harry potter y la pieda philosofal
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i am american.. spanish is my third language. i have actually surprisingly never read the book yet in english(i will eventually) but i read it first in german, which is also not my mother language, but i think also with some of the critics that the translator could have done a better job. the gnome thing for example...no clue how they thought that one up..and i dont know if its just me that found this to be odd...but when mcgonagall reads the names off for the sorting hat...even in the narration are the names reversed(not just the dialog)..last and then first name....is that normal in spanish?? and they could have translated some of the names..like fluffy as someone already mentioned. i think the german version overall though was more captivating...the language was more lively...for example..the part when harry and friends let norbert go at the top tower, in the text in spanish it says...se iba..se iba...se habÃa ido....in german..fort..fort...verschwunden..the german version there made me laugh out loud....the spanish version didnt have the same feel at all......otherwise..the translation was still good enough to increase your vocab immensly if spanish is your second language..and the grammar is not near bad enough to make you pick up any bad habits or anything. its good to read harry potter as a foreign language because its not an impossible text, but yet its not really easy either.
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How can you miss?
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I had read the complaints about the translation, and so I didn't buy it, but it is now at our local library in Spanish! Ha! And I wondered, is my Spanish good enough to read this book? And is my Harry Potter quotient high enough to smooth that over? Will I even understand why people don't think the translation is great (since I had not seen any specific criticisms)? After reading through it (and only stumbling over what it is Mr. Dursley sells for a living -- I'll never forget "taladros" now!), I can pinpoint what I think the weaknesses are. Tiny flourishes are left out. The vocabulary used isn't as rich as the English. There are small interpretive errors (Filch is the one who says "Bien, bien, bien ..." when he catches Harry and Hermione out of bed, not Harry). But I think the Spanish language publishers did not understand how wide a target audience was available to them. It's a children's book, right? How complicated does it have to be? As the "Piedra filosofal" stands now, it's ... enchanting! I would recommend it for a classroom where students can see the use of real grammar in sentences they might actually enjoy reading or as a gift for the Pottermaniac in your home who is waiting waiting waiting for the next installment.
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Harry Potter y la piedra filosifal
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This book was excellent. The high school I attend doesn't have any Spanish classes past Spanish IV, so I am taking and independant study AP Spanish class. I am reading this book over the summer to keep myself thinking about Spanish, and it is increasing my vocabulary greatly. I understand more words the more I read. Since it is Harry Potter, it is fun to read and is not a chore. Everyone who has ever read a Harry Potter book knows they are impossible to put down, and Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal is no exception!
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The Wizard es Magico.
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Since I had already read this book in English, I was bascially looking for something easy in Spanish to keep my skills up. The book follows the English version word for word. Some of the words they choose for translation I found a little odd, but all in all, es un libro que es fácil leer y usted va a gustarlo mucho. Lo recomiendo.
Oz
WizardIsland.NET
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Great for non-native Spanish speakers!
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I studied Spanish in high school and university. I am far from a fluent speaker, though I don't think I'd get myself killed wandering around in Mexico or Spain. Having read all of the Harry Potter books in English many times, I decided to give this a try to brush up on my Spanish skills. I am only about 50 pages into it (reading Spanish takes me a lot longer than English!) but so far I am enjoying it immensely. Of course, it helps that I know what is happening, but that has also helped me with my understanding of the Spanish. I've really enjoyed this experience.
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