BRINGING HARRY POTTER TO SWEDEN : THE HARRY POTTER SEPTOLOGY ILLUMINATED BY ITS SWEDISH TRANSLATION

Sammanfattning: ABSTRACT This paper contrasts J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in the English original with its Swedish translation, by Lena Fries-Gedin. After an initial presentation of related research, some concepts such as implied narrator, implied reader, as well as intertextuality in translation and dual audience in children’s literature are explained. These concepts are applied to the two bodies of text to examine if they are identical in both the English and the Swedish versions. Some translational strategies are presented, and looking at examples from the texts it is discerned which strategies are being used. The Swedish translation’s use of formal ‘you’ to reflect the quality of inter-character relationships is discussed and examined, and the portrayal of sociolects in the original and translation are compared, concluding that the dialects are transformed into average spoken Swedish, and that adolescent speech is only partially transposed from the English original. There is also a comparison of differences in register, where the mentioned examples show that there is a loss of fluidity in style, and that the tone of the Swedish text is more dated than the English text. Some comparisons to other translations of Harry Potter are made, citing examples from other research, to view the Swedish translation in an international context. A brief comparison of the graphic design differences of layout is discussed, concluding that the Swedish design is likely more appealing to children.