New Unauthorized Chinese (Simplified) Translation of Philosopher’s Stone!
Well… like nearly all the unauthorized translations, it’s new to me.
I spotted this one amongst the books @finky_the_house_elf is selling and bought it because of the cover. Not because it’s super-cute—it is—but just because something about it made me think it might not be completely on the up-and-up. I guess, you just get a feel for spotting unauthorized publications after a while!
| Title: | 哈利·波特与魔法石 |
| Transliteration: | hālì·bōtè yǔ mófǎ shí |
| Translator: | Li Ronghua (李荣华) |
| ISBN: | 978-7-5534-8413-6 |
| Published: | 2015-08 |
| Publisher: | Jilin Publishing Group Co. Ltd. (吉林出版集团有限责任公司) |
| Purchase From: | ? |
The ISBN does check out as belonging to the Jilin Publishing Group. The URL on the back cover though (www.xinkebiao.com.cn) is not functional.
There are a couple more things that make this book interesting: the front-matter seems to imply that this edition was intended specifically for younger children. It is both shorter and I think the language is a little simpler than the authorized translation—at least, I seem to be able to understand more of it which given my profound lack of experience in Chinese is saying something! On the copyright page, there’s a note calling it “Chinese Children’s Growth Reading: Version B” and it appears to have been intended for educational purposes. In fact, this appears on every page in side margin:
小学生语文新课标‧必读丛书
Xiǎoxuéshēng yǔwén xīn kè biāo‧bì dú cóngshū
New Chinese Curriculum Standard for Primary School Pupils—Required Reading Series
Really!? Harry Potter is required reading for elementary school children in Mainland China??
Yeah, no. It’s not. The Chinese government has emphatically distanced themselves from such claims. I guess it’s an attempt to appear legitimate!
Nonetheless, I’m pretty pleased to have this adorable little gem! I’m generally not a fan of the very abstract cover art, but for some reason this one speaks to me!
