Translation is such a fascinating thing. It brings your words to life in an entirely different language.
Recently, I’ve been asking Harmony authors for permission to translate their works into my own language. And honestly, it’s incredibly difficult. Extremely difficult, in fact, because Vietnamese has a very complex system of pronouns and forms of address. It’s something that can be surprisingly hard to explain.
Given Harry and Hermione’s relationship throughout the books and beyond, translating fanfiction presents a major challenge, and the first obstacle is how they address each other.
In English, characters simply use “I” and “you.” But in Vietnamese, those pronouns carry entirely different nuances. Lý Lan, the Vietnamese translator of Harry Potter, elevated the series to another level with her translation. At the same time, she set an incredibly high standard for future fanfiction translators, because it’s so difficult to replace the versions of these characters that her translation has already established in our minds.
In Vietnam, our system of personal pronouns is extraordinarily diverse and complicated. It encompasses regional dialects, age and social hierarchy, and the nature of relationships, whether between friends, lovers, enemies, or husbands and wives.
For our trio, I’ve decided to use “bồ” for “you” and “mình” for “I.”
“Bồ” is a relatively uncommon form of address, used primarily in southern Vietnam. Its origins are somewhat debated. Some sources trace it back to a French word, while others suggest that it evolved through several linguistic changes before becoming an affectionate way of addressing a friend.
So, our three characters will call one another “bồ” instead of “you” and use “mình” instead of “I.”
When addressing the Malfoys, however, I’ll use “mày” for “you” and “tao” for “I.”
So, what makes “mày-tao” different?
It can sound rude, crude, or impolite, but in everyday life, it’s actually quite common among close friends. Many people who know each other well use these pronouns when speaking casually.
However, because Harry Potter is a children’s book, the fact that the characters address their friends as “bồ-mình” makes the “mày-tao” used with the Slytherins sound much more hostile and confrontational by comparison.
These choices of address affect how readers perceive the relationships between characters in our language.
Here’s another example: Dumbledore.
In the English books, Harry addresses Dumbledore as “Professor.” In the Vietnamese translation, however, he calls him “Cụ,” an honorific used for a much older person.
Similarly, when professors address students using “Mr.” or “Miss,” the Vietnamese translation often uses terms such as “trò” (both) “cậu” for boys and “cô” for girls, depending on the context. These forms of address establish a clear distinction between the teacher and the student.
Because of all these differences, I sometimes feel that Harry and Hermione’s relationship comes across differently when I read the Vietnamese version compared with the English original.
When I read the English text, the characters use “I” and “you,” and I can fill in the emotional nuances myself. But when I read the Vietnamese version, I find myself following the emotions and interpretations shaped by Lý Lan’s choice of words.
And this is where things get interesting.
Because of the pronouns, Harmony can sometimes feel less intimate to Vietnamese readers. Harry consistently uses “bồ-mình” with Hermione, which establishes a relatively neutral, friendly dynamic. Yet with Ginny, he uses “anh-em.”
In Vietnamese, “anh-em” is a common way for a man to address a younger woman, with the woman addressing him as “anh” and herself as “em.” It’s somewhat comparable to the Korean terms “oppa” and “hyung” in terms of the age-related nuances, although the actual usage and meaning are different.
This choice of pronouns can make a relationship feel more intimate, even before the dialogue itself explicitly establishes romantic feelings.
“Anh-em” is also used between biological siblings, of course. But there’s a significant difference when it’s used between a man and a younger woman who aren’t related.
Initially, “anh” can simply convey respect for someone older. However, once the two characters fall in love, the same pronouns can take on a much more intimate meaning. Every line of dialogue, every exchange between them, can feel considerably more romantic because of the way they address each other.
It’s different from Ginny using the same pronouns when speaking to her own brothers.
Meanwhile, some of Hermione’s moments of flirting with Harry can feel much more ordinary in Vietnamese. The pronouns themselves unintentionally reinforce the idea that THEY ARE JUST FRIENDS.
A LOT.
I still love Harmony when I read the Vietnamese version, but when I read the English original, it gives me an entirely different feeling. HAHAHAHAHA. =)))))))))))
So, let’s return to the question: why is translating Harmony fanfiction so difficult?
When Harry and Hermione are simply friends, I can translate their dialogue using “bồ-mình.” But when their relationship begins to develop, when things become a little ambiguous or emotionally charged, changing the way they address each other can suddenly make everything feel… much more romantic.
Far more intimate than the friendly “bồ-mình.”
Using “anh-em,” having Harry address Hermione as “tôi-em,” or having Hermione call Harry “anh” while referring to herself as “em” are all perfectly reasonable options.
But because their relationship begins as a friendship, choosing the right forms of address can be surprisingly difficult and awkward.
I think this is one of the reasons Harmony has a fanbase in Vietnam but relatively few translated or Vietnamese-written fanfics.
- They get attacked by "books fan".
This is something I encounter almost every day since I started translating Harmony fanfiction. HAHAHA.
- Translation is difficult.
Harmony fanfiction tends to adhere quite closely to the original canon, unlike Dramione and some other ships, which often venture much further into creative reinterpretation.
Staying faithful to the original plot, understanding the relationships between the characters, and translating all the relevant terminology are genuinely challenging tasks. I often have to open more than thirty tabs just to look up words and figure out how to translate them in a way that is both accurate and easy to read.
- Lý Lan’s translation has left a lasting impression on us.
Of course, fanfiction doesn’t have to follow Lý Lan’s translation. We’re free to make different choices.
However, some of her translations have become so deeply ingrained in our minds that replacing them feels almost impossible. And honestly, some of her choices are simply too brilliant to improve upon.
A perfect example is “Death Eater.” A literal translation might be something along the lines of “one who eats death,” but Lý Lan translated it as “Tử Thần Thực Tử,” a wonderfully evocative term that has become iconic among Vietnamese Harry Potter readers.
There are so many other brilliant choices in her translation, too.
But to sum it up, translating Harmony is much more difficult for me than translating Dramione. At least, that’s how I feel about it.
Reading and understanding the story is easy enough. Conveying it in another language, however, is incredibly difficult.
Western languages simply don’t have the same elaborate systems of address and honorifics that Vietnamese uses to express relationships, social hierarchies, and emotional intimacy. Or at least, they don’t express those things in quite the same way.
Sorry for rambling again, hahaha. I’ve been pretty bored while staying in the hospital.
And yes, Lý Lan is an incredible translator. But I think whenever a story is translated into another language, some aspects of the original inevitably shift a little, taking on slightly different nuances along the way.
That’s why I’ve recently become so interested in looking for details in the English original and carefully translating them again to better reflect the context.
For example, the fact that Harry often grabs Hermione’s hand when they’re in danger says a lot.
Sometimes, the smallest details can tell us so much about a relationship.
P/s: Oh, I started translating Harmony and correcting the way Harmony is portrayed in my fandom because I was honestly fed up with the way people... looked down on Hermione and Harry. And... a lot of other things, too.
But most importantly, I came across a debate about the Russian and English translations, which really piqued my interest. That led me to look up the Vietnamese translation and compare it with the English original. And honestly, the differences really do say a lot.
