Chapter 23: The Yule Ball
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 圣诞舞会 Shèngdàn wǔhuì |
圣诞shèngdàn = 'Christmas'. 舞会 wǔhuì = 'dance party' = 'ball'. |
The Christmas Ball |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 耶誕舞會 Yēdàn wǔhuì |
耶誕 yēdàn = 'Jesus birth'. 舞會 wǔhuì = 'dance party' = 'ball'. |
The Christmas Ball |
| Japanese | ||
| クリスマス・ダンスパーティ Kurisumasu dansupāti |
クリスマス Kurisumasu = 'Christmas' (from English). ダンスパーティ dansupāti = 'dance party' = 'dance, ball'. |
The Christmas Ball |
| Korean | ||
| 크리스마스 무도회 Keuliseumaseu mudo-hoe |
크리스마스 Keuliseumaseu = 'Christmas' (from English). 무도회 (舞蹈會) mudo-hoe = 'prom, ball'. |
The Christmas Ball |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Dạ vũ Giáng sinh | dạ vũ
(夜舞) = 'evening dance' = 'dance, ball'. Giáng sinh (降生) = 'Christmas'. |
The Christmas Ball |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Бүжигт үдэшлэг Büjigt üdeshleg |
бүжиг büjig = 'dance'. -т -t = 'with, having'. үдэшлэг üdeshleg = 'party'. |
The Dance Party |
The chapter title refers to the ball held during the Triwizard Championships to which Viktor Krum invited Hermione.
How is 'Yule' translated?
'Yule' is an old-fashioned word for Christmas in English. Christmas may also be described as 'the nativity', but this is not a word in ordinary everyday use.
Christmas is so widely known around the world that it has established names in many languages. Most have native terms, but in some languages these are very formal terms that have been replaced by words borrowed directly from Western languages. While alternative names may exist for Christmas, these don't necessarily reflect the peculiarly archaic feeling of 'Yule' in English.
- Christmas in China is usually known as 聖誕節 (Trad.) / 圣诞节 (Simpl.)
shèngdàn-jié 'Holy birth festival'. This is the term used in the Mainland translation.
- However, 聖誕節 (Trad.) 圣诞节 (Simpl.) shèngdàn-jié can also be used for the births of other figures, particularly that of Confucius. An alternative name for Christmas is 耶誕節 (Trad.) 耶诞节 (Simpl.) yēdàn-jié, short for 耶穌聖誕節 Yēsū shèngdàn-jié 'Jesus holy birth festival' This is the word used in the Taiwanese translation.
- The Vietnamese translator uses the word giáng sinh 'birth' for Christmas. This is short for lễ thiên chúa giáng sinh 'festival of God's birth'. Christmas is commonly known in Vietnamese as lễ No-ên, where lễ is 'festival' and No-ên is from French Noël.
- 'Christmas' is conventionally known as Зул сарын баяр zul sariin bayar 'candle / lamp month festival' in Mongolian. However, the Mongolian translator omits the word 'Christmas' from the chapter title.
- In popular use, the Korean word for Christmas is 크리스마스 Keuliseumaseu, from English. This is the term used in the chapter title. For the 'nativity', Korean uses 성탄절 (聖誕節) seongtanjeol, the same as the Chinese name for Christmas.
- Similarly, the Japanese term for Christmas is クリスマス Kurisumasu, from English. In formal religious terms it can be described as 降誕祭 kōtansai 'descent and birth festival', equivalent to the English word 'nativity'.
How is 'ball' translated?
A 'ball' is a formal gathering where people dance. In a high-school context it is often known as a 'prom' in English. The formal ball is very much a Western institution which has been adopted into Eastern cultures with varying degrees of success.
- The normal Chinese translation of 'ball' is 舞會 (Trad.) / 舞会 (Simpl.) wǔhuì = 'dance party, dance gathering'. This is used in both Mainland and Taiwanese translations.
- The Vietnamese translator uses dạ vũ, formed from Chinese elements (夜舞 'evening dance'). This word is not used in Chinese.
- The Korean translator uses 무도회 (舞蹈會) mudo-hoe. This consists of 무도 (舞蹈) mudo 'dance' and 회 (會) -hoe 'party, gathering'. The feeling is relatively formal.
- The Japanese translator uses ダンスパーティ dansupāti, formed from English elements ('dance party'). Although 'dance party' is not unknown in English, this is a typically Japanese expression. In English it is more likely to be abbreviated to 'dance' ('go to the dance') and has a decidedly informal feel. Japanese also possesses the term 舞踏会 butō-kai (see Korean above), referring strictly to a more formal dance. By choosing ダンスパーティ dansupāti, the translator conveys a greater feeling of informality and fun than 'Yule ball' does.
- The Mongolian translator uses бүжигт үдэшлэг büjigt üdeshleg, literally 'party with dance', one of several available terms in Mongolian.
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 22 |  |