Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed

⇚ Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts

Curses and Counter-curses ⇛

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
对付多动和烦躁动物的基本魔咒 Duìfù duō-dòng hé fánzào dòngwù de jīběn mózhòu	对付 duìfù = 'to deal with, cope with, counter, tackle'. 多动 duō-dòng = 'active'. 和 hé = 'and'. 烦躁 fánzào = 'fidgety, agitated'. 动物 dòngwù = 'animal'. 的 de = connecting particle 基本 jīběn = 'basic'. 魔咒 mózhòu = 'magic incantation, spell'.	Basic spells to deal with active and fidgety animals
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
為忙碌困擾的朋友所提供的基本魔法 Wèi mánglù kùnrǎo de péngyǒu suǒ tígòng de jīběn mófǎ	為 wèi = 'for'. 忙碌 mánglù = 'busy'. 困擾 kùnrǎo = 'perplex, puzzle, trouble'. 的 de = connecting particle 朋友 péngyǒu = 'friend'. 所 suǒ = 'which'. 提供 tígòng = 'supply, provide'. 的 de = connecting particle 基本 jīběn = 'basic'. 魔法 mófǎ = 'magic'.	Basic magic provided for busy and troubled friends
Japanese
忙しいビジネス魔ンのための簡単な呪文　ー　即席頭の皮はぎ Isogashii bijinesuman no tame no kantan na jumon — sokuseki atama no kawa-hagi	忙しい isogashii = 'busy'. ビジネス魔ン bijinesuman = 'businessman'. の no = connecting particle ため tame = 'sake, benefit'. の no = connecting particle 簡単な kantan na = 'simple'. 呪文 jumon = 'spell'. 即席 sokuseki = 'instant'. 頭 atama = 'head'. の no = connecting particle 皮はぎ kawa-hagi = 'skin-stripping' = 'skinning'.	Simple spells for busy businessmen — instant scalping
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Bùa Chú Căn Bản Cho Bận Rộn Và Sinh Sự	bùa chú = 'charms and incantations'. căn bản (根本) = 'basic'. cho = 'for'. bận rộn = 'busy'. và = 'and'. sinh sự = 'pick a quarrel'.	Basic spells for the busy and querulous
Mongolian (new)
өдөх, уурлуулах ердийн шившлэг ödökh, uurluulakh yördiin shivshleg	өдөх ödökh = 'stir up, arouse, provoke'. уурлуулах uurluulakh = 'anger' (causative of уурлах uurlakh 'become angry', from уур uur 'anger'.) ердийн yördiin = 'ordinary'. шившлэг shivshleg = 'invocation'	ordinary invocations for provoking and angering

The English refers to a book of practical spells for people who have neither the time nor the peace of mind to work on difficult spells. A corresponding Muggle title might be Basic Recipes for Those On The Go or Japanese For Busy People.

The Mongolian translator has not translated this as a book title. The passage simply says that Harry looked through the 'table of contents of ordinary spells that provoke and anger'. There is no capitalisation nor any use of inverted commas or guillemets. The reason would appear to be that the translator had no idea how to translate the title and decided to leave it as ordinary text.

Unfortunately, as we shall see, the Mongolian translator is not the only one to totally misinterpret the meaning of 'for the busy and vexed'.

But first, 'basic hexes':

How is 'basic hexes' translated?

'Basic hexes' is translated straightforwardly in all translations, with some differences in nuance.

• In the two Chinese translations and the Vietnamese translation, 'basic' is translated with words corresponding to 'basic' in English. The Japanese translation uses a word meaning 'simple'. The Mongolian says 'ordinary'.
  
  
• A 'hex' in the broader sense is a magic spell or curse that is placed on someone or something. It is usually understood as an evil spell designed to hurt a person or bring them bad luck. Most of the translators use words meaning 'a spell', although the Taiwanese translator simply uses the word for 'magic'.

How is 'for' translated?

The people who will benefit from this book are those who feel themselves busy and vexed. From the kind of hexes found in the book ('instant scalping', 'pepper breath', and 'horn tongue'), it is also clear that it is designed to help such people vent a little spleen.

Unfortunately, two translators misunderstand the meaning of the word 'for', completely skewing the meaning.

• The Mainland Chinese translator misinterprets 'for' to mean 'for dealing with', using the expression 对付 duìfù 'to deal with, cope with, counter, tackle'. This changes the book from one designed to help busy and vexed people to one designed to deal with the busy and vexed. That is, the busy and vexed are not those who cast the hexes, they are the target of the hexes!
  
  
• The Mongolian translation speaks of 'ordinary spells that provoke and anger'. This appears to indicate that the translator understood the meaning as 'ordinary spells for provoking and angering'.

Other translations get this detail right.

• The Chinese translation from Taiwan uses the slightly literary construction 為...所提供的 wèi ... suǒ tígòng de, where:
  
  
  • 為 wèi (Simplified form 为) means 'for the benefit of' or 'designed for'.
    
    
  • 所提供的 suǒ tígòng de is a relative clause modifying 基本魔法 jīběn mófǎ 'basic magic'. The meaning is 'which is provided for'.
    
    
  • 提供 tígòng means 'provide'.
    
  • The particle 所 suǒ comes before the verb 提供 tígòng and is a literary style of passive. The meaning is therefore '(be) provided'.
  • 的 de connects this to the following noun (基本魔法 jīběn mófǎ 'basic magic').
    
    
• The Japanese translation uses のための no tame no 'for (the benefit, sake of), directed at'. The meaning is 'for the benefit or sake of' 忙しいビジネス魔ン isogashii bijinesuman 'busy businessman/business magician'. The meaning could be taken either as 'designed to deal with' the busy and vexed, or 'designed to help' the busy and vexed. Here the sense is clearly that of helping or benefiting.
  
  
• The Vietnamese translation uses cho, a direct equivalent of English 'for'.

How is 'the busy and vexed' translated?

In this book title, the meaning of 'busy and vexed' is 'busy and vexed people'. All translators come up with adequate, sometimes creative translations to express this meaning, except the the translator from Mainland China (producing a rather comic mistranslation) and the Mongolian translator (producing a vague and inaccurate rendition).

• For 'people', the Taiwanese translator supplies the ubiquitous word 朋友 péngyǒu 'friend'. 朋友 péngyǒu is used both in the Mainland and on Taiwan to indicate a friendly attitude towards the listener ('little friend', i.e., 'child', 'foreign friend', i.e., 'foreign person', etc.). It is especially beloved of radio and TV announcers. 'Busy and vexed' is 忙碌困擾的 mánglù kùnrǎo de, literally meaning 'busy and troubled'. 的 de connects this to the following noun (朋友 péngyǒu 'friend'). The overall meaning is thus 'busy and vexed friends', indicating a friendly attitude to such people and a desire to help them out.
  
  
• The Japanese translator translates 'the busy and vexed' as 'busy businessmen', but with a twist.
  
  
  • The word bijinesuman is usually written ビジネスマン, but the translator has mischievously inserted the character 魔 ma meaning 'demon' or 'magic' instead of katakana マ ma, yielding ビジネス魔ン bijinesuman. This suggests not a 'businessman' but a 'business-magician'. As a subliminal bonus, the character 魔 ma contains within it the character 鬼 oni, literally 'demon, ogre', often used to describe someone who is crazy or obsessive about something (e.g., 仕事の鬼 shigoto no oni 'ogre for work' = 'workaholic').
    
    
  • In creating this title, the Japanese translator follows the spirit, not the letter, of the English title. She has in mind real-world book titles like Inner Peace for Busy People or Buddhism for Busy People, avoiding a completely literal translation of 'busy and vexed'.
    
    
• The Vietnamese translator uses bận rộn và sinh sự, where bận rộn means 'busy' and sinh sự means 'querulous' rather than vexed. The word 'people' is not spelt out.

The Mainland Chinese translator drops a real clanger, while the Mongolian translation is simply vague and evasive.

• The Chinese translator fails to realise that 'busy and vexed' means 'busy and vexed people', translating it as 多动和烦躁动物 duō-dòng hé fánzào dòngwù 'active and fidgety animals'. The results are bizarre: the book is transformed into a collection of spells to deal with busy and vexed animals! (In the context, that of fighting dragons, this is an understandable error, but is still a major misinterpretation.)
  
  
• The Mongolian translator's mistranslation is more innocuous because she does not appear to have even understood that the hexes are designed or targeted for a specific group, either people or animals. Instead, she interprets the phrase vaguely as designed 'for provoking and angering'.

Where does 'scalping' come from (Japanese translation)?:

The Japanese translator adds 'instant scalping' to the title. This is based on the original English, which reads:

He stared hopelessly down the index of Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed: instant scalping ... but dragons had no hair ... pepper breath ... that would probably increase a dragon's firepower ... horn tongue ... just what he needed, to give it an extra weapon ...

'Instant scalping', 'pepper breath', and 'horn tongue' are all items in the index of Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed. The translator should have kept the name of the book and the index items separate.

Category: Spells and Charms (Popular)