Chinese Harry Potter with English subtitles is oddly hilarious

The only way to watch

Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2016 at 1:55 pm

Translation is a tricky business. Some languages are so different that certain words don’t have any sort of equivalent, some have grammar rules that mangle important lines and sometimes key plot points can be lost due to the specific double meaning one language has that another lacks.

Ad

So it’s perhaps not surprising that when you translate a film series like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (one full of weird and wonderful made-up words) into Chinese and then turn on English subtitles, the resulting dialogue is a bit nonsensical, as one reddit user has discovered (with a few choice examples below).

1144

Ad

Time for another spin-off, JK– we can’t wait to see the story of Harry Potter and the Yelling Email.

Authors

Radio Times commissioning editor Huw Fullerton. He sits in front of a shelving unit, looking at the camera and smiling. He wears glasses and has a moustache

Huw FullertonCommissioning editor

Huw Fullerton is a commissioning editor for Radio Times magazine handling comedy, entertainment and specialist drama. In a previous regeneration, he covered all things sci-fi and fantasy for RadioTimes.com.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...