Chapter 22: The Unexpected Task
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 意外的挑战 Yìwài de tiáozhàn |
意外 yìwài = 'unexpected, unanticipated'. 的 de = connecting particle 挑战 tiáozhàn = 'challenge'. |
The Unexpected Challenge |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 意料之外的任務 Yìliào-zhī-wài de rènwu |
意料
yìliào = 'expectation'. 之外 zhī-wài = 'outside'. 的 de = connecting particle 任務 rènwu = 'assignment, mission, task'. |
The Unexpected Assignment |
| Japanese | ||
| 予期せぬ課題 Yoki senu kadai |
予期せぬ
yoki senu (Classical negative form of 予期する yoki
suru 'to expect, anticipate'). 課題 kadai = 'subject, theme, task, exercise, problem'. |
The Unpredicted Task |
| Korean | ||
| 뜻밖의 시험 Tteusbakk-ui siheom |
The Unexpected Examination | |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Công tác bất ngờ | công tác
(工作) = 'task, assignment'. bất ngờ = 'unexpected'. |
The Unexpected Task |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Гэнэтийн даалгавар Genetiin daalgavar |
гэнэт genet = 'sudden' (-ийн -iin Genitive form). даалгавар daalgavar = 'task, job, mission'. |
The Sudden Task |
Unexpected
The unexpected task, not directly related to the Triwizard Tournament itself, is to find a partner for the Yule Ball.
- The Chinese translation (Mainland) expresses 'unexpected' as 意外 yìwài 'unexpected, unanticipated, unforeseen'. As a noun 意外 yìwài means 'accident, mishap' (unexpected event). 意外 yìwài can be analysed as 'outside of intention'.
- The Chinese translation (Taiwan) expresses 'unexpected' as 意料之外
yìliào-zhī-wài 'outside of expectations', with a meaning similar to that of 意外 yìwài
- The Japanese translation uses 予期せぬ yoki senu, a fixed expression using the negative of the verb 予期する
yoki suru 'to anticipate'. The negative form せぬ senu is a classical form of the verb する
suru 'to do'. The modern standard negative form is しない
shinai.
- The Vietnamese translation uses the fixed expression bất ngờ 'unexpected', where bất is a negative.
- The Mongolian translator opts to refer to this task as having come up 'suddenly' (гэнэт genet).
Task
Although the original refers to the job of finding a partner as a 'task' like the first, second, and third tasks in the Triwizard tournament, the Chinese and Vietnamese translators switch to different words here.
- The Chinese translator refers to the task of finding a partner
as a 'challenge' or 挑战 tiáozhàn.
This is probably because it is awkward to described it as an 'item, project, or event' (项目 xiàngmù) of the type assigned in the Triwizard tournament.
- The Vietnamese translator uses the word công tác, meaning 'task' or 'assignment'. The reason is similar: this assignment is different in nature from the first, second, and third tasks of the Triwizard tournament, which are referred to as bài thi 'examinations' in the Vietnamese translation. (Incidentally, công tác, written 工作, is the normal word for 'work' in Chinese).
The Taiwanese, Japanese, and Mongolian translators adhere to their original translations of 'task' (任務 rènwu, 課題 kadai, and даалгавар daalgavar), which are suitable for both Triwizard events and the task of finding a partner to the ball.
Similar titles are The Lost Prophecy and (especially) The Lost Diadem.
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 21 |  |