HARRY POTTER PROJECT
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Wizards and Magical Folk (J & V)

(For the romanisation of Japanese, see Transliteration. To understand the writing systems of CJV, see Writing Systems. Note: Vietnamese transliterations are taken from footnotes to the main text.)

VARIOUS WIZARDING FOLK
English
Japanese
Vietnamese
Notes
Voldemort ヴォルデモート
Vorudemōto
Voldermort
(Vòi-đờ-mọt)
The 'v' sound is a foreign sound which Japanese find difficult to pronounce. Although it can be rendered in katakana (as here) it is usually converted to 'b'. The reason that the translator uses 'v' in this instance is probably the exoticism of the sound. As a wizard of grand evil, Voldemort might seem reduced in stature if he was plain old 'Boldemort'.
You Know Who 例の「あの人」
rei no "ano hito"
Kẻ-mà-ai-cũng-biết-là-ai-đấy

'You know who' is translated as 'that person' in Japan. Rei no has the meaning 'that one that we both know we are talking about but don't want to mention'.

In Vietnamese, the sentence means (in ungrammatical English): 'The one that everyone knows who he is.'

Tom Riddle トム・リドル
Tomu Ridoru
Tom Riddle No Vietnamese transliteration given for Tom Riddle.
Marvolo マールヴォロ
Māruvoro
Marvolo Voldemort's grandfather. The Japanese places the stress on 'Mar' by lengthening the syllable. Which raises the question, should it be Marvolo or Marvolo? The Japanese also has us pronounce the 'r' in Marvolo, which might make it sound almost Italian, were it not for the fact that it is uncommonly close to 'Marlboro' (マールボロ Māruboro)!
Merope メローピー
Merōpii
Merope Voldemort's mother. The Japanese translator uses the correct pronunciation. Merope was one of the Pleiades, the only one with a human father. In Japanese, this would normally be メロペー Meropē, following the Classical Greek. Matsuoka here follows an Anglicised pronunciation, final 'e' pronounced.
Morfin モーフィン
Mōfin
Morfin Voldemort's uncle. The Japanese translator uses standard transliteration from the English, i.e., the 'r' is not pronounced. The name thus differs from that of 'Marvolo'.
James Potter ジェームズ・ポッター
Jēmuzu Pottā
James Potter The Japanese translator uses Jēmuzu (voiced 's') in preference to the more traditional Jēmusu (unvoiced 's'). No Vietnamese transliteration given for James and Lily Potter. 'Potter' would of course be Pốt-tơ.
Lily Potter リリー・ポッター
Ririi Pottā
Lily Potter
Sirius Black シリウス・ブラック
Shiriusu Burakku
Sirius Đen
(Si-rớt Đen / Xi-rớt Đen)

Sirius Black
(Si-rớt Bờ-lếch / Xi-rớt Bờ-lếch)
At first the Vietnamese translator uses the Vietnamese word for 'black', before switching to a phonetic transliteration of 'black' later on. The consonants 'x' and 's' are both pronounced 's' in Vietnamese (although in some dialects the letter 's' is pronounced 'sh').
Peter Pettigrew ピーター・ペティグリュー
Piitā Petiguryū
Peter Pettigrew
(Pi-tơ Pét-ti-gru)
The word 'screw' is usually romanised to sukuryuu in Japanese, even though no English speaker pronounces a 'y' after the 'r'. Similarly, 'Pettigrew' becomes a tongue-twisting Petiguryuu.
Nymphadora Tonks ニンファドーラ・トンクス
Ninfadōra Tonkusu
Nymphadora Tonks
(Nim-pha-đô-ra Tângs)
The Vietnamese does not make it clear why Nymphadora objects to her name. In the Japanese, Nymphadora's objection appears to be to the meaning 'Little Nymphette'.
Kingsley Shacklebolt キングズリー・シャックルボルト
Kinguzurii Shakkuruboruto
Kingsley Shacklebolt
(Kinh-slây Sêc-cơn-bôn
)
Looking at the Vietnamese phonetic rendering, you would be hard put to come up with 'Shacklebolt' as the original English. The ls are both converted to ns and the initial sh is converted to an s (although in fact, that initial s is pronounced /sh/ in Saigon but not Hanoi dialect).
Ludo Bagman ルードマン・バグマン
Rūdo Baguman
Ludo Bagman
(Lu-đô Bách-man)
 
Cornelius Oswald Fudge コーネリウス・オズワルド・ファッジ
Kōneriusu Ozuwarudo Fajji
Cornelius Oswald Fudge
(Cornelius Fudge = Coọc-neo-lớt Phớt)
'Cornelius' proves to be somewhat of a tongue-twister in Vietnamese. The final sound in 'Fudge' is simplified and the vowel appears to be modelled on American English.
Rufus Scrimgeour ルーファス・スクリムジョール
Rūfasu Sukurimujōru
Rufus Scrimgeour For some reason, the Japanese translator keeps the 'r' sound at the end of 'Scrimgeour'.
Barty Crouch バーティ・クラウチ
Bāti Kurauchi
Barty Crouch
(Bác-ti Cờ-rúc)
The Vietnamese translator uses a curious transliteration for 'Crouch'.
Amelia Susan Bones アメリア・スーザン・ボーンズ
Ameria Sūzan Bōnzu
Amelia Susan Bones  
Arthur Weasley アーサー・ウィーズリー
Āsā Wiizurii
Arthur Weasley
(A-ctơ Guýt-li / Ác-tơ Guýt-li)
In the Vietnamese, the 'r' is rendered as 'c', under French influence.
Molly Weasley モリー・ウィーズリー
Morii Wiizurii
Molly Weasley
(Mơ-li Guýt-li / Môn-li Guýt-li)
In the Vietnamese, neither rendition of 'Molly' is particularly good.
Bertha Jorkins バーサ・ジョーキンズ
Bāsa Jōkinzu
Bertha Jorkins
(Béc-ta Gioóc-kin)
'Bertha' in the Vietnamese resembles the French pronunciation. In Japanese it resembles the English.
Mundungous Fletcher マンダンガス・フレッチャー
Mandangasu Furetchā
Mundungous Fletcher  
Lucius Malfoy ルシウス・マルフォイ
Rushiusu Marufoi
Lucius Malfoy The Vietnamese translator doesn't give a footnote for the pronunciation of Lucius Malfoy. From elsewhere in the book, however, it's clear that 'Malfoy' should be pronounced Man-phoi.
Amycus Carrow   Amycus Carrow  
Alecto Carrow   Alecto Carrow  
Rita Skeeter リータ・スキーター
Riita Sukiitā
Rita Skeeter
(Ri-ta Xki-tơ)
'Rita Skeeter' does not rhyme in either Japanese or Vietnamese transliteration.
The Vietnamese translator notes that 'Skeeter' means 'mosquito' in English and that she is one of the paparazzi.
Mr Ollivander オリバンダー老人
Oribandā rōjin
cụ Olivander
(cụ Ô-li-van-đơ)
Mr Ollivander is known as 'old man/grandfather Ollivander' in both the Japanese and Vietnamese translations.
Igor Karkaroff イゴール・カルカロフ
Igōru Karukarofu
Igor Karkaroff The Japanese transliteration reproduces all the r's in Igor and Karkarov, in line with normal practice for Slavic names. No Vietnamese transliteration is given for Prof. Karkaroff.
Victor Krum ビクトール・クラム
Bikutōru Kuramu
Viktor Krum
(Víc-to Cờ-rum)
'Victor' in Japanese is Slavic in inspiration; on the other hand, Kuramu is the English pronunciation of 'Krum', rhyming with 'crumb'.
The pronunciation given in the Vietnamese footnote is the opposite. 'Víc-to' is close to the English while 'Cờ-rum' is close to the Slavic pronunciation.
Olympe Maxime オリンペ・マキシーム
Orinpe Makishiimu
Olympe Maxime マキシーム Makishiimu is standard transliteration (note that it is not マクシーム Makushiimu). オリンペ Orinpe is nothing like the correct French pronunciation, which would be オランプ.
No Vietnamese transliteration is given for Madame Maxime.
Fleur Delacour フラー・デラクール
Furā Derakūru
Fleur Delacour
(Phơ-lơu Đô-la-cua)
The Japanese transliteration is an unaesthetic mixture of English (フラー Furā) and French (デラクール Derakūru) pronunciations.
The Vietnamese does not appear to be a particularly accurate representation of the French, either. Have the Vietnamese forgotten their French? Or is it just this particular Americanised translator?
Stan Shunpike スタン・シャンパイク
Sutan Shanpaiku
Stan Shunpike
(Xten Sân-pai)
In Vietnamese, the letter 'x' is pronounced 's'; the letter 's' is pronounced 's' or 'sh', depending on the dialect.
Ernie Prang (Ern) アーニー・プラング(アーン)
Ānii Purangu (Ān)
Ernie Prang
(Éc-ni Prang)
Vietnamese: The 'c' represents the 'r' sound in 'Ernie'. Japanese follows the English in abbreviating Ernie's name.

THE FOUR FRIENDS (ANIMAGI)
English
Japanese
Vietnamese
Notes
Moony ムーニー
Mūnii
Mơ mộng ngớ ngẩn The Vietnamese translates 'Moony' as 'Foolish day dream', possibly in connection with the term 'mooning about'.
mơ mộng = 'day dream'.
ngớ ngẩn = 'simple, foolish, empty-headed'.
Wormtail ワームテール
Wāmutēru
Đuôi trùn The Vietnamese translates 'Wormtail' as 'earthworm tail'.
đuôi = 'tail'.
trùn = 'earthworm'.
Padfoot パッドフット
Paddofutto
Chân nhồi bông The Vietnamese translator translates 'Padfoot' as 'Cotton-padded paw'.
chân = 'foot, leg, paw'.
nhồi = 'stuffed, padded'.
bông = 'cotton'.
Prongs プロングズ
Puronguzu
Dây nhợ lòng thòng The Vietnamese translator translates 'Prongs' somewhat inexplicably as 'dangling wires'.
dây = 'string, wire'.
nhợ = 'rope, cord'.
lòng thòng = 'hanging down, dangling'.

 

MAGICAL FOLK
     
English
Japanese
Vietnamese
Notes
Ronan ロナン
Ronan
Ronan
(Rô-nan)
Ronan in Japanese has a short o where a long ō might be expected.
Bane ベイン
Bein
Bane
(Bên)
Strictly phonetic. Neither tries to translate the meaning of 'bane'.
Firenze フィレンツェ
Firentse
Firenze
(Phi-ren-zờ)
フィレンツェ Firentse is the name of the Italian city of 'Florence' ('Firenze') in Japanese.
Griphook グリップフック
Gurippufukku
Griphook
(Gờ-rip-huc)
Phonetic.
Dobby ドビー
Dobii
Dobby
(Đôp-bi)
Phonetic.
Winky ウィンキー
Winkii
Winky
(Guyn-ki)
Phonetic.
Kreacher クリーチャー
Kuriichā
Kreacher
(Cric-chơ)
Phonetic.
Fenrir Greyback フェンリール・グレイバック
Fenriiru Gureibakku
Fenrir Greyback Phonetic. Neither version tries to make anything of 'Greyback'.

 

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