Sonderling Sunday – Valentine’s Day at Hogwarts

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. Today is also Valentine’s Day, so I’m going to look at Gilderoy Lockhart’s celebration of Valentine’s Day in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, otherwise known as Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens.

The Valentine’s Day section is in Chapter 13, “The Very Secret Diary,” (Der sehr geheime Taschenkalender) and begins on page 235 in the English edition, Seite 245 in the German edition.

Here’s Gilderoy Lockhart getting his idea…

“You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster.”
= Wissen Sie, was die Schule jetzt braucht, ist einen Stimmungsheber.
(“humor-lifter”)

“I know just the thing” = ich weiß genau das Richtige

“large, lurid pink flowers” = großen, blassrosa Blumen
(Hmmm. Google says that means “pale pink,” which doesn’t sound very lurid to me.)

“heart-shaped confetti” = herzförmiges Konfetti

“overcome with giggles” = in recht kichriger Stimmung

“was waving for silence” = gebot armfuchtelnd Schweigend

“stony-faced” = versteinerten Gesichtern

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” = Einen glücklichen Valentinstag!

“surly-looking dwarves” = griesgrämig dreinschauender Zwerge

“cupids” = Liebesboten

“And the fun doesn’t stop here!”
= Und damit ist der Spaß noch nicht zu Ende!

“Love Potion” = Liebestrank

“the sly old dog!” = der durchtriebene alte Hund!

“Charms [class]” = Zauberkunststunde

“Oy, you!” = Ei, du!

“a particularly grim-looking dwarf” = ein besonders grimmig aussehender Zwerg

“elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry”
= räumte sich mit dem Ellbogen den Weg zu Harry frei

“Hot all over” = die Vorstellung ein Gräuel
(“the idea an abomination”)

“in front of a line of first years”
= vor den Augen einer Schar von Erstklässlern

“valentine” = Valentinsgruß

“kicking people’s shins” = schlug sich schienbeintretend

“twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way”
= zupfte Unheil verkündend an seiner Harfe herum

This has more oomph to it than the English:
“Stay still!” = Stillgestanden!

“his bag split in two” = ging seine Tasche entzwei

“wand” = Zauberstab (“magic-rod”)

“quill” = Federkiel

“causing something of a holdup in the corridor”
= Im Korridor entstand ein kleiner Menschenauflauf
(“in the corridor stood a small people-casserole.”)

“drawling” = schleppende

“losing his head” = verlor der Kopf

“singing Valentine” = Valentinslied

I have to do the song completely:
“His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,”
= Siene Augen, so grün wie Frisch gepökelte Kröte

“His hair is as dark as a blackboard.”
= Sein Haar, so Schwarz wie Ebenholz

“I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,”
= Ich wünscht’, er war mein, den göttlich muss sein

“The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.
= Der die Macht des Dunklen Lords schmolz.

Well, I didn’t actually finish before Valentine’s Day was done, but I’ll still wish you a belated glücklichen Valentinstag!

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