Footnotes to the Mainland Chinese Translation of Harry Potter
(or all you needed to know about Western culture)

In keeping with its serious, scholarly approach to Harry Potter, the Mainland Chinese version is littered with footnotes clarifying the little puzzles of Western culture and society for Chinese readers. I've brought them together here, numbered for convenience. Read them - you might learn something! On the other hand, some of the information isn't quite correct...

Leaving aside some of the more hilarious examples, the footnotes also show some of the problems translating puns and word play. Indeed, the translators seem to feel obliged to point out each pun or misspelling, just to make sure the reader hasn't missed it in the translation.

By the 5th book, the publisher has noticed the commercial value of promoting related books. Indeed, fully 18 (more than one-third) of the 52 footnotes of the 5th book refer specifically to other books published by People's Literature Publishing.

Some of the more noteworthy footnotes are marked with a

Book One: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 1
1. Kent is in the south of England. Yorkshire is in the north of England. Dundee is a port in the north of England.	Whatever you do, don't tell the Scots!
2. Bonfire night: Refers to the Bonfire night activity, held in Britain every year on 5 November.
3. Bristol: A port city in the southeast of England, seat of Avon county, faces onto the Bristol channel.
Chapter 2
4. Majorca, in the western Mediterranean, belongs to Spain.
Chapter 3
5. Comprehensive: A 5-year middle school. Students enter at 11. Subjects include ordinary and vocational subjects.
6. Boater: A type of hat formerly worn when rowing in summer.
7. The Isle of Wight: An island in the southeast of England, forms a county called the Isle of Wight.
8. Cornflakes: Commonly immersed in milk for breakfast.
Chapter 4
9. Gorgon: In Greek legend, one of three snake-haired female monsters, terrible of countenance. People who looked at her immediately turned to stone.
10. All Saints' Day: Christian All Saints' Day takes place every year on 1 November.	The English original actually says 'Hallowe'en', not 'All Saints' Day'. All Saints' Day, which used to be known as Hallowmas, is the day after Hallowe'en. It's a bit like saying something happened on Christmas Day when it really happened on Christmas Eve.
Chapter 5
11. Broomsticks: Refers to broomsticks ridden by witches and wizards.
Chapter 6
12. Dreadlocks: A hairstyle of Jamaican blacks.
13. Compartment: Here refers to a compartment in British passenger carriages where seats are arranged facing each other.
14. Tarantula: A kind of poisonous spider from South Africa.	See Book 4, Footnote 18
15. Mars Bar: A bar-shaped chocolate with toffee inside.
16. Druids are a group of learned people among the ancient Celts who served as priests, judges, wizards, and fortune-tellers, etc.
17. Baked beans: Made from beans with the addition of bacon, syrup, and tomato sauce.	I've personally never encountered bacon in my baked beans, but Jewel Faulkner informs me that meat is added to some varieties of baked beans in the U.S., especially in the South. However, this is not likely to be the type that Harry ate.
Chapter 7
18. Ruff: A kind of high, stiff, round collar surrounding the neck, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Chapter 8
19. Rock cake: a kind of small, irregularly-shaped sweet biscuit that is hard and rough on the outside.
Chapter 9
20. The English surname 'Wood' also has the meaning 'wood'.	Explaining why Harry thought Professor McGonagall was going to use the cane on him when she asked for 'wood'.
Chapter 12
21. In English, both 'Percy' and 'Prefect' begin with the letter 'P'.	Explaining why Fred was so eager to have Percy wear his Christmas present, a jumper with the letter 'P'.
22. This line of characters is a secret Daoist charm inscribed on the Mirror of Erised.	In Chinese, the line reads: 'E-li-si Si-te-la E-he-lu A-yi-te-wu-bi Ka-fu-lu A-yi-te-ang Wo-he-si', from the English 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'. What the Chinese translator doesn't say is that the line has a meaning when read in reverse in English.
Chapter 13
23. Hermione had all her fingers crossed: This indicates that Hermione was praying for Harry.
24. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth: This indicates that Hermione was praying for Harry.

Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 3
1. In English, the two words Chudley and Cannons both begin with a 'C'.	Explaining why Ron's bedspread is emblazoned with two giant black C's after his favourite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons.
Chapter 6
2. Bandon: A port city in the southwest of Thailand.	Although Rowling was most likely referring to Bandon in Ireland, Bandon is apparently also the old name for Surat Thani in Thailand (see Bandon). Where do the Chinese translators dig up these obscure nuggets, which are unknown to most Thais let alone a very British author like Rowling? (Thanks to Paveena S. for pointing this out.)
3. Cornwall: The name of a county in England.
Chapter 8
4. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington: The full name of Nearly Headless Nick.
Chapter 9
5. Ouagadougou: The capital of Haute Volta in Africa.
6 and 7. Professsor Binns gets the names of the students all muddled up.
Chapter 10
8. Transylvania: An area in the middle part of Romania.
Chapter 17
9. In English, 汤姆･马沃罗･里德尔 Tāngmǔ Mǎwòluó Lǐdé'ěr is 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. The letters in this name are exactly the same as 'I am Lord Voldemort', in a different order.	An explanation of how 汤姆･马沃罗･里德尔 Tāngmǔ Mǎwòluó Lǐdé'ěr mysteriously changed into 我是伏地魔 Wǒ shì Fúdìmó 'I am Voldemort' at the wave of a wand. See the section on Word play.

Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 2
1. Musical statues: A musical game. Participants turn on the spot to the sound of the music. When the music stops they immediately stand still and each person is judged for his or her comical posture.
Chapter 3
2. Abergavenny: A place name in Britain.	Lucky they didn't say 'England', because Abergavenny is a nice little town in Wales (thanks to Paveena Sutthisripok for pointing this out).
3. Aberdeen: An old county name in Britain.	The text reads: 'the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen'. Obviously the translators felt that Chinese readers should be familiar with Anglesea but not with Aberdeen!
Chapter 4
4. HB: Head Boy. The chairman of the male students' association, or the head of the boy students.
5. The English words 'Humungous bighead' also start with the letters HB. Fred is deliberately making fun of Percy.
Chapter 5
6. Dementors: Guards at Azkaban, mentioned previously.
Chapter 15
7. Beaky: Hagrid's nickname for Buckbeak.
Chapter 17
8. Nox: In Greek mythology, the goddess who controls the night.
Chapter 21
9. Poppy: Madame Pomfrey's name.

Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 1
1. Wormtail: Appeared in Book 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as Peter Pettigrew.
Chapter 4
2. Ferrari: A famous Italian car.
Chapter 6
3. Galleons: The name of a unit of currency in the magical world. One Galleon is worth 17 Sickles, one Sickle is worth 29 Knuts.
Chapter 7
4. 韦兹利 Wéizīlì: A mistake for 韦斯莱 Wéisīlái .	In the English text, the name 'Weezly' is used instead of 'Weasley'. The translator has faithfully reproduced this mistake, but just in case, she has added a footnote to draw the reader's attention to the error.
5. In English, 'twelve seats' sounds somewhat like 'tweezers', which is why Bagman says he misheard 'twelve seats' as 'tweezers'.
6. Weatherby: Bagman remembers Percy's name wrongly.
Chapter 9
7. In the original, this is in French.	'Where is Madame Maxime? We can't find her'
Chapter 10
8. 'Non-Wizard Part Humans' refers to half-human half-animals or half-human half-birds that are not wizards.
Chapter 11
9. Diggory mispronounces 警察 jǐngchá (police) as 金察 jīnchá (gold investigation).	This is how the Chinese version renders the mispronunciation of 'policemen' as 'please-men'. The translator feels obliged to explain the mispronunciation in a note.
Chapter 12
10. In 'The Sorting Hat' in Book 1, Professor McGonagall places a four-legged stool before the first-years. Here it has become a three-legged stool. The author may have remembered incorrectly.	A valuable contribution to the campaign to pick up slips and errors by the author.
11. McGonagall passed the L's: Refers to surnames beginning with 'l'.
12. Yorkshire pudding: Yorkshire is a county in England.
13. Yo-yo: A kind of toy. Thrown on a string, it goes up and down.
14. Frisbee: A plastic plate that is thrown for fun.
15. Boomerang: A kind of dart-like weapon made of hardwood used by the Australian Aborigines. If it misses its target it returns to the thrower.
Chapter 13
16. Arnold Weasley: Ron's father's name should be Arthur Weasley.
17. No longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder: Indicates that Mad-Eye Moody has become extremely suspicious.
Chapter 14
18. Tarantula: A large and hairy poisonous spider of southern Europe.	See Book 1, Footnote 14
19. S.P.E.W: Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare is abbreviated as S.P.E.W in English. SPEW also has the meaning 'to vomit' in English.
Chapter 15
20. Lockhart was their Defence Against Dark Arts teacher in second year. Gallant and elegant, fond of exaggeration, for a time he was the idol of many female students.
21. H: In English, the initial of 'Hogwarts'.
Chapter 16
22. Sloth: A kind of slow-moving mammal from central and south America. It usually lives in the branches of trees where it lives on vegetation and fruit.
Chapter 17
23.The original is in French.	'That's impossible'
Chapter 19
24. Hermione calls the 朗斯基假动作 Lǎngsījī jiǎ-dòngzuò (Wronski Feint), a manoeuvre in Quidditch, the 偷鸡的假玩艺儿 Tōu jī de jiǎ-wányìr (Stealing Chicken Fake).	This is how the Chinese renders Hermione's mispronunciation of the 'Wronski Feint' as the 'Wonky Faint'. Again, the translator feels obliged to add a footnote in case the reader misses the point.
Chapter 21
25. Percy wouldn't recognise a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea-cosy: What this sentence means is that Percy doesn't have any sense of humour at all.	I guess humour doesn't travel very well...
Chapter 22
26. Europeans cross their index fingers and middle fingers as a sign of praying or blessing.
Chapter 23
27. 鲜艳之光 Xiānyàn zhī guāng ('brightly-coloured lights'): This should be 仙境之光 Xiānjìng zhī guāng ('fairyland lights'). The Fat Lady was extremely tipsy, causing her to get the pronunciation mixed up.	This is how the Chinese version renders the Fat Lady's mispronunciation of 'Fairy Lights' as 'Lairy Fights'. The translator not only adds a note explaining the mix-up, but also why the Fat Lady made the mistake!
28. Igor: Karkaroff's Christian name.
29. Lute: Also known as a 诗琴 shīqín ('poetic zither') a half-pear shaped stringed instrument resembling a guitar that was commonly used between the 14th and 17th centuries.
30. Vicky: A pet name for Viktor.
31. Foghorn: A ship's horn that gives out a warning during foggy weather. Here it is used to describe Madame Maxime's voice as loud and grating.
Chapter 24
32. S.P.U.G: The English initials for Society for the Protection of Ugly Goblins.
Chapter 26
33. Ron's surname is 韦斯莱 Wéisīlái . Dobby mistakenly remembers it as 韦崽 Wéizǎi.	This is how Chinese renders Dobby's mispronunciation of 'Weasley' as 'Wheezy'.
34. Harry had ended up with no bones in his right arm: See Book 2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for this story.
Chapter 28
35. The English word 'bug' (put a listening device in) also has the meaning of 'bedbug'	Explaining why Ron asked: 'Bugged? ... What ... put fleas on her or something?'
Chapter 31
36. English for 'swindler, imposter'.	While it looks ridiculous here, what the Chinese translator is doing is explaining each stage of the English riddle in a footnote.
37. English for 'spy'.
38. English for 'middle'.
39. English for 'er'.
40. Spider: English for 'spider'. This is an English riddle. 'Spi' has the same pronunciation as 'spy'. The middle letter in 'middle' and the last letter in 'end' is 'd'. Add 'er' to get the answer to the riddle. The answer to the riddle is hinted at in the third sentence because a spider looks like it's 'mending' when it is weaving its web.
Chapter 33
41 and 42. Crabbe and Goyle here refer to the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle, members of Slytherin.
Chapter 35
43. Because Barty Crouch, father and son, share the same name, I've called the son Barty Crouch Jr. or Crouch Jr. in this translation in order to help the reader distinguish between them.
44. Bugging: Can also mean 'turn into a beetle'.	????

Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 1
1. Dudders: A pet name for Dudley.	The Chinese is actually even more obvious than the English...
2. Dud: A nickname for Dudley.
Chapter 3
3. Nymphadora: 'Nympha', the first part of Nymphadora, is not a very tasteful term in English.	Delicately put!
Chapter 4
4. SPEW: The abbreviation for the 'Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare' is written SPEW in English, which has the same pronunciation as 'spew' meaning 'to vomit'.
Chapter 5
5. Doxies: For a detailed description of doxies, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
6. Merlin: For the situation of the famous wizard Merlin, see The Magical World of Harry Potter, published in January 2002 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 6
7. Puffskein: For a detailed description of Puffskeins, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 9
8. War dance: A kind of ceremonial dance performed by primitive tribes in preparation for battle or to celebrate victory after a battle.
9. Ronnie: Nickname for Ron.
Chapter 10
10. To find out why Sirius changes into a black dog, see The Magical World of Harry Potter, published by People's Literature Publishing in January 2001.
11. Dreadlocks: A kind of hairstyle worn by Jamaican blacks, Reggae musicians, etc.
12. Assyria: A slavery state of the ancient Orient.	Description according to the Marxist view of history.
13. 'Black as he is painted?': Sirius's surname 'Black' has the meaning 'black' in English. This is a pun.
14. Tornadoes: For details about this team, see Quidditch Through the Ages, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
Chapter 11
15. Kenmare Kestrels: For details about this team, see Quidditch Through the Ages, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
Chapter 12
16. O.W.L.s: Refers to the Ordinary Wizarding Level exam.
17. N.E.W.T: Refers to the Nastily Exhausting Wizard Test.
18. Double T: The Tornados i.e., the Tutshill Tornados; the first letter in both words is a 't'.
Chapter 13
19. Bowtruckles: For a detailed description of Bowtruckles, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
20. Puddlemere United: For details about this team, see Quidditch Through the Ages, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
Chapter 14
21. ...leaving the other two hoops unprotected: For details of the rules of Quidditch, see Quidditch Through the Ages, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
22. Mice/Ice: 'Mice' and 'ice' are pronounced similarly in English.	Referring to a moon covered in 'ice' -- not 'mice' as Harry wrote.
Chapter 15
23-28. In English, the first letter in 'Poor' is 'P'; the first letter in 'Dreadful' is 'D', the first letter in 'Outstanding' is 'O', the first letter in 'Exceeds Expectations' (what is normally known as 'Good') is 'E', and the first letter in 'Acceptable' is 'A'.	An explanation of the letters used in grading.
29. T: In English, the first letter in 'Troll' is 'T'.
30. T: In English, the first letter in 'Trelawney' is 'T'.
31. Porlocks, Kneazles, Knarls: For a detailed description of Porlocks, Kneazles, Knarls and the Murtlaps mentioned in the later paragraph, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 16
32. 'Weasel out': In English, the pronunciation of the expression 'weasel out' is similar to that of 'Weasley'.
Chapter 17
33. Sloth Grip Roll: For details about the techniques and manoeuvres of Quidditch, see Quidditch Through the Ages, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
34. Thestrals: For a detailed description of Thestrals, sometimes translated as 'black magic stars', see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
35. Wilhelmina: The first name of Professor Grubbly-Plank.
36. Salamander: For a detailed description of Salamanders, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 18
37. 'Would it fill itself with chamber pots?': For this story, see 'The Yule Ball', Chapter 23 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, published by People's Literature Publishing in May 2001.
38. 'Dumbledore knows about it, too, he mentioned it to me at the Yule Ball': In fact, Dumbledore mentioned it to Karkaroff, but Harry was listening alongside.	Just in case some very meticulous readers raise objections.
39. DA: Both 'Defence Association' and 'Dumbledore's Army' begin with the letters DA in English.
Chapter 20
40. Olympe: The first name of Madame Maxime.
41. Dijon: A city in the central-eastern part of France, capital of Burgundy region and seat of the Departement of Côte d'Or.	A footnote staggering in its erudition!
Chapter 21
42. Chimaera: For a detailed description of Chimaeras, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
43. 'Harrylujah Christmas': 'Hallelujah' is a Jewish and Christian term of rejoicing, meaning 'Praise the Lord'. Dobby here uses Harry's name in the term of congratulation 'Merry Christmas!'.	The original English says 'HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS'. Could this be a Chinese attempt to make the play on words intelligible? (Chinese are to some extent familiar with Hallelujah)
Chapter 23
44. Bloomers: Bloomers are a kind of wide Turkish-style trousers fitting tightly at the ankles, a kind of women's trousers promoted by Mrs A. J. Bloom (1818-1894), an American women's reformer.	Another erudite footnote that is irrelevant in the context.
Chapter 25
45. Crup: For a detailed description of Crups, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 27
46. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: This book has already been published by People's Literature Publishing.
47. Easter: Christianity commemorates the festival of the 'resurrection of Jesus', generally referring to the first Sunday after the full moon of Spring Equinox each year.
Chapter 28
48. 'I': The first letter in 'Inquisitorial Squad'.
Chapter 31
49. 'Harry... looked directly at Umbridge and imagined her being sacked': At this stage this is the thing that would make Harry the happiest.
49. Liechtenstein: A small duchy in the Alps of Central Europe, between Switzerland and Austria.
Chapter 33
50. Kacky Snorgle: The Crumple-Horned Snorkack in the following passage. Ron is being sarcastic.
Chapter 36
51. Bella, i.e., Bellatrix.
Chapter 38
52. Balaclava: A knitted hat like a kind of hood, covering the head, neck, and part of the shoulders.	Not yet normal wear for terrorists and bank robbers in China

Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter 1
1. Knock on wood: This is a custom found in many ethnic groups of the world: If you mention or think of something inauspicious, you knock on a wooden object nearby to prevent it from happening.
2. Office of Misinformation: For the functions of this office, see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, p 19 (published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001).
Chapter 2
3. Padded cell: a room in a mental institution or hospital with padding in the walls to prevent the confined person from injuring him/herself.
Chapter 3
4. The author contradicts herself here. In Book 5, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", it says that Sirius Black is Regulus's younger brother. In this volume he becomes his elder brother.	In Chinese, the distinction between younger and older brother is much more important and obvious than in English. Chinese uses two separate words for elder brother (哥哥 gēgē) and younger brother (弟弟 dìdì). (I don't have copies of both books to hand and need to check the veracity of this note).
5. The original name of Bellatrix Lestrange was Bellatrix Black. Because she married Ludovice Lestrange, she took her husband's name. See p 80 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Chapter 4
6. Canary Islands: Located in the eastern part of the North Atlantic; became a Spanish colony in 1497, later becoming two Spanish provinces.	Perhaps the kind of note to be expected in a nation obsessed with issues of 'sovereignty'.
7. Harpy: A monster in Greek and Roman legend, with a face and body like a woman, and wings, claws, and tail like a bird. Harpies have a cruel disposition and are rapacious. With regard to the Holyhead Harpies, see Quidditch Through the Ages, p 37, published by People's Literature Publishing in October 2001.
Chapter 5
8. 'Arry: As a French girl, Fleur pronounces 'Harry' in the French way, omitting the 'h'.
9. The pronunciation of 'Fleur' resembles that of the English word 'phlegm'.
Chapter 6
10. Hangman is a kind of spelling game, generally consisting of a gallows and a small man. If the participants of the game make a certain number of errors, the small man will be hanged on the gallows.
Chapter 7
11. Hand of Glory: A kind of protective talisman in Western wizardry. Generally made by tying with Mandrake or other herb and soaking the hand of someone executed by hanging. The person holding it can illuminate the darkness but other people cannot see it.	See The Hand of Glory
12. 'Slug', the first part of the name 'Slughorn' means '(garden) slug'.
Chapter 16
13. 窝鸡 (wōjī 'nest hen')，或补丁 (bǔdīng 'patch'): Mrs Weasley gets the pronunciation of 'turkey' and 'pudding' (火鸡 huǒjī and 布丁 bùdīng) mixed up.	In her confusion, Mrs Weasley says: 'Have a little purkey, or some tooding...'. The Chinese renders this as 窝鸡，或补丁 wōjī, huò bǔdīng ('nest hen or a patch').
Chapter 18
14. The three Ds: 'Direction, Determination, and Duty' all start with a 'd' in English.
Chapter 20
15. Plimpy: See p 64, see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, first edition published in October 2001 by People's Literature Publishing.
Chapter 22
16. Judging from Book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Neville has also not attained 17 years of age since he was born at the end of July in the same year as Harry.
17. Because Hagrid has affection for the giant spider, he uses the pronoun 'he' to refer to him and his type. Harry uses 'he' in front of Hagrid but 'it' behind his back, as does Slughorn.	Very perceptive.
18. Robert: Slughorn has yet to remember Ron's name.
Chapter 25
19. In English, the common noun 'prince' (王子 wángzi) and the proper noun 'Prince' (普林斯 Pǔlínsī) are both 'prince'.	Explaining why a 'half-blood prince' could be a 'half-blood Prince'.

Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chapter 2
1. Chimaera: In Greek legend, a fire-breathing female demon with the head of a lion, the body of a sheep, and the tail of a snake.	In a gesture of magnanimity, this time the footnote doesn't refer the reader to another publication by People's Literature Publishing. (See above).
2. Dodgy: In English, the pronunciation of 'Doge' (多吉 Duōjí) and 'Dodgy' (滑头 huátóu = 'cunning') are similar.
3. Lake Windermere: Lake in Cumbria county in the midwest of the UK.
Chapter 4
4. Molly's Auntie Muriel: This is the first time that we find out that Muriel is Molly's aunt and the great-aunt of the children. The word 'Great-Aunt Muriel' first appears in Chapter 8 of this book.
Chapter 5
5. Dora: Nymphadora Tonks.
6. Aspidistra: A perennial evergreen ??? plant.	With a name like 蜘蛛抱蛋 zhīzhu-bàodàn ('spider holding an egg'), the aspidistra seems to need even more explanation in Chinese than it does in English!
7. Dromeda: Andromeda Black.
Chapter 6
8. Godric's Hollow: In the previous six books 'Godric's Hollow' has been translated as 高锥克山谷 Gāozhuīkè shāngǔ. From the sense of the following text, it's more appropriate to translate this word as 戈德里克山谷 Gědélǐkè shāngǔ.	We pointed this mistake out long ago (see Place names and Disastrous Errors). It's nice to see they've finally rectified it. Of course, they haven't admitted that they stole the original rendition from the Taiwanese translation.
9. The original is in French (enchantée).
10. The original is in French (charmant).
Chapter 8
11. The original is in French (permettez-moi to assister vous).	Well, it's almost French... (spoken by Fred).
12. Barry: A mistake for Barny, used by Great-Aunt Muriel to Harry after his transformation.
Chapter 9
13. Building society: A kind of British institution which accepts members' savings and lends them to members who are preparing to build or buy a house.
Chapter 10
14. The original is in French (Toujours pur)
Chapter 11
15. The original is in German (Er wohnt hier nicht mehr!)
16. The original is in German (Das weiß ich nicht!)
17. M.O.M: The initials of the Ministry of Magic in English.
Chapter 21
18. Elder wand: Elder wand in the original has two meanings, 'elder tree wand' (接骨木魔杖 jiēgǔmù mózhàng) and 'old wand' (老魔杖 lǎo mózhàng).	An excuse for continuing to translate it as 'Old wand'.
Chapter 25
19. The original is in French (au revoir).
20. The original is in French (charmante).