September 1st is almost here - it’s finally time to start reading!
We’ll spend 2 weeks on chapter 1, September 1-13. The home thread for this bookclub is here.
Who will read Harry Potter now?
0 voters
How is “haven’t reached this part” even possible? 
Already finished reading but looking forward to the discussion!
Feel free to start the discussion too. Anything you found interessting or didn’t fully grasp why it was written a certain way or how some grammar construct works is fair game here!
Let’s see how much time I can set aside for Harry Potter. I will start with the kindle test version wich has around 1 1/2 chapters as far as I can see so I should be set to follow for at least 3 weeks.
Anyone who’s using the PC kindle reader know how to translate directly? I’m assuming you can’t. As of right now, I think I’mma just have two tabs open, the kindle reader for Japanese, and the English version in another. Also the vocab list.
Also, for those who find this way above your level like I do, what is your process? Just slowly grinding through sentence by sentence? Are you attempting entire sentences in Japanese first, or you trying to understand each word as you cross it. Sorry I’m new to this. 
My plan is to:
I will probably not understand everything, but I’ll hopefully be able to understand more and more as we go along.
Why read Harry Potter one time when you can do it four times
me too! Maybe we should get an option in the poll 
My plan is to read through a small section up to a comma or full stop and make out as much as I can on my own, even if this is just saying hiragana and furigana to myself with no clue of meaning. Then I’ll try look up any vocab and grammar in that section to try and get a gist of what is being said. After each sentence/paragraph, I’ll compare with the English version. If the difference is huge then I’ll spend more time on that part.
If it’s anything like the game I switched to Japanese, I hope to get through maybe 10-25 sentences a day depending on the length of the sentences and how much I focus.
And now I’m rereading it just so I can start the discussion. 
Sentence with interesting vocabulary/grammar points:
どこを探したってこんなにできのいい子はいやしない、というのが二人の親バカの意見だった。
This is a description of Dudley Dursley.
出来 でき Noun
出来のいい子 = “good quality child”
やしない auxiliary verb
いやしない = “doesn’t exist”
親バカ Noun
“His doting parents’ opinion was that no matter where you searched, a child of such good quality couldn’t exist.”
Since the poll doesn’t show who voted, guess I’ll check in with a comment!
Well, I’ll be doing the opposite of mentioned above.
I will read page by page first in Japanese and then in English.
I might look back and forth to figure out some specific words.
I use the HUGE illustrated version, so hope the text corresponds more or less, since they have to follow the images, and they are exactly 246 pages each too =)
You are Norwegian too, right? Have you tried to read the Norwegian and the Japanese versions side by side? It’s crazy how different they are from each other, and yet both are translated from the same English source. Reading two translations side by side is not recommended!
It’s also way above my level, and I plan on mostly “going with the flow”. Reading one sentence at a time and seeing what I get. Getting things mostly through the context or through my memory of the story (which I’ve read at least 4 times before 
). Occasionally checking a few words and grammar points, or comparing with the English version.
The approach of grinding through and dissecting each sentence is valuable, and I’ve tried it before with shorter pieces (song lyrics are great for this). But for a longer piece, I think it’s too intense and demanding, even more so if the material is way above one’s level!
I think this is like the difference between someone who uses a metal detector to carefully and methodically scan a piece of land, and a young puppy who just enjoys running happily through the grass, pausing here and there to sniff some flowers, rocks and sticks. 
I was just going to read the Japanese version and then use this Harry Potter vocab list for words I didn’t know. But now I’m thinking I might read along with the English version as well… I still have two days to decide I guess haha.
Did you get the spit version or nah?
0 voters
I got split because I liked the covers better on the split one 
I guess my massive still counts as single version, even though it is not the same version
I haven’t done any Japanese/Norwegian yet, but I do OWN the Norwegian version of Harry Potter book 1, so I could. I just hate that translation so much! 
Hummlesnur the principle of Galtvort and professor Slur and why did they translate names
I could always go ALL the way and compare it to the British, Norwegian AND American version! I have them all!
And speaking of translations, why does the American version even exist?! (I bought it by accident, only found out after I got home that it was the “wrong” version 
At least I can use that as an excuse to buy the illustrated versions in British 
)
Two years ago I did Kiki Japanese/Swedish though, since it theoretically is inspired by Sweden! (actually found that out after, Swedish was the only version I could find at the time, as the English was super over priced! XD Now i got the new English translation to read along side it =P )
So, very first sentence of the book, how would people render the nuances of まとも in English? 
I tried to read it on the ebook version I have an my phone, but the page won’t load. Can you share the whole sentence?
プリベット通り四番地の住人ダースリー夫婦は、「おかげさまで、私どもはどこから見てもまともな人間です」というのを自慢にしていた。
