Nerd Alert

I’ve recently started re-reading Harry Potter, but here’s the catch: I’m doing it in French.  I’m working on an application for a graduate program in Translation and Interpretation, and on their website they suggested reading as much as possible in your foreign language in order to improve your vocabulary and fluency.  Fair enough, but I wanted to start out with a book I was already familiar with – which is why I went to the bookstore and purchased “Harry Potter à l’école des sorciers.”  This is an interesting coincidence because I literally cannot imagine any book being more of a nightmare to translate, seeing as how approximately 105% of the words in Harry Potter are actually made up.  Thus in addition to the regular list of vocabulary I keep while reading (I told you, nerd alert – I actually underline and look up all the words I don’t know) I have to keep a list in my head of all the strange translations – for instance, Hogwarts was somehow translated to “Poudlard.”  In any case, I read a chapter or two every night before bed and it is actually helping me to think more in French, which is helpful because I live in France and as it turns out they speak that a lot here.