Chapter 10: The Rogue Bludger

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
失控的游走球 Shīkòng de yóuzǒu-qiú	失控 shīkòng = 'lose-control'. 的 de = connecting particle 游走 yóuzǒu = 'rove'. 球 -qiú = 'ball'. Together, 'roving ball'.	The Out-of-Control Roving-Ball
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
瘋搏格 Fēng bógé	瘋 fēng = 'crazy'. 搏格 bógé = 'boge' (bo = 'wrestle, fight') = 'bludger'.	The Crazy Boge
Japanese
狂ったブラッジャー Kurutta burajjā	狂う kuruu = 'go crazy' (た -ta Past tense). ブラッジャー burajjā = 'bludger'.	The Crazy Bludger
Korean
악당 블러저 Аgdang beulleojeo	악당 (惡黨) аgdang = 'bad guy, rogue, villain'. 블러저 beulleojeo = 'bludger'.	The Bad-guy Bludger
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Trái Bludger tai quái	trái = counter used for fruit, shells, projectiles. Bludger (pronunciation footnote: Blất-giơ). tai quái = 'artful, crafty, sly'.	The Sly Bludger
Mongolian (previous)
Тэнэмэл бладжер Tenmel bladjer	тэнэмэл tenmel = 'roaming, vagabond'. бладжер bladjer = 'Bludger'.	The Roaming Bludger
Mongolian (new)
Дүрсгүй бладжер Dürsgüi bladjer	дүрсгүй dürsgüi = 'naughty, rude, impish, ill-mannered'. бладжер bladjer = 'Bludger'.	The Naughty Bludger

The rogue Bludger in the title refers to an out-of-character Bludger that seemed determined to knock Harry off his broom during a Quidditch match.

How is 'rogue' translated?

'Rogue' here means 'run-away' or 'out-of-control'. For example, a rogue elephant is a vicious elephant that separates from the herd and roams alone. Such an elephant is dangerously and unpredictably violent.

In a human context, a 'rogue' is a dishonest or unprincipled person, which is a less appropriate interpretation here.

• The Mainland Chinese translation speaks of a Bludger that is out of control (失控 shīkòng, a word consisting of two morphemes: 失 shī 'lose' + 控 kòng 'control'). This is an appropriate description of the Bludger's behaviour.
  
  
• The Chinese (Taiwan) and Japanese translations use terms meaning 'crazy'. The suggestion of crazed behaviour is appropriate.
  
  
  • The Taiwanese translation calls the Bludger 瘋 fēng 'crazy'.
    
    
  • The Japanese translation uses 狂った kurutta, the past tense form of the verb 狂う kuruu 'go crazy'.

    'go crazy' past⤷	'Bludger'
    kurutta⤷	Burajjā

    At the end of a sentence the verb more usually takes the form 狂っている kurutte iru 'be crazy' (ている -te iru indicates a state). In a clause modifying a noun (in this case ブラッジャー burajjā 'bludger') it is changed to the past tense.

Less appropriate translations of the word 'rogue' (some ludicrously so) include the following. Some of these understand 'rogue' as meaning 'villain' or 'scoundrel'; others are misled by the word 'roguish'. A couple are something of a mystery.

• The Korean translation uses the word 악당 аgdang (惡黨), which is normally applied to human rogues. The sense is that of a 'bad guy' or 'villain'. The translation thus suggests that the Bludger is some kind of scoundrel or ruffian. The sense is slightly awry but works in the context.
  
  
• The Vietnamese translation calls the Bludger tai quái 'artful, crafty, or sly'. The source of this misinterpretation is unclear. It could be a reference to the lack of principles or honesty of a human rogue. The Vietnamese term for a rogue elephant is voi độc, literally 'noxious elephant' (độc = 'toxic, poisonous, noxious, harmful').
  
  
• The new Mongolian translation uses the word дүрсгүй dürsgüi, which has the meaning 'mischievous, naughty, ill-mannered, rude'. This is commonly applied to mischievous or naughty children, although it can also be used for unruly, poorly-behaved, or delinquent adults. Дүрсгүй dürsgüi here appears to be a translation not of 'rogue' but of 'roguish'. While 'roguish' originally referred to villainous behaviour, it now often means nothing more than 'playfully mischievous, impish'.
  
  
• In the previous Mongolian translation, the Bludger is described as being roaming or vagabond (тэнэмэл tenmel, from the verb тэнэх tenekh 'roam, loiter, be a vagabond'). Whether this derives from the idea of a 'vagabond elephant' or an 'unprincipled drifter', or something else entirely, is not clear to me. It does not appear to be appropriate because its single-minded pursuit of Harry was far from 'vagabond'.

How is 'Bludger' translated?

The Bludger is a kind of ball used in Quidditch. It is used to attack members of the opposing team.

Most translations render the name phonetically:

• The Vietnamese uses the English without change, with a footnote in the original instalments indicating that it should be pronounced Blất-giơ.
  
  
• The Japanese is a straightforward phonetic rendition, splitting the word into syllables (actually morae, with each mora theoretically pronounced with the same length): bu-ra-d-ja-a. Japanese does not have the 'bl' combination; therefore it has been split into bu and ra. The translator appears to have been careful to distinguish the Bludger from the Japanese word for 'brassière' or 'bra', which is ブラジャー burajā, by doubling the 'j' sound.
  
  
• The Korean translation similarly renders 'Bludger' as 블러저 beulleojeo, with 'bl' split into two syllables.
  
  
• Both Mongolian translations also use a straightforward phonetic rendition бладжер bladjer. Unlike Japanese and Korean, which omit the final 'r' in accordance with British English, Mongolian ends the word with a beautifully rolled 'r'.

The two Chinese-language translations, especially the Mainland version, are more semantic in nature.

• The Mainland Chinese version calls the Bludger a 'roving ball' (游走球 yóuzǒu-qiú), presumably because it roves around the field looking for targets.
  
  
• The Taiwanese version coins the word 搏格 bógé. This is mainly phonetic in inspiration — although the pronunciation is considerably mangled — with a nod to the meaning (搏 bó means 'wrestle, fight').

(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)

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

⇚ Chapter 9

Chapter 11 ⇛