Sonderling Sunday – Get Ready for the Quidditch World Cup!

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books.

HPFeuerkelch

Today, in honor of Germany advancing to the Semifinals in the World Cup (something they have done for consecutive World Cups since I lived in Germany), I thought it would be fun to look at the passage in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that covers the Quidditch World Cup. In fact, in hopes that Germany will advance to the Finals, happening next Sunday, I’m going to tackle the beginning of Chapter 8 this week, leading up to the World Cup, and cover the World Cup itself next week. Perhaps we’ll learn some words I heard when I watched World Cup soccer in Germany.

We’ll be looking at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 8, “The Quidditch World Cup,” which is Harry Potter und die Feuerkelch, “Die Quidditch-Weltmeisterschaft”.

I like beginning with the first sentence:
“Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail.”
= Ihre neu erworbenen Schätze an sich geklammert folgten sie Mr Weasley den laternenbeschienenen Weg entlang in den Wald.
(“Their newly acquired treasures clinging to themselves followed they Mr. Weasley on the lantern-shined path along in the forest.”)

“The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious.”
= Die fiebrige Erregung war höchst ansteckend.

“talking and joking loudly” = laut redend und scherzend

“Muggle repelling charms” = Muggelabwehrzauber

“appointments” = Verabredungen

“dash away” = schleunigst fort

“Top box!” = Ehrenloge! (“Honor box”)

“goalposts” = Torstangen

“goal hoops” = Torringe

“blackboard” = schwarze Tafel

“scrawling” = krakeln

“advertisements” = Werbesprüche

“Anti-Burglar Buzzer” = Diebstahlschutz-Summer

“Mrs. Skower’s All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!”
= Mrs Skowers Magischer Allzweckreiniger: Kein Fleck, kein Schreck!

“tea towel” = Geschirrtuch

“draped” = geschlungen

“shaking her head” = kopfschüttelnd

“taken aback” = bestürzt

“Freedom is going to Dobby’s head.” = Die Freiheit steigt Dobby zu Kopf. (“The freedom climbs Dobby to the head.”)

“blankly” = verdutzt (“puzzled”)

“muffled squeak” = ersticktem Piepsen

“gulped” = würgte

“frowning” = stirnrunzelnd (“forehead wrinkled”)

“replay knob” = Wiederholungsknopf

“velvet-covered, tasseled program” = samtgebundenes, mit Troddeln geschmücktes Programmheft

“team mascots” = Mannschaftsmaskottchen

“wand” = Zauberstab

“gabbling loudly and excitedly” = unter lautem Geschnatter (“under loud cackling”)

“blighters” = Mistkerle

“slim” = schlank

“nasty smell” = üblen Geruch

“It was a tense moment.” = Einen Moment lang herrschte äußerste Spannung.
(“A moment long was there extreme tension.”)

“had a fight” = geprügelt

“swept over” = schweiften über

“purebloods” = Reinblüter

“slimy gits” = Schleimiges Pack

“every corner of the stands” = jede Ritze der Tribünen

A 32-letter word! It’s a number word, so it’s almost not fair, but I have to include it!
“four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup”
= vierhundertundzweiundzwanzigsten Quidditch-Weltmeisterschaft

“The spectators screamed and clapped.” = Die Zuschauer kreischten und klatschten.

“racket” = Trubel

“Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans — A Risk With Every Mouthful!”
= Bertie Botts’ Bohnen aller Geschmacksrichtungen — Russisch Roulette für Ihre Zunge!
(“Bertie Botts’ Beans of all flavor-directions — Russian Roulette for your tongue!”)

“ado” = Brimborium

“absent-mindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat” = zerpfriemelte geistesabwesend die Kleeblätter auf seinem Hut

“vests” = Schürzen

“tumultuous applause” = tosenden Beifall

“so fast it was blurred” = so schnell flog, dass sie nur verschwommen zu sehen war

“bird of prey” = Raubvogel

“referee” = Schiedsrichter

“Chairwizard” = Vorstandszauberer

“skinny” = hagerer

“completely bald” = vollkommen kahlköpfig

“speed dial” = Geschwindigkeitsknopf

“the scarlet Quaffle” = die scharlachrote Quaffel

“the two black Bludgers” = die beiden schwarzen Klatscher

“the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch” = den winzigen, geflügelten Goldenen Schnatz

And that’s it for the pregame show! When I have lived in Germany during the World Cup, it is true that die fiebrige Erregung war höchst ansteckend.

Next week, if all goes well, I will cover the finals of the Quidditch World Cup! Here’s hoping Germany will be competing in the Fussball Weltmeisterschaft the same day!

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