Chapter 35: Veritaserum
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 吐真剂 Tǔ-zhēn-jì |
吐
tǔ = 'spit out, pour out'. 真 zhēn = 'true'. 剂 jì = 'concoction, potion'. |
Tell-the-truth Potion |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 吐真劑 Tǔ-zhēn-jì |
吐
tǔ = 'spit out, pour out'. 真 zhēn = 'true'. 劑 jì = 'concoction, potion'. |
Tell-the-truth Potion |
| Japanese | ||
Shinjitsu-yaku (Beritaseramu) |
真実
shinjitsu = 'truth'. 薬 yaku = 'medicine'. ベリタセラム Beritaseramu = Veritaserum |
Truth Medicine (Veritaserum) |
| Korean | ||
| 베리타세룸 Belitaselum |
Veritaserum | |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Chân dược | chân
(真) = 'truth'. dược (藥) = 'medicine'. |
Truth Medicine |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Үнэнийг хэлүүлэгч Üneniig kheluulegch |
үнэн ünen = 'truth' ('Accusative form'). хэлүүлэгч khelüülegch = 'something causing to tell' (хэлүүлэх, the causative form of хэлэх khelekh 'say, tell', + -гч -gch, suffix indicating an agent). |
That Which Causes to Tell the Truth |
'Veritaserum' is a variation on the common English expression 'truth serum', referring to a group of drugs that supposedly force people to tell the truth. ('Serum' originally referred to blood plasma from which clotting agents had been removed. Here it refers to a liquid medicine.)
Rowling's 'Veritaserum' is based on 'Veritas' ('truth'), the goddess of truth in Roman mythology.
How is 'Veritaserum' translated?
The two Chinese translators use an existing word for 'truth serum'.
- Both Chinese-language translators use 吐真劑 (Trad.) / 吐真剂 (Simpl.) tǔ-zhēn-jì, literally 'spew truth drug', which, along with 吐真藥 (Trad.) / 吐真药 (Simpl.) tǔ-zhēn-yào, is a conventional term for a truth serum.
Other translators make up new words.
- The Mongolian translator creates a similar expression to the Chinese using native inflectional and derivational morphology.
- Хэлэх khelekh is the verb for 'say, tell'.
- The causative form of this verb is хэлүүлэх khelüülekh, meaning 'cause to say, tell'.
- The agentive suffix -гч -gch indicates the person or thing that does the action. Хэлүүлэгч khelüülegch means 'something which causes to tell'.
- As the object of the verb хэлүүлэх khelüülekh, үнэн ünen is put in the Accusative form үнэнийг
üneniig.
- In Japanese, so-called truth serums used by investigating authorities are normally known as 自白剤 jihaku-zai, literally 'confession drug'. Since this would not be appropriate in this case, the Japanese translator creates the new term 真実薬 shinjitsu-yaku, literally 'truth medicine'.
The Japanese translator indicates the English pronunciation with furigana as ベリタセラム Beritaseramu. For the pedantic, the Japanese transliteration leaves something to be desired. If it is meant to show the English pronunciation, ベリタシーラム Beritashiiramu would be more correct. If it is meant to approximate the Latin reading, ベリタセルム Beritaserumu or ヴェリタセルム Veritaserumu would seem more appropriate. - Like the Japanese translator, the Vietnamese translator appears to have created a new word — chân dược 'truth medicine' — to express the meaning of 'Veritaserum'.
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 34 |  |