Professor Trelawney's Second Prediction (Book 3)
This is the prediction Professor Trelawney made to Harry before the dramatic events in the Shrieking Shack which culminated in Wormtail's escape and eventual reunion with Voldemort. Although it occurs in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Chapter 16), it was in fact Professor Trelawney's second true prediction. The first prediction occurred many years earlier but is not revealed until Book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
English
| It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. Tonight ... before midnight ... the servant ... will set out ... to rejoin ... his master ... |
Simplified Chinese (China)
Original translation
| 这事今晚就要发生。 黑魔头一个人躺着，没有朋友，被同伴遗弃。这十二年来他的仆人一直遭到锁禁。今晚，午夜以前这仆人将挣脱锁链，开始寻找他的主子。黑魔头将在仆人帮助下重新崛起，比以前任何时候都要强大可怕。今晚 － 午夜以前 － 那仆人 － 将开始 － 重新找到 － 他主子 － |
Zhè shì jīnwǎn jiù yào fāshēng. Hēimó-Tóu yī-ge rén tǎng-zhe, méi yǒu péngyǒu, bèi tóngbàn yíqì. Zhè shí-èr-nián lái tā de púrén yīzhí zāo-dào suǒjìn. Jīnwǎn, wǔyè yǐqián zhè púrén jiāng zhèngtuō suǒliàn, kāishǐ xúnzhǎo tā de zhǔzi. Hēimó-Tóu jiāng zài púrén bāngzhù xià chóngxīn juéqǐ, bǐ yǐqián rènhé shíhou dōu yào qiángdà kěpà. Jīnwǎn -- wǔyè yǐqián -- nà púrén -- jiāng kāishǐ -- chóngxīn zhǎodào -- tā zhǔzi -- |
The original Mainland translation is impossibly prosaic and pedestrian. Translated into English, this is the flavour it conveys:
'This matter will happen tonight.
The Dark Magic Boss is lying by himself, he has no friends, he has been abandoned by his companions. These past twelve years his servant has been chained down. Tonight, before midnight, his servant will break free of his chains and begin to look for his master again. The master will rise up again with the help of his servant, stronger and more terrible than at any time before. Tonight - before midnight - his servant - will begin - to look for - his master - again'
New translation
| 就在今晚。 黑魔王孤零零地躺在那里，没有朋友，被手下遗弃了。他的仆人这十二年锁链加身。今晚，午夜之前......这仆人将挣脱锁链，动身去和主人会合。黑魔王将在仆人的帮助下卷土重来，比以前更加强大、更加可怕。今晚 ...... 午夜之前 ...... 那仆人 ...... 将动身 ...... 去和主人...... 会合 ...... |
Jiù zài jīn wǎn. Hēimó Wáng gūlínglíng-de tǎng zài nàlǐ, méi yǒu péngyǒu, bèi shǒuxià yíqìle. Tā de púrén zhè shí'èr nián suǒliàn jiāshēn. Jīn wǎn, wǔyè zhīqián...... zhè púrén jiāng zhēngtuō suǒliàn, dòngshēn qù hé zhǔrén huìhé. Hēimó Wáng jiàng zài púrén de bāngzhù xià juǎntǔ-chónglái, bǐ yǐqián gèngjiā qiángdà, gèngjiā kě pà. Jīn wǎn ...... wǔyè zhīqián...... nà púrén...... jiāng dòngshēn...... qù hé zhǔrén...... huìhé...... |
The new translation definitely better captures the feeling of the English, as well as losing some of the more prosaic, pedestrian aspects of the previous translation.
'It will be tonight.
The Dark Magic King lies there alone, he has no friends, abandoned by his men. His servant has been chained for twelve years. Tonight, before midnight ... the servant will break free of his chains, leave to join his master. The Dark Magic King will come back with the servant's help, more powerful, more terrible than before. Tonight ... before midnight ... the servant ... will set off ... to join ... his master ......'
Some changes are:
- 黑魔头 Hēimó-Tóu 'Dark Magic Boss' has become 黑魔王 Hēimó Wáng 'Dark Magic King', which is a more dignified name.
- 一个人躺着 yī-ge rén tǎng-zhe 'is lying by himself' becomes 孤零零地躺在那里 gūlínglíng-de tǎng zài nàlǐ 'lies there alone'. The choice of word for 'alone' is more literary than the original colloquial expression.
- 同伴 tóngbàn 'companions' has become 手下 shǒuxià 'men, underlings'.
- 遭到锁禁 zāo-dào suǒjìn 'has been locked down' has become 锁链加身 suǒliàn jiāshēn literally 'chains attached to his body'. The second is more solemn in effect.
- 开始寻找他的主子 kāishǐ xúnzhǎo tā de zhǔzi 'begin to look for his master' has become 动身去和主人会合 'set out to meet with his master'.
- 重新崛起 chóngxīn juéqǐ 'rise again' has become 卷土重来 juǎntǔ-chónglái, a traditional expression from an ancient poem referring (usually in a bad sense) to someone's return to power.
- 比以前任何时候都要强大可怕 bǐ yǐqián rènhé shíhou dōu yào qiángdà kěpà 'will be more powerful and terrible than at any time before' has become 比以前更加强大、更加可怕 bǐ yǐqián gèngjiā qiángdà, gèngjiā kě pà 'more powerful, more terrible than before'. This removes the dreadful translationese (also overly long) 比以前任何时候 bǐ yǐqián rènhé shíhou 'than at any time before' and adds more emphasis to the growth in power and terribleness.
In every way the new translation is an improvement of the old one, and illustrates well why the publishers decided to commission a new translation of the book.
Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
| 今晚就會發生了。 黑魔王被他的信徒拋棄，無依無靠地獨自飄零。他的僕人已被束縛了十二年之久。在今晚午夜以前，這名僕人將會獲得自由，並出發前去與他的主人重新會合。黑魔王將會在他的僕人的援助下東山再起，比以前更加強大，且更加駭人。在今晚 ..... 午夜以前 ..... 這名僕人 ..... 將會出發前去 ..... 與他的主人 ..... 重新會合 ..... |
Jīnwǎn jiù huì fāshēng le. Hēimó-Wáng bèi tā de xìntú pàoqì, wúyī-wúkào de dúzì piāolíng. Tā de púrén yǐ bèi shùfù le shí-èr nián zhī jiǔ. Zài jīnwǎn wǔyè yǐqián, zhè míng púrén jiāng huì huòdé zìyóu, bìng chūfā qiánqù yǔ tā de zhǔrén chóngxīn huìhé. Hēimó-Wáng jiāng huì zài tā de púrén de bāngzhù xià dōngshān zàiqǐ, bǐ yǐqián gèng qiángdà, qiě gèngjiā hài rén. Zài jīnwǎn .... wǔyè yǐqián .... zhè-míng púrén .... jiāng huì chūfā qiánqù .... yǔ tā de zhǔrén .... chóngxīn huìhé.... |
The Taiwanese translator has gone to much greater efforts to create a credible prophecy, phrased in the dignified and imposing language that is likely to be used in prophecy.
The meaning is roughly:
'It will happen tonight.
The Dark Magic King by his followers abandoned, is wandering alone helpless. His servant has been shackled for twelve years. Before midnight tonight, this servant will gain his freedom, and set out to go to rejoin his master. The Dark Magic King will make a comeback with the assistance of his servant, more powerful and more frightening than before. Tonight ..... before midnight ..... the servant ..... will set out to go ..... rejoin his master ..... .....'
Noticeable features are:
- The change in order and content of the first sentence. The new order notes that Voldemort has been abandoned by his 信徒 xìntú 'believers, followers', then transforms the English expression 'lies alone' into 無依無靠地獨自飄零 wúyī-wúkào de dúzì piāolíng 'without support without help wandering alone'.
- 'Rise again' uses 東山再起 dōngshān zàiqǐ, an expression meaning 'make a comeback'. Literally meaning 'east mountain rises again', it refers to 謝安 Xiè Ān (320-385 AD) of the Eastern Jin (东晋 Dōng Jìn) dynasty who lived at 'East Mountain'. An able scholar, he served briefly in the government in his twenties but retired and refused to return until when he was in his forties.
Japanese
| ことは今夜起こるぞ 闇の帝王は、友もなく孤独に、朋輩に打ち棄てられて横たわっている。その召使いは十二年間鎖に繋がれていた。今夜、真夜中になる前、その召使いは自由の身となり、ご主人様のもとに馳せ参ずるであろう。闇の帝王は、召使いの手を借り、再び立ち上がるであろう。以前よりさらに偉大に、より恐ろしく。今夜だ．．．．．真夜中前．．．．．召使いが．．．．．そのご主人様の．．．．．もとに．．．．．馳せ参ずるであろう．．．．． |
Koto wa kon'ya okoru zo Yami no Teiō wa, tomo mo naku kodoku ni, hōbai ni uchi-suterarete yokotawatte iru. Sono meshi-tsukai wa jū-ni nen-kan kusari ni tsunagarete ita. Kon'ya, mayonakani naru mae, sono meshi-tsukai wa jiyū no mi to nari, go-shujin-sama no moto ni hase-sanzuru de arō. Yami no Teiō wa, meshi-tsukai no te o kari, futatabi tachi-agaru de arō. Izen yori sara ni idai ni, yori osorashiku. Kon'ya da .... mayonaka-mae .... meshi-tsukai ga .... sono go-shujin-sama no .... moto ni .... hase-sanzuru de arō.... |
The Japanese version is generally good. The tone is elevated and it uses several expressions that are out of the ordinary (朋輩 hōbai 'comrade, associate', 馳せ参ずる hase-sanzuru 'hasten to visit a superior'. The general meaning is:
'The thing will happen tonight.
King of darkness, in solitude without friends, lying abandoned by comrades. The servant that had been twelve years in chains. Tonight, before the middle of the night, the servant will be a free man and will hasten to the side of his master. King of darkness, with the help of the servant, will rise again. Greater, more terrible than before. It's tonight. . . . . Before midnight. . . . . the servant. . . . . will hasten. . . . . to the master's side. . . . . '
Vietnamese
| Chuyện đó sẽ xảy ra đêm nay. Chúa tể Hắc ám đang nằm một mình cô độc không bạn bè, bị đệ tử của mình bỏ rơi. Kẻ thuộc hạ của ngài đã bị xiềng xích mười hai năm nay. Đêm nay, trước lúc nửa đêm, kẻ thuộc hạ của ngài sẽ được tự do và sẽ tìm đến ngài xin thần phục lại. Chúa tể Hắc ám sẽ lại trỗi dậy cùng với sự hỗ trợ của thuộc hạ, sẽ vĩ đại hơn và khủng khiếp hơn bao giờ hết. Đêm nay... Trước nửa đêm... kẻ thuộc hạ... sẽ thoát ra... xin thần phục lại Ông Chủ. |
The Vietnamese means roughly as follows:
'It will happen tonight.
The Dark Lord lies alone, with no friends, abandoned by his disciples. His subordinatehas been chained for twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, his subordinate will be free and will seek him and submit again. The Dark Lord will rise again with the support of the subordinate, will be greater and more terrifying than ever. Tonight ... before midnight ... the subordinate ... will set out... to submit to the boss.'
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