Chapter 2: Spinner's End
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 蜘蛛尾巷 Zhīzhu-wěi Xiàng |
蜘蛛
zhīzhu = 'spider'. 尾 wěi = 'tail'. 巷 xiàng = 'lane, alley'. |
Spider tail alley |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 紡紗街 Fǎngshā Jiē |
紡紗 fǎngshā = 'spinning (yarn, etc.)'. 街 jiē = 'street'. |
Spinner street |
| Japanese | ||
| スピナーズ・エンド Supināzu endo |
スピナーズ・エンドSupināzu endo = 'Spinners end' (direct transliteration) |
Spinners end |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Đường Bàn Xoay | đường = 'street'. bàn xoay = 'spinning table'. |
Spinning-table street |
Spinner's End is suggestive of a number of meanings. A spinner is someone who spins. It could, for instance, be a person who spins yarn for a living, a person who spins glass for a living, a person who spins tops for a living (rather unlikely), or a person who spins plots or tales. 'Spinner' is also used for certain mechanical devices.
'End' is also a word with many meanings. It could refer to one end of an object, left-over pieces of fabric etc. ('ends'), or a gruesome fate (where 'end' refers to the end of life). The possibilities for different meanings are considerable.
In fact, Spinner's End is the name of a street in a ruined Muggle village. 'Spinner' here possibly refers to people who spin yarn for a living. 'End' refers to a dead-end street or alley. Spinner's End may originally have been a street where yarn-spinners did their business.
The Chinese translator chooses to interpret 'spinner' as 'spider' or 蜘蛛 zhīzhu, because a spider 'spins' its web. 'End' is problematic. There does not appear to be a word 尾巷 wěixiàng, 'tail lane' in Chinese. The title thus seems to mean 'Spider-tail Alley', not 'Spider's Tail-lane'.
The Taiwanese translator interprets 'spinner' as referring to the spinning of yarn, or 紡紗 fǎngshā. 'End' is simply a street (街 jiē).
The Vietnamese translator rather peculiarly interprets 'spinner' as 'spinning table', a kind of table that can be turned around its axis.
The Japanese translator simply transliterates the English word into katakana as スピナーズ・エンド Supināzu endo.
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 1 |  |