As soon as the Russian publishing house Makhaon announced that it was preparing a reprint of all the Harry Potter books in translation Maria Spivak, the editors were literally bombarded with angry messages and accusations. The Internet boiled when supporters of Spivak's translation woke up... Reporter website De GRAY decided to remember why at the beginning of the 2000s he, like many other readers and critics, preferred Spivak's translation to the official publication from ROSMEN.

First of all, I would like to note that the comparison of translations of Potter from Marina Litvinova and her team (ROSMEN) and from Maria Spivak is far from a new phenomenon in Runet. They were always compared: the most diverse texts were written on this topic: from school essays and notes on forums to newspaper articles and theses. Literary criticism, which seems quite natural to me personally, consistently preferred Spivak's translations. The most famous example of this is a quote from the newspaper Vlast, whose analyst noted that Maria Viktorovna's translation has all the advantages that the publication from ROSMEN lacks. In 2001, Maria Viktorovna's translation of the Harry Potter series was even nominated for the Little Booker Award (in addition, Spivak won the Unicorn and Lion Silver Prize for the translation of Nicholas Drayson's novel).

Quite predictably, Spivak's decision to adapt the names of his own heroes was the first to cause discontent. Moreover, the most frequent argument against her decision was the following statement: “Proper names are never translated! This rule is!" The strangest thing is that some of those who write such lines call themselves certified translators or students of philological faculties. The author of this article cannot boast of a diploma, although he is not at all alien to translation activities. However, I reserve the right to wonder where such a rule could come from. Perhaps this, comrades, is your personal conviction. However, to pass off your beliefs as laws is at least strange.

Take from your bookshelf any book that is a recognized classic of world literature for children (and "Harry Potter", whatever you say, was written primarily for children, and the fact that it is interesting to an adult audience only speaks of the author's talent and the possibility of putting the work on a par with, say, Alice in Wonderland). Here, by the way, about "Alice". Is it really embarrassing for someone that Tweedledum and Tweedledee appear on the pages of Demurova's classic translation instead of the original Tweedledum and Tweedledee? Is it embarrassing that the girl from the Hen Villa is known to us as Pippi Longstocking and not as Pippi Langstrump? And we all know Thumbelina, Cinderella, Captain Hook ...

Why is it worth raising so much noise around Rita Skriter, Alastor Moody or Sverkarol Lockhart? Some of Spivak's adaptations of names and titles are real finds. Death Eaters, Privet Street, "At the Curly and the Blob", delighted ... Many readers who have been with Harry Potter from the very beginning could not help but feel the romance of the corridors of Hogwarts castle in these localization options. Opponents begin to be ironic: why then not call Harry Potter Igor Gorshkov? But because the translation of names for Spivak is not an end in itself. She translates them only when it seems necessary to her to convey the shades of meaning that Rowling put into a particular name, or in order to adequately convey puns and puns.

Traditionally, poor Professor Snape gets the most from the disgruntled (as Spivak adapted Snape's last name). By the way, his surname was also localized in official Western translations (Rogue - in France, Piton - in Italy, Kalkaros - in Finland ...).

This is, no doubt, a matter of taste. All this fuss with names can also be called a matter of taste. However, I still cannot understand the indignants. After all, anyone who is dissatisfied can still purchase books in the ROSMEN translation, which suddenly many began to extol as the best (whom did he leave us for!), although there really were a lot of complaints against him. And finally, there is always the original.

Enough about names. Let's talk about the more serious merit of Maria Viktorovna's translation. As she herself said in an interview with our portal, "my translations most accurately convey the "spirit and letter" of Rowling's works." And this is the real truth. Spivak really managed to masterfully convey the author's style of mother Ro. If you read the original Potter, you could not help but notice how simple Rowling's language is: there is no hint of excessive flamboyance, no piling up of verbal constructions, no inappropriate pathos and pomp (all of the above features, however, for some reason are present in the translation from ROSMEN).

Rowling's narration is a living, fluttering butterfly, moderately bright and therefore graceful. Litvinova's translation is an attempt to put this butterfly on a needle and dry it. Moreover, her wings were also painted with markers: it is known that Litvinova periodically rewrote, distorted Rowling's sentences, and sometimes added those that were not in the original. The metaphor with the butterfly may have been inspired by the name of the Makhaon publishing house. In this case, it is, like the names of Rowling's characters, speaking. Spivak's translation may not be perfect, but he spared our butterfly.

Probably, over the years of disputes, all these “arguments for Spivak” have been cited more than once. But having learned how many complaints were "honored" by the decision of "Makhaon" to publish "Potter" in this particular translation, I considered it reasonable to remind the Potter fans of these very arguments. And in conclusion, I note that I, like many others, was extremely pleased with this decision. This is truly the Harry Potter we've been waiting for.

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On the eve of the release of a new book by J.K. Rowling in Russian, a group of domestic Potter fans quite sharply opposed the translations of the series by Maria Spivak. On the Internet, they even collected signatures for, which now owns the rights to Potter in Russia. Maria Spivak's translations cause a lot of conflicting reviews, although for a long time they were considered a good alternative to the translations in which the Harry Potter books were first published in Russian. But few people know what kind of person is hiding behind these texts. We decided to chat with Maria about Potter, unexpected fame and her own books.

Dossier: Maria Spivak

Maria Viktorovna Spivak was born on October 26, 1962 in Moscow. She graduated from the Faculty of Applied Mathematics at a technical university, majoring in Mathematical Engineering. Author of the novels Year of the Black Moon and A World Elsewhere (written in English). Known for her translations of the Harry Potter series of novels. In 2001 she was nominated for the "Small Booker" award - "for the best translation from English". In 2009 she was nominated for the Unicorn and Lion Award for the best translation of contemporary British and Irish literature.

"Harry Potter" for fans - religion "

What do you think about collecting signatures against your translation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

Here, glory, you came to me, I think. True, not in the form in which I dreamed of you.

How would you explain the behavior of fans who defend the old translation? By the way, criticism mostly comes from readers, not from professional translators. For example, the famous Maxim Nemtsov, who "dared" to re-translate "The Catcher in the Rye", which also caused a lot of indignation, believes that your "Harry Potter" is better than Rosman's. Are you not amused by this hysteria around your translations?

Why are fans behaving fanatical? By definition. That is the nature of this phenomenon. "Harry Potter" for them is a religion, not a literary work, so any violation of the canon seems blasphemous to them. And some of them, in my opinion, are sincerely sure that the translation, in fact, consists only in the transposition of names and titles. The fact that a foreign text can have (and quite legitimately) many interpretations is unknown to them.

Take at least "Winnie the Pooh" (where in one version there is Shchasvirnus, and in the other - the immensely beautiful Skorabuda!) Or "Alice". Hysteria amuses me a little, but it also has its charms - for example, a terrible indignation at the fact that I dared to call Privet Drive Privet Street, and not Yew Alley. Meanwhile, as privet - this is exactly the same privet, typical of English hedges. Fans do not know about it and do not want to know, they do not see the play on words in the name of a decorous philistine street - they only demand that the coordinate system that is familiar to them be preserved. And this, I repeat, is natural, because this is not about literature, but about a cult.

Fans mostly resent some of the names and titles. Why did you translate them into Russian at all? Perhaps it was worth just making a glossary with the disclosure of their meaning, and leaving the original names in the text? For example, Zlotheus (originally even Zlodeus) Zlei is a cold, gloomy character, but not a villain at all.

Snape remained thanks to the editor - with rare exceptions, I did not insist on keeping the names. Perhaps, initially it was worth making a glossary. But that would not be my story. I translated names and titles. Why? It seemed natural to me (especially since it all started with a children's book). How would I do now? Do not know. Most likely, I would not have taken on Harry Potter at all - not because of the dissatisfaction of the fans, of course, but because "each vegetable has its own fruit."

Earlier you said that Potter fans even wrote you letters with death threats. It's terrible, of course, but did it really scare you?

I think it would be unpleasant and slightly uncomfortable for anyone in my place, but I consoled myself with the fact that I spend a lot of time traveling and “they won’t catch up with us.”

"Harry Potter" from the book is quickly turning into something like a Pokemon

Why were your online translations once valued by many fans higher than Rosman's, at that time official, but now they cause so much negativity?

I think that the unofficial, "samizdat", is still attractive in the minds of people, besides, "Harry Potter" was then still just a book. Yes, and the quality of my translations and the truth was higher. But now, for grown-up fans, this very quality is absolutely not important, but what is important is what everyone is used to, because "Harry Potter" from the book is rather rapidly turning into something like a Pokemon. In general, life is hard, the negative in relation to everything in the world has been accumulated in excess and needs to be released.

Why did you work on the Pottery translation under the pseudonym Em. Tasamaya (or M. That one)? I have heard that a pseudonym is often taken because of an “unattractive” surname, but this does not apply to you.

At some point, Rowling's agents sent a request to our then Harry Potter Research Institute website to remove my translations. We deleted it, and some enthusiasts (I don’t remember who, but I thank them very much) posted them under a pseudonym, which was not necessary to take, but it was fun. And so Em was born. Tasamaya - in the form of a joke.

How different is the original translation of the four Harry Potter books, posted online marked "amateur", from the final, already officially published by Swallowtail?

I haven't compared, so I don't know how much. But I know what's different - it's inevitable in editing.

Who made corrections to the translation - you yourself or the editor? Don't you think they look a little… half-hearted? Some names and titles have returned to the original, and some have remained translated.

I worked on the changes together with the editor (famous translator Anastasia Gryzunova.- Note. MirF). Compromises in such cases are inevitable. Therefore, from admirers of my previous translation, I received many letters with curses for "killing them Harry." Directly according to Kharms: a new idea kills a person who is not prepared for it.

How do you rate translations of the Pottery from Rosman? What are the key differences between Rosman's translations and yours?

I can't rate them because I haven't read them. I did not get acquainted with the translations of Marina Litvinova, I started translating before her, my translation was already on the Internet, people wrote and asked for continuation, so I had a great incentive to work further. And the books were republished, because Rosman's rights to translate expired, and the publishing house that bought the rights preferred my work. And now, to my knowledge, books are selling very well, even beyond the expectations of publishers.

How do you feel about Rowling's decision to continue the Harry Potter saga?

This is her right. And, despite my attitude towards the commercialization of the Harry Potter brand, I am sure that as literature, her new work will be no less beautiful than all the previous ones.

About the new book

"The translator is an actor, he puts on the "masks" of the author and heroes"

“Since childhood, Masha Spivak dreamed of becoming a translator, but for some reason she studied to be an engineer-mathematician ... however, fate turned out to be favorable - during the crisis of 1998, Masha lost her job.” Sounds sad and a little sarcastic. I wonder if this text, placed on the back cover of your book "Year of the Black Moon", was written by you? If so, you have a good sense of humor.

I no longer remember all the circumstances of writing the cover story for the Year of the Black Moon. I think it was a joint work - mine and publishers. As for the dismissal and loss of work, for me it turned out not to be sad at all, on the contrary, it became literally a gift of fate, and it would be ingratitude on my part to speak sarcastically about this (although sometimes it’s hard to resist for the sake of a red word). But I have long known how easy it is to run into a sarcastic answer from heaven, and I try not to joke with them once again.

Your book A World Elsewhere is written in English. Can you explain the difference between writing a book in Russian and English - as a person who has experienced it for yourself?

There is a difference between languages, but there is no difference between creating a book in one language or another - the flow of words comes from somewhere above, just have time to write down. English, perhaps, gives a little more freedom, like any "alien disguise", but nothing more.

Your son Nikita worked on the translation of Anne Tyler's book Spool of Blue Thread. Is he also a literary translator? Have you contributed to his work in this field?

"Reel" - the first translation of Nikita, whether he will become a literary translator, time will tell. But, perhaps, it is safe to say that I contributed to his involvement in translation activities - thanks to me he was born and thanks to my carrot and stick he learned English almost from the cradle. The rest is the intricacies of fate and his personal achievements (he already knows five languages).

What translations are you currently working on, and do you have any ideas for your own books? I only know about the translation of John Boyne's The Boy on the Mountaintop.

I was also working on the editing of Spool of Blue Thread, but otherwise I am now doing what I write for myself. Well, I travel, taking advantage of temporary freedom to the fullest.

Do you think a translator is an artist? To what extent is it permissible for him to create on someone else's plot, in an already written work?

The translator is more of an actor: in the process of work, he puts on the “masks” of the author and his characters. As for someone else's plot, the key word here is "alien", in a foreign language - in a different environment, any work is inevitably reincarnated. Translation is similar to a film adaptation - it completely depends on who and how played the role, with what intonation he uttered this or that phrase. The boundaries are blurred. Take, for example, a joke based on a play on words. Is it possible to translate it without taking liberties, without completely changing the phrase in order to keep it funny? But is it possible to completely move away from the situationally inherent meaning in it? The answer "no" to both of these questions forces us to maneuver between words and meanings - sometimes literally headlong.

In 1971, the well-known Soviet literary critic and philologist Mikhail Gasparov, in his article “Bryusov and Literalism”, expressed the seditious idea that one should not strive for absolute universality, that “different readers need different types translations". Do you agree with his opinion?

Do you have your own concept of literary translation?

No, and I'm afraid I won't grow up to that.

What genre of literature, in your opinion, now prevails on the market over all the others? And who, in your opinion, orders the music - is it really a general reader or, on the contrary, is demand organized by large publishing houses?

In my personal, poorly organized universe, it often seems that only and exclusively Harry Potter prevails over all genres and will forever prevail over all genres (and not only my own unfortunate works, but also my other quite wonderful translations will never be interested in anyone). But seriously, science fiction and detective stories, such a feeling is created at first glance, no? However, about who orders the music, it would be better to ask the major publishers - or the general reader, if you happen to catch one.

Judging by your site, you are not indifferent to the songs of Sergei Shabutsky and even inspired by them when writing books. What other artists do you like to listen to?

It’s not that I was inspired by them, I just wanted to bring them to the people in a way that was accessible to me. Actually, I don't really like the author's song (besides Shabutsky, there is also Shcherbakov, but not for alphabetical reasons), and my musical tastes are quite eclectic. On one pole, let's say, "Dance Macabre" by Saint-Saens and Bert Ambrose with his orchestra, and on the other - the group "Leningrad" (the choice of names is insignificant and random, just what came to mind).

In one episode of The Simpsons, Lisa Simpson learns the "terrible" truth about the "teenage" book industry: that all the favorite books are created in special conference rooms, the plots are based on market research and written by employees on pills who urgently need money. And publishers are drowning in profits, and teenagers get ten books a year written by a front author. Do you think such a prospect is possible in the future, or perhaps already partially implemented today?

This is very likely, like all dystopian scenarios for the existence and further development of our crazy, crazy world. But, I think, the sprouts of the true, the good, the eternal will always break through from somewhere, somehow.

When did you first read Harry Potter?

In 2000, a friend from America sent me a book. Her husband worked in Russia - he brought "Harry Potter" as a gift. I remember lying on the couch with a book and never got up from it until I had finished reading it.

Did you learn English at school?

No, I studied German at school. I studied English with a tutor, whom my parents took me.

When did you want to become a translator?

In general, I am an engineer-mathematician by education, I graduated from MIIT. After university, she translated scientific texts for the Academy of Sciences for several years, and then got a job as a manager in an office that sold computers and software, and began translating instructions and other technical things for them. The head of this firm also knew English - and began to bring me his favorite books. He really liked Douglas Adams - and I usually give in if someone praises a book. I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and started translating it to read aloud to my family. Then 1998 happened, I was fired, and my husband told me: “Stop looking for a job, let's be a translator.” Not in the way that I should. But what can I do if I want to?

At that time I had no idea what kind of profession it was - I simply translated as it was. Then I noticed that I repeat many words, and began to rewrite, use synonyms, get rid of constructions unusual for the Russian language with a pile of subordinate clauses. In general, it was a student translation. "Harry Potter" was already quite different.

Did you also translate Harry Potter for your husband and son at first?

Yes. Now it seems to me that it really was witchcraft: I read the book in one sitting, and the next day I found myself at a large computer. Although Nikita (son of Maria Spivak. Esquire) was then 13-14 years old, and he could already, perhaps, read in English. Therefore, in my version, he only knows the first book. After any of my translations, books and stories, he did not read. He is shy.

What is he shy about? Are you afraid that you won't like it, and that it will be embarrassing?

Do not know. He is shy. I'm his mother, not a translator. Although he helped me translate the last play (it's about the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." - Esquire).

And amateur translations of "Harry Potter" were done not only by you, weren't you?

Yes, there were a lot of translators on the Internet, we competed with each other in speed - for us it was a really fun game. My husband tried to give my translation to the publishing house, and when they didn’t take it, he created the website of the Harry Potter Research Institute, where he posted these texts. He made the site alone, although he presented it as a serious project with a large number of people who supposedly work on it. My husband read comments to me - then I was very praised, of course. Three thousand people came to the site, and everyone wrote some kind of jubilant messages, what a fine fellow I am. Naturally, this was encouraging. But, in fact, the only true love of mine was only the first book. Then the people began to demand, and I translated for them - there was nowhere to go. I didn't know there would be a sequel to this story.

So you only had love for the first book? And to the rest?

There is no talk of hate. For a very long time I was satisfied with everything that is there. Then, to the fourth book, a film came out - and Rowling herself, under pressure, began to make certain decisions. And those moments made me sad. But, again, I didn’t read much, I translated. And when you see a book this is the thickness, over which you sit at the computer for a long time, there will be no special love - this is not the same as lying on the couch and then going for a walk.

At first, "Harry Potter" was just a book, and now it's a cult, "Harrypotteria". No other book has had such an impact on people's lives.

And anyway, I never liked fantasy. At first, Harry Potter was just a fairy tale, and then this increased detail began - the heroes began to compose biographies. Rowling, for example, said that Dumbledore was gay. Well, why is it in a children's book? Somehow it becomes not so interesting.

And how long did it take to translate The Philosopher's Stone?

I can’t say for sure, but not much, about three to four months. It wasn't that I lashed out - there were other things. Some things were invented on the go - successfully and not very well.

You see, at first Harry Potter was just a book, and you had to treat it like a book: in many countries they translated names, as I did, because they are talking. It was like that until a certain moment, and then "Harry Potter" became ... I still don't understand what it is. This is something unique. And the book, and the movie, and the computer game, and the cult of worship - all this harripotteria. And this phenomenon has no analogues, in my opinion - no other book has so affected the lives of people all over the world.

Now I have a different opinion about names. Now it seems to me that they should be the same as in the original. But I could not foresee a worldwide cult, and then it was already stupid to change shoes. By the time Makhaon decided to publish my translation, I hadn't thought about this story at all. For the seventh book, I took on a lot of pressure from those who are accustomed to my style. This feeling can be compared to marriage: the first year with a person is not like the thirtieth, and love from passion is not like love for money.

Is Harry Potter a commercial story for you now?

No, it's not. In 2013, when Rosman ceased to own the exclusive right to Harry Potter in Russia, the Azbuka-Atticus publishing house offered to publish my translation. I refused because I was not satisfied with the harsh editing - when the editor considers himself more important than me. It's too expensive for me. In general, I rarely edit, so I'm capricious in this regard. Six months later, "Makhaon" came to me with much the best conditions("Makhaon" is part of the publishing group "Azbuka-Atticus". Esquire). They said they would leave everything as it is. Such a respectful approach suited me, because for me the most important thing is not to be offended. Plus, they appointed a very good editor: Nastya Korzunova is very smart, she sees flaws like a computer. I calmly entrusted the text to her and allowed me to change a lot: literally two names I asked not to touch, and everything else - please.

What are the two names?

I asked to leave the Muggles. I think it conveys the meaning better. There is a disparagement in this word - in contrast to the word "muggle", which is phonetically similar to "mage". Rowling coined the term muggle at a time when there was no question of any political correctness, this word is saturated with arrogance ( muggle- derived from mug, which is British slang for "a foolish person who is easily deceived". Esquire) And, it seems to me that in Russian “muggles” convey this attitude much better. At least that's how it seemed to me then. Now I don't care. If you want Muggles, get Muggles.

And the second?

Hagrid, not Hagrid, because there is something spitting in the name Hagrid. And Hagrid is a bit of an ogre.

Did you come up with the names and titles yourself or did you consult with someone?

Mostly by herself. They were easy enough to come up with, but it also happened that I got stuck on some. And then my husband and I went to bed with the thought of this name - and thought, thought. But he rarely came up with something good.

Do you remember which names were difficult?

It was difficult with Rita Vrita's pen. In the original this Quick Quotes Quill, and I called it principled (“Quick-Writing Pen” in Rosman’s translation. Esquire). We thought for a long time and came up with a lot of good things, but everything was not right. As a result, the meaning turned out to be a little different, but it seems to me that such a play on words is understandable to a Russian person like no one else.

What about the street where the Dursleys lived? The fans are very picky about your version.

Why Privet? Amazing nearby. In the original it is called Privet Drive, from English private translated as "privet" - this is a typical plant for England, a classic one, boring, but very stable. In "Rosman" they named the street Tisovaya - it is completely unclear for what reason. This has always amazed me.

Fans suggested an alternative: not to translate street names at all. How would you do now?

Streets, perhaps, I would still translate. Still, it is necessary that the context be clear: not everyone speaks English. In general, there are many controversial points. For example, my director's name is Dumbledore. The editor left the name because she thought it sounded better than Dumbledore - a hint of a bumblebee that buzzes (name Dumbledore comes from English bumblebee. According to Rowling, she gave the character that name because of his passion for music: she imagined him walking and humming to himself. — Esquire). And I agreed, because Dumbledore had an object that I called "dubldum" (in the translation of "Rosman" - a pool of memory; in the original - pension. This word, in turn, comes from English pension(thoughtful) and has Latin roots: pensare means "to think". Esquire). With Dumbledore, you would have to call him something else. That's the only reason I let Dumbledore leave. And so I thought: let it be, as people are used to.

You probably know what disputes were on the Internet about names ...

I don't know everything, but I know something. It’s impossible not to know when you get “die, you bastard” on your phone.

Really?

Yes, they threatened me, they wanted to kill me. And I believe in such things, I start to be afraid. As for the names: at one time my translation was logical. And now they [the fans] are sort of right, because Harry Potter is a whole world, and it's better that everything sounds the same. I even talked to my publisher that it would be nice to publish the series again, but change the names. Of course, I won’t take it up anymore, but if the editor did, then why not? I don't understand why this is all so complicated. Previously, any number of translations could come out - like with Alice in Wonderland or Winnie the Pooh. Maybe they will decide with "Harry Potter". After all, my text itself - and of this I am sure - is better than another Russian translation, because it was done too quickly. At least that's why.

You, it seems, have not read the translation of "Rosman"?

No. I read Harry Potter only in English, and then on the go. But at some point, films began to come out - so I found out how the translation of Oransky, Litvinova and the others sounds. In principle, I realized that such a translation into the cinema suits me, although I don’t really like films. Then “Rosman” got very good translators, but they became hostages of the translation of their colleagues: that is, they did not come up with “Hufflepuff”, which, in my opinion, sounds very strange.

Did you communicate with people from Rosman?

No, the publishers didn't want to see or hear me, they hated me.

Truth? And what was it expressed in?

My husband told me that they were talking about me at Rosman. Not that it was nasty, but from their words it became clear that it was impossible to know me and that with my translation I had sunk to the very bottom that exists at all. Something along those lines. Therefore, even if all the translators had run away from them, they still would not have taken me.

Where does this attitude come from?

Because I was popular on the Internet. Then the copyright holders, Rowling's agents, forbade me to upload translations - and I gave the site to the fans. It still exists in some form, but I do not go there at all.

Do you have a favorite hero?

It doesn't happen to me. Many who.

Do you need to somehow immerse yourself in the characters in a special way in order to speak like them?

It kind of happens to me. Although, for example, the same Hagrid says so, because I represented my school friend - she is a nurse in children's intensive care. Not completely, of course, but they have something in common.

Before translating, what were your favorite books?

Oh, I have a lot of favorite books, and it is impossible to name the most-most. For example, The Forsyte Saga is not even my favorite, but some kind of special book for me. I read it at the age of 12 and then re-read it almost every year. Although in English the first short story did not impress me at all. I was fascinated by the work of the translator. For a long time I really liked Nabokov. Now, for some reason, it has suddenly stopped. With "Master and Margarita" - the same thing.

"Harry Potter" made me a translator, what I was born to be - I just didn't know about it. I was touched with a magic wand, and I went my own way.

Since I became a translator, I have almost ceased to be a reader. For myself, I read only in English, because with the text in Russian, my reflex worked, and I began to mentally edit it. So basically I read American literature, English literature, and, as a rule, all sorts of nonsense, because before bed.

Do you remember your first serious translation work?

Yes, "Eskmo" gave me for translation The Volcano Lover Susan Sontag. I felt such responsibility that I completed it in four months. The book was very difficult, I had to actually rewrite it. There is another translation of the novel - so it sounds like bullshit. And I wrote very beautifully. I sat for a long time every day. The son went to school, the husband went to work, and I sat at the computer and sat until the evening, and then fell on the sofa.

Was it during Harry Potter?

Hardly at the same time. I got noticed because of Harry Potter. A fairly well-known person in the field, Max Nemtsov, found out about me and decided to seek help in translating - it turns out that he made me a real translator. We met in a cafe, talked for a very long time about Rowling, about books in general, about this and that. I felt like I had accidentally entered the saints and was glad that I was allowed to be part of the community. And then Max gave me a book for translation - I forgot which one, it seems to be a detective - and I didn’t like it at all. I spoke about it honestly. And then Max rejoiced - he said that it was a test and that in fact he was going to give the book to Sontag. Well, there’s no more talk here - I, without even reading, sat down to translate. In the process, it already turned out that this is a very difficult book to translate, but I still managed. However, I still read the following books first.

Are you currently working on something?

No. I wrote a series of short stories in 2013, but then a lot of cases appeared, so I just finished it now. I want to publish it somewhere. So far, I don't know what will come of it.

Do you feel like writing more now?

I have wanted this for a long time. Although, admittedly, the work on "Harry Potter" was not so frequent and not so difficult, but I am happy to free time was doing bullshit. So maybe I'm not that much of a writer. Although everyone really likes the cycle of stories - I tested it on different people.

Let's get back to that scary fan story. When did it start?

As soon as "Makhaon" published a book with my translation, then it began - and the further, the worse. And before the play (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” — Esquire) were already completely furious: they were collecting signatures for a petition so that they would throw me out, and they wrote to me that I would die and that they would kill me. They wrote that they were following me, but I immediately believe in this.

Have these threats ever turned into real actions?

Not yet, thank God. Maybe someone was following me, but I didn't see them. I don't like to remember it.

Are you afraid to leave the house because of this?

Thank God, I quickly forget everything, so I'm not very afraid. Now I will talk to you and I will be afraid for some time.

It is very scary that fans of the magical world of Harry Potter may wish someone dead.

Somehow we have recently become accepted. In fact, many want to kill.

And why did you still take up the play, despite the threats and petitions? Why was it important to you, if there was no former interest in Harry Potter?

Because of money. I was offered an amount that other translators are not offered - not by the page, but in such a way that I agreed. You can say that "Harry Potter" seemed to give me a present so that I could live in peace. So, naturally, I was worried about the fate of the Cursed Child. Then the publishing house told me that they did not think to take someone else - even despite the petition. Because books with my translation were bought perfectly, and this is an indicator. Maybe they made it up for me though.

Do you care about reviews at all? Do you listen or try to avoid negative comments?

There was a period when I tried to avoid any comments, because they had such a strong effect on me that my translation began to seem like a nightmare to me. I wanted them to forget about me and not say anything. Then it passed, including because all sorts of smart people whom I believed said that this was stupidity. After all, there is an editor, publishers - and they probably understand better what is good and what is bad.

I don't know if you can talk about vanity, but are you proud of your work?

Whoever wants, of course, can [talk about vanity].

I'm interested in you. How do you feel about your work?

So that would publish a new version.

Are the negotiations with the publisher about reprinting the books somehow moving?

So far, the publisher, who periodically calls me to find out how I'm doing, listens patiently to me and says that they "talk listlessly with agents on this topic." How true this is, I don't know.

Do you think "Harry Potter" made you happy or, on the contrary, brought more problems?

He made me a translator, what I was born to be - I just didn't know about it. So there is something magical about this story. And for that, I bow to Harry Potter. I was touched with a magic wand, and I went my own way. Even my character has changed. I did not envy anyone, because I was minding my own business. And I remember well that it happened the other way around, when I did some nonsense. Thanks to Harry Potter, I was able to become a real translator and, moreover, began to write myself - and I was told about this from my very childhood: you are our writer.

Did Harry Potter teach you anything? The book itself, not working with it.

Yes. I believed that magic exists.

Do you find any evidence?

Yes. Of course, the magic is not arranged as in the book - without magic wands. But it exists. It's just that we're very busy and don't use it. This is what I feel.

Today I offer a small offtopic - pearls are not from fanfiction, but from a translation. From the famous translation of "Harry Potter" by the incomparable Maria Spivak. Many have heard about it, and do not like it mainly because of the variants of names and titles. For example, Spivak calls Quirrell Professor Squirrel, Madame Hooch - Moonshine, Lockhart - Svercarol Lockhart. Snape generally became Villainous Snape, and Bathilda Bagshot became Bathilda Beetle. And then there's Neville Longbottom. And these are examples of only the most famous names. However, Spivak has his admirers, and at the beginning of the century, her translation was considered the best at all. If you ask Spivak's fans what is good about her translation, they answer that it is the most accurate, the most correct, that it feels the same English atmosphere that was in the original, and Spivak is also very literate, knows Russian well and English languages, and in general - Rosman had a gag, but Spivak did not have it. In fact, all this is not true - no Spivak is literate, she herself has mistakes and gag at every step, and only those who have not read the original can claim that she accurately conveyed the atmosphere of the original. Spivak has obvious problems with languages ​​- Russian seems to be not native for her, and she did not study English at all, only German. However, this did not stop her from imagining herself as a translator, and even declaring that she was the best at conveying Rowling's style, as she put it - the "spirit and letter" of the original.

So I bring to your attention the most interesting quotes from her translations of the first four books. I will clarify - this is her old translation, which is posted on the Internet, and not the one that is officially published by Makhaon.

Mr and Mrs Dursley

Mrs. Dursley was a skinny blonde with a double neck.

The Dursleys had a little son named Dudley

Sitting in the daily morning traffic *Usually people are in a traffic jam, and only at Spivak they are sitting. Or did Uncle Vernon really sit down on the road there?*

TV viewers from Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been calling all day with reports that instead of the downpour I promised yesterday, they had a meteor shower! It seems that the people have already begun to celebrate the day of the Gunpowder Plot ...
* That is, according to the translator, people on holidays arrange meteor showers? Okay, I see.*

Blue eyes glowed brightly from crescent-shaped glasses that sat on a long nose so hooked that it looked as if it had been broken *like a twig* in at least two places. The man's name was Albus Dumbledore. *Thanks for not Dumbledore.*

You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly, "Voldemort has opportunities that I will never have.
"Only because you're too - umm - noble to take advantage of them."
- It's good that it's dark now. I haven't blushed this much since I heard from Madam Pomfrey that she likes my new booties.
*Booties are slippers for one-year-olds. Is Dumbledore wearing them on his ears? Well, it was necessary to come up with this ... In the original, in fact, it was about fur headphones. *

Yes, yes, of course you are right, Dumbledore. But how will the boy get here?
She eyed his robes suspiciously, as if she were guessing the shape of a child's body underneath.
*Well, it makes sense - if Dumbledore wears booties, then he has a child's body.*

He wasn't afraid of spiders, he'd gotten used to them long ago - the cupboard under the stairs was full of spiders, and that's where Harry slept.

Aunt Petunia often called Dudley an angel - Harry called him "the bastard put on a wig."
*Either Harry called Dudley a spy in a wig, or he is a German expert ... *

Uncle Vernon chuckled.
- Little raccoon knows his own worth - all in dad. Well done, Dudley!
*We didn't know how popular our cartoons were in England.*

At the Smyltings, the boys wore burgundy jackets, orange stockings, and flat straw hats called boaters.
* And they, according to this version, did not wear pants. Because Spivak turned breeches into knee-highs.*

Exactly, we didn't meet. Rubeus Hagrid, gatekeeper and janitor at Hogwarts.
*Have you ever seen Hagrid with a broom?*

“It’s all right,” said Hagrid. “It’s clear that they wanted to make Dumbledore minister, but he won’t leave Hogwarts for anything, well, they took old Fudge. Cornelius Fudge. Shoemaker, I’ll say this. Every day he bombards Dumbledore with owls - asks for advice.

A short man in a top hat was talking to an old bartender who was bald and looked like a toothless walnut.
*Walnuts usually come with teeth, right?*

"Madame Malkin - Robes for all occasions" *Are there prison uniforms there too?*

Do you play Quidditch at all?

Inside every Ollivander wand is a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter * Spivak too lazy to write the word "mister" *. We use unicorn fur, phoenix tail feathers and dragon soul strings. *Strings of the soul? What is that? Are they material? Are they suitable for guitar?*

A tall dark-haired witch stood in the doorway wearing an emerald green robe.
*In Hogwarts, even thresholds in robes.*

Sorting is one of the most important ceremonies in our school, because while you are within its walls, your college is the same as your family. You will study in your college building
*Show me where the college buildings are in Hogwarts?*

And then something happened that made him jump almost a meter up.
* Spivak has a foot, a meter - everything is the same ... *

- Welcome! he exclaimed. "Welcome to the start of the new school year at Hogwarts!" Before starting the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And my words will be: Tyutya! Roar! Rwaklya! Tsap! Thanks!

The hook-nosed teacher over Professor Squirrel's turban looked Harry straight in the eyes.

owlery
*Yeah. And for chickens - a smoker. *

Above front door hung a crossbow and two galoshes.
* Can't Spivak herself see that she wrote something wrong? Or does she have galoshes hanging over the door at her own house? *

Malfoy's Eagle Owl * what kind of mutant is this? * daily brought boxes of sweets

Pull out right hand over the broom, - Madame Moonshine ordered, standing in front of the students lined up in a row, - and say: “Stand up!”.
*Get up, broomstick, get up! Well done. Now sit!..*

No sooner had Fred and George departed than other, far less pleasant personalities appeared: Malfoy, accompanied by an escort, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Farewell dinner, huh, Potter?" What time is the train to Muglandia?
"You're much braver next to your charms," ​​Harry said in an icy tone.

Hermione, typing a step, climbed the stairs.

portrait of Fat Aunt *No, Fat Lady is not translated as "Fat Aunt". It's just that Spivak's translation is designed for the smallest.*

He gave Harry a small, short baseball stick.
*Did you think baseball was played with bats? You were wrong.*

Chapter 12 Mirror of Concealment
*Slap on the back of the head to the translator, who kills the mystique of the original titles like this.*

Librarian Ms. Nipper

Harry and Fred broke the magic cracker into two, and it didn’t just crackle - it exploded with a cannon roar, enveloping the guys in clouds of blue smoke, and a Rear Admiral’s cap and several live white mice jumped out from the inside.
*Oh, well, what nonsense ... They broke the cracker, damn it. Rowling actually had a cracker!*

Then Neville fell headfirst into the living room. *From the ceiling, obviously*. How he even managed to get into the hole behind the portrait remained a mystery - at first glance it was clear that his legs were bound by the Shackle Curse.

Yes, and it was not easy to disconnect from study when Hermione constantly hung over her soul. *Hermione, do not hang over your soul!*

He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic

Belka swore to himself.
* And Harry, apparently, is a psychic, since he heard this. Well, Spivak does not see the difference between "quietly" and "silently".*

The turban has fallen. Without it, Squirrel's head looked tiny. Then the head slowly turned around its axis.
* And it turned out that the real name of the professor is not Squirrel, but Owl!
In Rowling, Quirrell turned himself, not his head.*

Harry saw Draco Malfoy pounding his silver goblet on the table.
*I present this picture - Malfoy hits a glass like a roach*

“Do you think I don’t know how it will end if you let your nasty owl out?”
*If Rowling's Uncle Vernon says "owl", Spivak says "nasty owl".*

May I escort you to the dining room, Mrs. Mason? - Dudley memorized his remark, offering his hand folded in a fat pretzel to an invisible lady.

Harry Potter survived, the Black Lord was broken
*How little Spivak knows popular culture, if he does not know that the Lords are dark, not black. Shame and shame.*

Did you find anything, dad? Fred asked enthusiastically.
- Yes, not especially *Not especially found?*, a couple of shrinking keys *What are they sitting on, I wonder?* and a biting kettle,” yawned Mr. Weasley. - There, however, there was some abomination, but not in our department. Deadmorris was taken away, he found very, very suspicious bugs *Remember, Rosman called the ferret a gopher? So, at Spivak, ferrets generally turned into bugs. *

“Don't worry, Molly, he'll be all right,” Mr. Wesley said, helping himself to a pinch.
* It was he who treated himself with flying powder. Well, bon appetit.*

Lucius Malfoy's words:
There are persistent rumors about a new law to protect Muggles - no doubt that moth-eaten jerk, Mugglephile Arthur Wesley, is behind it.

“It’s not my fault,” Draco snapped, “all teachers have their favorites, that fool Hermione Granger, for example ...
*If Rowling's Draco says "Hermione Granger", then Spivak says "stupid Hermione Granger".*

“Good luck, Mr. Borgin. I will expect you tomorrow at my mansion, where you will receive your goods.
As soon as the door closed behind the visitors, Mr. Borgin immediately forgot his flattering manner and hissed:
“And you too, Mr. Malfoy, if the rumors are true, you didn’t sell me even half of what is hidden in your mansion ...
*Normal dialogue.
- Good luck.
– And you there too.*

The Hogwarts Express slid down like a crimson snake.
*Spivak's everything is crimson - the train is crimson, the Quidditch uniform of the Gryffindors is also crimson. One of two things - either she thinks that scarlet translates as "crimson", or she has scarlet and crimson - it's the same.*

At the end sat Hagrid, hairy and huge, drinking long sips from a goblet thrown over his head.

For some reason, he couldn't look Dumbledore in the eye, so he started talking to his knees. *It must be understood that his knees answered him.*

The confident expression on Malfoy's face faded for a second.
“And no one asked your opinion, you vile mug,” he seemed to spit out.

The Slytherin team was paralyzed with laughter. Flint doubled over and leaned on the broom to keep from falling. Malfoy was on all fours, pounding the ground with his fists.
*What a strange paralysis, however.
The original actually said "The Slytherin team were paralysed with laughter", but the translator must think what he is writing. This is normal in English, but in Russian one should write, for example, that they rolled with laughter. *

"It's disgusting to call someone that name," said Ron, wiping sweat from his brows with a trembling hand. “Dirty blood, you see.
*So in this translation, Malfoy did not say anything about dirty blood. So Ron came up with it himself?
That is why the translator must translate as is, and not invent his own words. Mugrod, damn it. *

You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found in my office… he knows that I… that I…” Filch's face twisted painfully, “he knows I'm a seam,” he finished.

Harry saw George slap the Striker straight at Adrian Pusey with a resounding slap. * Did you think they beat with bats? But no - they spank! *

Millicent Bycheshader

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinestra from the Astronomy Division carried Justin to the hospital.
*Y-yes, it wasn't enough for us to have Villainous Snape, it turns out there is also Professor Evileyestra. And how many more, according to Spivak, are there villain teachers at Hogwarts?
And yes, what is an astronomical division? For the first time I hear about some divisions in educational institutions.*

where to get it - a piece of boomslang skin - is also another problem *Still would! Boomslang is a snake. Have you ever seen a snake with skins?*

Harry yanked out a few bristles that were growing on Goyle's low forehead. *Does he even have hair growing on his forehead?*

Professor Spargella had the Abyssinian fig oil trimmed.
* Gentlemen of botany, write it down - at the behest of Spivak, the fig tree is now called "fig oil". Because it's more fun.*

Something fluttered in my stomach. *Who is there in Harry's stomach? Xenomorph turned on?*

“Pocket guide to technical self-care broom” *As I understand it, the broom itself is supposed to read this manual.*

On Dudley's fifth birthday, Aunt Margie beat Harry painfully in the legs with a cane to stop him from beating "our baby" in "the sea is worried." * In the original, she just hit him on the leg with a stick, and not "beat him painfully." And "the sea is worried" - yes, this is the favorite game of the British. *

- Where is my Dudelka? boomed Aunt Margie. - Where is my nephew?
Dudley paddled his way into the hall. His blond hair was tightly stuck to his greasy head. Butterfly was hard to see under the numerous chins. Aunt Margie shoved the suitcase into Harry's stomach, completely knocking the breath out of him, wrapped Dudley in a one-armed hug, and planted a wet kiss on her nephew's fat cheek.
*So many pearls in one small fragment...*

An ultra-modern racing broom with a streamlined handle crafted from selected ash. * From the ashes, yeah She is from the ash tree, from the ash tree! *

How much do you know about Hogsmeade? Hermione's eyes lit up. - I read that this is the only settlement in Britain where there is not a single Muggle ...
“Yeah, I guess that’s the way it is,” Ron said casually, “but that’s not why I want to go there. I would like to get into Rakhatlukull!
*Hogsmeade, Rahatlukull... And someone else claims that Spivak's translation retained the same English atmosphere that was in the original.*

Crabbe and Goyle seemed to exist only to serve as Malfoy's errands. They were both square and muscular; Crabbe is taller, with a bowl cut and a powerful neck; Goyle - with short, coarse hair and long, gorilla-like arms.

Professor Snape, the potions teacher, was gazing at Professor Lupin. *And in the first two books, Snape taught Potions. Apparently, he was downgraded.*

The students huddled behind Professor Trelawney, trying to get a better look at the contents of the cup.
- My dear, - Professor Trelawney dramatically widened her already huge eyes, - you have Ruin.
- What do I have? Harry didn't understand.
*Destroy. It's not a verb, it's a noun. Means a mythical creature that lives exclusively in Spivak's head.*

I see.” Professor McGonagall fixed her birdlike eyes on the boy. *This translation mentions several times that McGonagall has bird eyes. In the original they are beady. Other translators have translated this as "small".*

“Ghosts like dark, enclosed spaces,” said Professor Lupin, “cloakrooms, places under beds, cabinets under sinks—and I once met one that nestled in a grandfather clock. This one moved in here yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster's permission to leave him for the time being so that the third graders could practice a bit.
“The first question we need to ask ourselves is this: what is a ghost?
Hermione raised her hand.
"It's a changeling," she said.

They have been everywhere! At Dervish and Hashish, at the magic equipment store; in Hochmazin Zonko; in “Three broomsticks” they drank hot sweets from large mugs; and in many other places.

Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed the steps to the lobby.
*At Spivak's, everyone is climbing the ladders. They do not rise, they do not go, but they climb. On all fours, apparently.*

Don't make it up, Hagrid," Fudge snapped. - Only the guys from the Magical Law Enforcement Brigade's shock warden had a chance to deal with Black *Koldulion! Didn't she have a muglolion there? Or some other broth?*

You can also play chess,” he added hastily, “or trinkets. Percy left a set...
*Trinkets is not some kind of kindergarten game, as the name might suggest. These are "spit-stones", as translated by normal translators. *

Crabbe staggered - and stepped on the hem of the invisibility cloak with a giant paw. * Giant, uh-huh. Crabbe is such a giant. Spivak generally loves epithets that exaggerate real size.*

Come in quick, get your chopsticks out, today we're experimenting with Hahachars
*Professor Flitwick teaches khakhachars to third-year students. They were originally called Cheering Charms. Indeed, why not translate it as "khakhachars"? After all, wizards are so infantile - they drink sweets, play trinkets, and the lady from the portrait is called Fat Aunt. Naturally, they cannot give their spells more normal names.*

However, at the end of the teacher's review, the hand of the school nurse in very tactful terms was attributed to something that neither uncle nor aunt could object to. No matter how much Aunt Petunia lamented that her son had large bones and that his weight was mostly baby fat, and that a growing body needed good nutrition, the fact remained that stocks of this size were not provided in the school warehouse.
*That's the trouble! How without it, in general, to study?
There were no breeches, not knee-highs! But Spivak has the same mistakes in the first book and in the fourth. *

The clothes would have been appropriate for a rock concert, and the shoes, as Harry noted, were not made of leather, but of a dragon's shell.
*A dragon with a shell?.. Ahh, that must be the dragon from the Mario game! *

Ah... why do you call the owlet "Pig"? Harry asked Ron.
"Because Ron is stupid," Ginny said.
*Huh-hh-hh... I'll never believe that thirteen-year-old Ginny says that. She will directly say that Ron is a fool.*

Ludo Shulman *Well, Spivak knows better what his nationality is.*

Mr Scrooge? Percy cut in, suddenly dropping from an attitude of deepest disapproval. He literally shook with delight. - He knows more than two hundred of them! He speaks mermaid and troll and importantkadabre....
*Important dabra, damn it... Goblin language is this, but no important dabra!*

Oliver Drew, fresh out of high school, dragged Harry to his tent to meet his parents, and enthused that he had been assigned to the Malolethston United reserve team.

Arthur, Lucius made a very generous donation to St. Flap - Institute of Bizarre Injuries and Pathologies.

Indispensable *Leprechauns. It is strange that Spivak did not at the same time rename dragons, gnomes and centaurs in her own way. Fantasy was not enough?*

Trick of Vralsky * Vronsky trick. Spivak even has kindergarten terms for sports.
And according to her version, Hermione is just a complete fool if she is not able to remember such a simple phrase and instead of "Vralsky's Trick" she says "Kralsky's deboning".*

On the other side of Zlovestra sat the most unloved teacher Harry, the hook-nosed Potions teacher, Snape. * Snape was promoted - returned to his previous position.
And if you find fault with punctuation, then it turns out that there were as many as three people sitting: the unloved teacher, the hook-nosed teacher and Snape. *

Mr. Filch, the caretaker, asked you to be informed that the list of items prohibited from consumption within the castle walls has been expanded this year to include kokokoshy uyyashki, toothed freebies and boom-boom boomerangs.
*The feast of infantilism continues. Although, judging by the name, the last toy is not just for the little ones, but for the mentally retarded.*

Triwizard Tournament

Triwizard Cup

Look at this! shouted Shulman. - Just look! The youngest champion got the first egg! *How could Harry be the first to get the egg if he was the last to enter the contest? Maybe he just got the egg faster than anyone else? It's not the same, you know.*

Professor Moody was also very pleased, his magic eye dancing in the socket.

For example? Harry casually inquired, fascinated by Guns player Joy Jenkins tossing a Bruiser at a Rogue Bat Hunter. *Is this a team from the city of Nedotepska? Or, according to Spivak, does someone dislike their team so much that they gave it such a name?*

She confessed to Harry that she used an incredible amount of Gladdookladker's hair spray when doing her hair for the ball.
*How did you read this? Now try to say it.*

Filch tweeted something to Mrs Norris

Dobby knows, sir! Harry Potter must jump into the lake and find Wessie...
- Which things?
- Wessy! Take Vessey from the mermaids!
- What is it - Vessey?
- Your Wessy, sir, your Wessy - Vessey, who gave Dobby a jumper!

Well then, let's see who scored what! said Hagrid. - Count coins! And there's no point in stealing them, Goyle," he narrowed his bug eyes, "it's pure gold. It will disappear in a couple of hours.

- Yes! – blurted out Karkaroff. “More Travers—he helped kill the McKinnons!” Mulchiber specialized in the curse of subjugation, forced so many people to commit nightmarish atrocities! Gadwood... he's a spy, giving He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Remembered information from the ministry itself!
This time, apparently, Karkaroff struck a goldmine. The silently watching audience suddenly began to rumble.
— Goodwood? repeated Mr. Crooked, nodding to the witch sitting before him, who immediately scratched the parchment with her quill. “Augustus Gadwood from the Department of Mysteries?”
“The same one,” Karkaroff readily confirmed.
* A man with the last name Gadwood was on the side of Voldemort! This is news, who would have thought? And also speak - the names are speaking! What kind of speakers are they if no one notices this?
Goodwood is Rookwood, if anything.*

This? It's called a doubledum," said Dumbledore. *We are talking about the pool of memory, which in the original, actually - Pensieve.*

It's about Madame Maxime.
"We didn't even think about her," said Ron slowly. - And she has giant blood, and she denies it ...
* And he does the right thing by denying it. Because blood can't be gigantic.
This pearl turned out due to the fact that Spivak calls giants not giants, as is customary in all fairy tales, but giants.*

Dumbledore covered Moody with his cloak, tucking it in carefully, and climbed out of the chest. Then he took a flask from the table, unscrewed the lid and turned the flask upside down. Drops of a thick, viscous liquid fell to the floor.
*How did they fall if the flask was upside down?.. Ah, wizards aren't like humans.*

There was a soft rustle of wings. Phoenix Youngus left his perch, flew across the office and perched on Harry's knee.
* Spivak has a perch, a perch... Or does Fawkes, who here for some reason became Yangus (in honor of a Czech preacher, or what?), Does Spivak lay eggs in Spivak's version? But if he was sitting on a perch, then maybe he was not in the office at all, but in the chicken coop?
However, this is not the worst. Earlier in the same translation it was generally said that the phoenix was sitting on a pole. Apparently, they put him on this pole as if on a stake. *

A few days ago, among the inhabitants of Runet, who are interested in literature, a small “bomb” exploded when a group of enthusiasts began to collect signatures against translations of the Pottery by Maria Spivak. Watching this storm from the side, I wanted to put in my five cents.

Please note that the following is purely personal opinion. Not the position of the magazine "World of Science Fiction", not the view of the editor of the book section of this magazine. And just the opinion of a fantasy fan with a very solid reading experience.

First, a little history. When Rosman just started publishing Rowling's books in Russia, the cycle was already an international bestseller, but the total world madness around it was just beginning. Only echoes reached us, because, it seems, the publishing house was afraid that the series "would not work." Otherwise, it is impossible to explain why the best forces were not involved in the translation of a potential mega-hit. After all, there are really outstanding translators from English in Russia, on whose account there are many brilliant works. Likhachev, for example, or Dobrokhotov-Maikov. There are many others. But it is clear that the work of a high-class translator costs money. And for the translation of "a pig in a poke" it simply does not make sense to involve such a person. Probably, the Potter books were considered just such a "cat", because teenage fantasy in those days was not quoted in our country. Suffice it to say that the first print run of the book was a modest 30,000 for such a hit. It was then that there were already reprints - almost half a million, not to mention numerous reprints.

In general, "Rosman" in some "left" way attracted Igor Oransky, a sports journalist who at the same time dabbled in translating fantastic stories, to work on the "Philosopher's Stone". Oransky himself noted that Rowling remained absolutely indifferent to the text. As a result, the book was simply not interesting to read. All the hype around the novel and the cycle in the West was completely incomprehensible. Are they crazy there? Why on earth did this dull and naive garbage become a world bestseller?

These books were the first introduction to Harry Potter.

The existing Potter fan base (after all, many people read English in our country) literally exploded! Oh, what storms raged on the Web! With a strong desire (after all, the Internet remembers almost everything), you can delve into these ancient records of 2000 and enjoy ... The translation of Oransky was simply crucified, and although a number of errors were corrected in further editions, the "black mark" was firmly entrenched in this work. The funny thing is that even this controversial version was a solid success, although the hysteria around the world probably contributed to the hype around the Potter.

And against this background, "folk translations" began to appear on the Web - both the first and other volumes already published in the West. They were terrible - the actual interlineators that were edited by all and sundry. And one of these self-propelled guns was the translation of Masha Spivak, which stood out from the rest like a diamond among the cobblestones.

Moreover, Spivak's Pottery (and she gradually began to translate other books as well) among fans was quoted much higher than the official versions from Rosman! Although, starting from the second volume, the publishing house attracted solid forces. The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, and partly The Goblet of Fire were translated by eminent professional philologist Marina Litvinova. And a whole brilliant team took part in the work on subsequent books, among which were such stars of domestic literary translation as Viktor Golyshev, Vladimir Babkov, Leonid Motylev, Sergey Ilyin, Maya Lakhuti. Although blunders met here. For example, the final novel of the series, The Deathly Hallows, turned out to be crumpled. For the sake of efficiency, the book was translated by three people at once - Ilyin, Lakhuti, Sokolskaya, which is why the novel turned out to be very heterogeneous stylistically. It is precisely for the sake of correcting such shortcomings that there is a literary editor, which, it seems, this publication simply did not have ...

"Harry Potter" from ROSMAN: "black series"

By that time, Spivak's translations were already actually banned, because officially they were considered pirated. The story of hunting them is another story! And as soon as the fans did not contrive, fighting the system, - “Um. Tasamaya" has become an actual meme...

And now, when the rights to the publications of the Potter series have changed hands, Makhaon and Azbuka-Atticus used Spivak's translations (of course, heavily edited in comparison with the network versions). While it was about reprinting books, which, apparently, were already in almost every home, this did not cause much fuss. However, with the advent of the new Potter book, the situation has changed. All those who are fans of the Potter series will probably want to buy a new novel, but the vast majority are “covered” by the Rosman translation, and the Spivak version seems alien to them. So the hype is understandable.

I do not presume to judge the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the Rosman and the alphabetic versions in terms of facts, for example. Moreover, we will soon have a detailed article on this topic. I will only express my opinion as a person who has read both versions. Personally, I like Spivak's Potter a lot more, and here's why.

Spivak captures the spirit of the Potter series very clearly. Her translation is often reproached for being "childish", but, for mercy's sake, the cycle was written primarily for children! In the first novel, the hero is only eleven, with each book he grows up, which happens to his readers. And the approach chosen by Spivak is completely justified. Before us, first of all, are fascinating fairy tales “with meaning”, and with each new volume, fairy tales become less and less, and more and more meaningful. The Potter novels of Spivak's version are a sane synthesis of charming fabulousness, childish spontaneity, external fascination and quite serious semantic content. This is exactly what Rosman's translation lacks - the author's magic, without which there would not be such a crazy success of the series, it simply does not exist! The translation was done by serious people who worked professionally and responsibly. But no more than that...

Although the main miscalculation, perhaps, is precisely that the Rosman version was translated by as many as twelve people in total! The situation could be corrected by ONE literary editor, which would bring the mixed translation to a common denominator. Well, as did, for example, Alexander Zhikarentsev, who at one time supervised Terry Pratchett's translations at Eksmo - after all, many people also worked there, and not all translations were equally good. But alas.

Spivak's translations are much more complete in this sense. From the first to the last word of the series, the translation was carried out by one person, who, moreover, was sincerely passionate about the original and worked with all his heart. And this is also important ... It is the "soulfulness" that attracts in the version from Spivak - Rowling's text lives and plays, breathes and shines. You read it with pleasure, with joy, it is truly “delicious”, like a bag of multi-colored sweets from under Christmas tree… Against this background, Rosman's version looks like a dense and hearty lunch from the first, second, third. Nutritious, healthy - yes, maybe. Only, alas, not fun.

Machaon released such a chic edition of Harry Potter

Perhaps the main drawback of Spivak's version, which became a stumbling block, is the translation of proper names and a number of titles. Here, perhaps, we can partly agree with the dissatisfied. If in the initial, most carefree and fabulous volumes of the cycle, “talking” names still looked, albeit exotic, but more or less appropriate, then in darker books their frank childishness looks simply ridiculous. Zloteus Zlei, brrr... On the other hand, in Rosman's translations there are also such pearls that you will rock - Dolgobotups, for example. Perhaps it would be more appropriate not to translate the names at all, limiting themselves to footnotes or a detailed glossary. But what's done is done - in both cases.

However, if we discard names and terms (all the more so since many of them quite successfully reflect the essence of characters, names and objects), the rest of Spivak's claims to translations simply crumble to dust.

Moreover, I am one hundred percent sure: if Rosman had released the Potterian in Spivak’s translation from the very beginning, then all those who are now shouting “Atu!” to them with foam at the mouth would have defended them with the same ardor and heat. . Because the question is not about the real quality of translations. Birthright and a matter of habit - that's the secret. The vast majority of Potter readers got acquainted with the books in the Rosman translation - and simply got used to it. Even if it is a million times worse than Spivak's translations, first love does not rust ...

But for those who are just getting acquainted with Rowling's books, I wholeheartedly advise: read it yourself and give your children this cycle precisely “from Spivak”. Get much more sincere pleasure! And the rest will have to accept or follow the beaten track of the "zero" fans, creating sites with a "folk translation" of the eighth volume of the series...