Review of "Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers (Harry Potter, #1)" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
2015 review:
When I first read this book I hated it. I couldn't even finish. But now... I love the Harry Potter series more than anything else (except maybe my family). Thank you J.K. Rowling for writing this masterpiece.
All was well.
Review of French translation in 2021:
While reading this in French for the first time, I found it fascinating to see what could and couldn't be effectively translated. Much of the humour, names etc. are steeped in Britishness which didn't necessarily come through in the translation. That's not to say the translator didn't do a fantastic job, just that there is a lot that isn't able to be translated without losing a bit of the cultural meaning behind it (eg. 'ickle' as in 'ickle Duddykins' or 'ickle firsties is translated to 'petit', which doesn't have the same 'baby talk'/mocking connotations, it just means small.)