist in Chamber of Secrets and would not hit as hard if the spelling was different.

According to Redditor u/DuskFlare1990, the French translation of that moment had to be altered to make sense in a new language. “Je suis Voldemort” is French for “I am Lord Voldemort,” meaning that translators had to change Tom’s full name to Tom Elvis Jedusor. For all the evils he has done in his life, comparing him to the King of Rock’n’Roll is one of the most surprising twists in Harry Potter.

Snape Explodes In the German Language Books

Professor Snape consumed by regret

Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) undergoes a great transformation in the books, but none so great as in the German text of the story. This was due to a small misconception about the teacher and a game in the series. Georgia Menzi posted on Quora that some German editions of the book misspelled the game Exploding Snap to Exploding Snape.

A collage of different images featuring Harry Potter’s Snape© Provided by CBR

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Exploding Snap is a magical card game that naturally explodes during the gameplay. While some may wish it, no professors were harmed during the writing of this game. Snape is certainly unpopular but, in this case, was protected from explosion.

Elf Rights Aren’t as Clever In Other Languages

Kreacher and Dobby help Harry and his friends in The Deathly Hallows Pt 1

The Wizarding world, like any society, doesn’t have a perfect track record with human rights. While House-elves aren’t human in the strictest sense of the word, they still deserve the same treatment as any sentient creature, something that Hermione agrees with in Goblet of Fire. She creates SPEW, Society For the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. This abbreviation doesn’t have the same ring in other languages. The joke in the book consists of Ron pronouncing the society as spew, which irritates Hermione to no end.

In German, Hermione’s social program is shortened to B.Elfe.R. This ensures that any cleverness revolving around Hermione’s group is lost, while the levels of hilarity among readers rise. Unfortunately, though, Ron prodding at her about SPEW doesn’t carry over.

Dumbledore Makes a Grievous Error In the Goblet of Fire

The Headmaster of Hogwarts is known for being eccentric, but one German translation takes this a step too far. In Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore orders barrels of mulled mead, a good addition to any party. Instead of these barrels, Peter Spering posted on Quora that one version mistakenly translated this to “barrels of meat.”

The magic users of Harry Potter may not have to worry too much about food poisoning or storing food correctly, but this doesn’t seem like the most appetizing way to transport goods. Meat could be one school’s way of celebrating, but this specific order contradicts the delightful refreshment that the party-goers were intended to enjoy.

Snape’s Russian Name Was Too On the Nose

Snape stares at Harry in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Some translations try to keep names as intact as possible, while others get a little more creative with it. Alexander the Grey posted on Quora that one Russian translation tried to alter the name Severus Snape by translating it into a name that essentially means Villianis Evils. In hindsight, there is some logic to this decision.

In Latin, Severus roughly translates to stern. This is something that J.K. Rowing often did, another example being Remus Lupin, which is a clear reference to his werewolfism. However, the Russian translation backfires in Deathly Hallows when it is revealed that Snape was a double agent for the Death Eaters, making him significantly less evil. Snape’s character will continue to be debated for decades, but this is one instance where the translation was better off not being tampered with.

The Harry Potter 8 Movie Collector’s Edition poster features the art from all eight movie film posters, all of which prominently feature Harry Potter.© Provided by CBR

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry’s rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by  J.K. Rowling

Cast  Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman