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Year With The Yeti

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
与西藏雪人在一起的一年
Yǔ Xīzàng xuěrén zài yìqǐ de yìnián
= 'with'.
西藏 Xīzàng = 'Tibet'.
雪人 xuěrén = 'snow man'.
在一起 zài yìqǐ = 'together'.
de = connecting particle
一年 yìnián = 'one year'.
One Year with the Tibetan Snow Man
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
與雪人相伴的歲月
Yǔ xuě-rén xiāng-bàn de suì-yuè
= 'with'.
雪人 xuě-rén = 'snow man'.
相伴 xiāng-bàn = 'mutually accompany'.
de = connecting particle
歲月 suì-yuè = 'years and months' = 'years'.
Years in Mutual Company wtih a Snow Man
Japanese
雪男とゆっくり一年
Yuki-otoko to yukkuri ichi-nen
雪男と Yuki-otoko to = 'snow man' + 'with' = 'with a snow man'.
ゆっくり yukkuri = 'slowly, leisurely'.
一年 ichi-nen = 'one year'.
One Year Spent in Leisurely Manner with the Snow Man
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Một năm với Người tuyết quạu quọ một = 'one'.
năm = 'year'.
với = 'with'.
người = 'person'.
tuyết () = 'snow'.
quạu quọ = 'peevish, ill-tempered'.
One year with the Ill-tempered Snow Man
Mongolian (previous)
Алмастай өнгөрүүлсэн жил
Almas-tai öngrüülsen jil
алмас almas = 'man-like creature, female demon' (Comitative 'with').
өнгөрүүлэх öngrüülekh = 'spend' (Past tense).
жил jil = 'year'.
The year Spent with the Female Demon
Mongolian (new)
Алмастай онгөрүүлсэн жил
Almas-tai öngrüülsen jil
алмас almas = 'man-like creature, female demon' (Comitative 'with').
өнгөрүүлэх öngrüülekh = 'spend' (Past tense).
жил jil = 'year'.
The Year Spent with the Female Demon

The books in the Gilderoy Lockhart Series follow a simple but humorous pattern in English.

All describe spending time with a particular kind of unsavoury creature.

All are expressed in the form 'X with Y'.

In each case there is alliteration between X and Y (Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, etc.).

The interesting points in any translation are:

How is 'yeti' translated?

The Yeti is also known as the 'Abominable Snow Man' in English. 'Snow Person' or 'Snow Man' is how he has been translated into the CJV versions.

The Mongolian translation uses алмас almas. This can have two separate meanings: either a 'wild man' of folklore, or a female ghost or demon. The intended meaning here appears to be 'wild man'.

How is 'a year With...' translated?

The meaning of the English is 'a year (that I) spent with the yeti'. There are three ways of rendering this.

Have 'that I spent with' modify 'year':

Use a full sentence:

Use the same structure as the English, that is, 'preposition + noun':

Alliteration

Only the Japanese translator makes an attempt at reproducing the alliteration of the original with 男とゆっくり一年 yuki-otoko to yukkuri ichi-nen.

Break With A Banshee Gadding With Ghouls Holidays With Hags
Travels With Trolls Voyages With Vampires Wandering With Werewolves

Category: Adventure

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