Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
泥巴种和细语 Níbā-zhǒng hé xìyǔ	泥巴种 níbā-zhǒng = 'mud-type'. 和 hé = 'and'. 细语 xìyǔ = 'whisper'.	Mud-types and Whispers
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
麻種與耳語 Má-zhǒng yǔ ěryǔ	麻種 má-zhǒng = 'Muggle-types'. 與 yǔ = 'and' (formal). 耳語 ěryǔ = 'whispers in the ear'.	Muggle-types and Whispers in the Ear
Japanese
穢れた血と幽かな声 Kegarata chi to kasuka-na koe	穢れる kegararu = 'taint' (Past tense; modifies 血 chi 'blood', having meaning of 'tainted'.) 血 chi = 'blood'. と to = 'and'. 幽かな kasuka-na = 'faint'. 声 koe = 'voice'.	Tainted Blood and Faint Voices
Korean
잡종과 속삭임 Jabjong-gwa sogsagim	잡종 (雜種) jabjong = 'cross-breed, mongrel'. 과 gwa = 'and'. 속삭임 sogsagim = 'whispers'.	Crossbreeds and Whispers
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Máu bùn và những tiếng thì thầm	máu = 'blood'. bùn = 'mud'. và = 'and'. những = plural marker. tiếng = 'voice, sound'. thì thầm = 'speak in whispers'.	Mud Blood and Voices Speaking in Whispers
Mongolian (previous)
Шалбааган цустнууд ба шивнэх чимээ Shalbaagan tsustnuud ba shivnekh chimee	шалбааг shalbaag = 'pool, puddle, mud'. -ан -an = 'hidden н' (quasi-genitive). цус tsus = 'blood'. -тан -tan = 'those having'. -ууд -uud = 'plural'. ба ba = 'and'. шивнэх shivnekh = 'whisper' (modifies following word) чимээ chimee = 'sound, voice'.	The Muddy-blooded and Whispering Voices
Mongolian (new)
Бохир цустнууд ба шивнэлдээн Bokhir tsustnuud ba shivneldeen	бохир bokhir = 'dirty' цус tsus = 'blood'. -тан -tan = 'those having'. -ууд -uud = 'plural'. ба ba = 'and'. шивнэлдээн shivneldeen = 'whispering'.	The Dirty-blooded and Whispering

A rather difficult title to translate, not least because the English itself doesn't much sense until you read the chapter.

How is 'mudblood' translated?

This is a grave insult that Rowling has created for her wizarding world. It is used to describe Muggle wizards, those who are not 'pureblood'.

• The Mainland Chinese translator combines a colloquial expression, 泥巴 níbā, meaning 'mud' or 'mire', with 种 zhǒng 'type' or 'race', a pejorative expression used to pigeonhole people. The meaning is roughly 'mud-type'.
  
  
• The Chinese translator from Taiwan takes the first part of 麻瓜 Máguā ('Muggle') and similarly combines it with the pejorative 種 zhǒng ('type, race'). The meaning is 'Muggle-type'; there is no reference to 'mud'.
  
  
• The Korean translation uses 잡종 jabjong, 雜種 in Chinese characters, the word for a 'mongrel' or 'crossbreed'. It uses the character 種 'type, race, breed', as in the two Chinese translations. Like the English word 'mongrel', 잡종 jabjong is normally used for animals.
  
  
• The Japanese uses the expression 穢れた血 kegarata chi which means 'dirty blood' or 'tainted blood'. 穢れる kegareru 'taint, contaminate' is stronger than the everyday word 汚れる yogoreru 'become dirty', having almost religious undertones of 'impurity' or 'defilement'. In the chapter itself, Malfoy calls Hermione 穢れた血め 'kegareta chi me'. The addition of -me marks this clearly as a term of abuse.
  
  
• The Vietnamese translator quite literally translates the expression as máu 'blood' + bùn 'mud' = 'mudblood'. In the text of the chapter, the English term 'Mudblood' is used until the meaning is explained to Harry.
  
  
• The previous Mongolian translation uses шалбааган цустнууд shalbaagan tsustnuud.
  Шалбааг shalbaag means 'muddy puddle' or 'mud'. The ending -ан -an is a linking form (sometimes regarded as a genitive), that chains шалбааг shalbaag to the following word, цустнууд tsustnuud which is made up as follows:
  
  
  • цус tsus 'blood' +
  • -т -t, a suffix meaning 'having' +
  • -ан -an referring to a class of people +
  • -ууд -uud, a plural suffix.
  
  The meaning of the whole is 'those having muddy blood'. This example again shows the more complex word-building of Mongolian compared with Chinese and Vietnamese. (Japanese and Korean could hypothetically create a somewhat similar expression, e.g., for Japanese 穢れた血持ち kegareta chi-mochi 'tainted blood-holder').
  
  
• The new Mongolian translation substitutes бохир bokhir 'dirty' for шалбааг shalbaag 'pool, puddle, mud'.

How is 'murmurs' translated?

This is the cold threatening voice that only Harry can hear.

• The Mainland Chinese version uses 细语 xìyǔ ('thin/fine talk'), which means 'soft speech, whispers'.
  
  
• The Taiwanese version uses 耳語 ěryǔ ('ear talk'), which means 'talk whispered in one's ear'.
  
  
• The Japanese translation 幽かな声 kasuka-na koe means simply 'a faint voice'.
  
  
• The Vietnamese refers to tiếng thì thầm (tiếng 'voice, sound' + thì thầm 'speak in whispers'). Since thì thầm 'speak in whispers' actually modifies the noun tiếng 'voice', this is equivalent to saying 'voice that speaks in whispers' in English.
  
  

  'voice'	⤶ '(that) speaks in whispers'
  tiếng	⤶ thì thầm

• The previous Mongolian translation uses шивнэх чимээ shivnekh chimee, where шивнэх shivnekh means 'whisper' (in the present/future form) and чимээ chimee means 'voice' or 'sound'. Like the Vietnamese, the meaning of the whole is 'voice that whispers'.
  
  

  'whisper' pres./fut.⤷	'voice'
  shivne-kh⤷	chimee

• The newer Mongolian translation uses шивнэлдээн shivneldeen 'whispers'. This is based on the same verb 'whisper' шивнэх shivnekh:
  
  
  • шивнэх shivnekh 'whisper' +
  • -лд- -ld- indicating an action taking place among a number of people +
  • the ending -ээн -een, which makes it into a noun meaning 'whispers'.
  
  
• The Korean also uses a noun derived from a verb. 속삭임 sogsagim 'whisper' (noun) is based on the verb 속삭이다 sog-sag-i-da 'to whisper'.

(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)

(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)

⇚ Chapter 6

Chapter 8 ⇛