The story of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, has been translated into 80 languages. J.K. Rowling‘s magical tales wrap around the globe through those translations and reach millions of fans. The 80th and most recent translation of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone (which some of us know as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), is the Scots language (not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, which could be a future edition). Matthew Fitt handled the adaptation for Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stane, and if you have any interest in the Scots language–and I do–you’ll be fascinated.
Via Geeks Are Sexy, Imgur user anlyin shared a picture of the first page of the first chapter, “The Laddie Wha Lived.” You can get a taste of the rich Scots language from this passage and begin to appreciate its nuances. Go ahead, read. If you don’t quite understand a word, look it up. The words are marvelous and roll off the tongue.
Though some proper names and words match the original versions in Rowling’s text, like Hogwarts, Weasley, and Dursley, there are some differences. Fitt shared some with NPR (and you can hear the pronunciation by listening to their interview with him). For example, Dumbledore is Dumbiedykes, Quidditch is Bizzumbaw, and my personal favorite: the Sorting Hat is the Blithering Bonnet.
If you’re into the idea of reading the entirety of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Scots, it’s available on Amazon.
Are you interested in picking up a copy of this delightful translation? Let us know in the comments!
Images:Â Black & White Publishing, Warner Bros.
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist and a proud Hufflepuff. Follow her on Twitter.
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