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 Fantastic book June 24, 2008
I've read the Spanish translation of Harry Potter as part of my attempts to read and continue learning Spanish. Starting off with the translation, yes it is indeed biased towards Latin American usage but that should in no way affect your enjoyment of the book, as long as you aware of the vosotros forms why should it? If you had learnt Spanish with Michel Thomas and books from McGraw Hill you may not even be aware of the vosotros form anyway!!
One reviewer says that the use of "ustedes" is equivalent to calling people "your graces" to Spanish ears, which is just ridiculous. Anyone at a sufficient level to be able to start reading books such as this should be aware of the differences between Peninsular and Latin American Spanish and be able to adapt without their enjoyment being spoilt. I am sure the Spanish themselves do! A book that I can recommend (although a slightly easier reading level) which liberally uses vosotros forms is the translation of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate) if you want some exposure.
Another criticism the same reviewer levelled at the book was the use of the English character names like "Snitch" and words like "muggles". Whilst I see his point, this did not spoil my enjoyment. Although if I had been reading aloud it would have been hard to change smoothly between English and Spanish, so I can see why he feels this way. However, the book is set in England, and therefore I personally am happy for the characters to keep their English names so I ultimately feel the decision was valid. If I was to read an English translation of a Spanish novel set in Spain I would not really want Juan to become John, and Enrique to become Henry as this would seem out of context with the setting of the book.
Aside from debate about whether this is a good resource for learning Spanish, of course the story is great. Every chapter seems to end on a note which makes it almost impossible to close the book with the intention of continuing later. As someone who has long denounced and mocked Harry Potter as "for kids" - I have not seen the films nor read the books in English - I humbly admit I was wrong!
A fun way to improve your Spanish January 22, 2008
I would thoroughly recommend reading this book as a great way of improving your Spanish and having an unputdownable read at the same time. I was looking for something to read in Spanish, in order to improve my language skills, and, as I had loved all the Harry Potter films, but hadn't found time to read the books, I thought 'why not try to read Harry Potter in Spanish?'. I'm really glad I did! True, I need my big thick Spanish/English dictionary to hand to understand many of the words - but it does get easier the more you read, and my Spanish skills have improved noticeably since I've begun reading this book!
Thank you, J K Rowling, for a really enjoyable read - and for improving my Spanish!!!
 Latin American approach October 27, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've read the whole series in English and French, and am now doing so in Spanish. The test of a good translation is that the reader should not be aware that he is reading a translation. The French accomplishes this admirably. The Spanish translator must have decided to bias his work towards the Latin American market, because the second person familiar plural "vosotros", is avoided in favour of "ustedes", which uses the third person and reads oddly to European speakers. Why, for example, would Hermione address Harry and Ron as "Your Graces" - fine for talking to adults who aren't close friends or family, but not for your best friends! This is, after all, a story based in Europe, not the Americas, so why not use European Spanish?
Also, we have "el snitch", "Hufflepuff" and, incredibly, "los muggles". Surely every country's magical community would have a term in its own language for non-magical people (in French it's "les moldus" - natural sounding). How do you even pronounce these words in Spanish? I think the translation could be considerably improved by the publisher's comparing the French translation and devising Spanish-sounding equivalents. In its present form, it causes a disconnection in the mind - when you read a foreign language, you think in that language and don't want to be brought up sharp by words that present a puzzle as to the pronunciation and have no meaning either in that language.
That said, when I deliberately ignore these problems, it provides a good opportunity to read current, idiomatic Spanish. Some alterations would make a good piece of work into an excellent one.
 A useful and interesting learning tool December 11, 2003
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I read this book in English and loved it, well who hasn't dreamed about being a wizard or witch? The decision to read the Spanish version was the result of a desperate search for material with which to improve both my reaiding and writing in this language. It was great, ok so afer only 18mths learning Spanish I found some passages tough, but knowing the english version meant that I could piece the story together and enjoy the challenge. I would reccomend this to any Spanish people looking for a fun read and any students searching for a way to improve their Spanish. Trust me you'll learn idioms, new vocabularly and it looks impressive on the bus!
A great book that's suitable for kids of all ages. July 29, 2001
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Having heard all the hype about the books, I finally bought one to take on holiday. Big mistake, I couldn't put it down, I'm 26.Whilst only a baby Harry's parents are killed by Lord Voldemort an evil wizard. Somehow when Voldemort tried to kill Harry his spell backfired leaving him powerless. Harry is brought up by his abominable Aunt and Uncle who keep him as downtrodden as possible and tell him nothing of his magical powers. His life takes a spectacular twist when he gets a letter and discovers that he's a wizard. He enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and embarks on the biggest adventure of his life. Take my advice, buy the book, it's a remarkable adventure and a great way to improve your Spanish.
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