

Such was the clamour to read the fifth book that its English edition became the first English-language book ever to top the bookseller list in France. This necessary delay has boosted the sales of English language editions of the books to impatient fans, in countries where English is not the first language. Translators were not granted access to the books before their official release date in English hence, translation could start only after the English editions had been published, creating a lag of several months before the translations were made available. The publishers select translators locally. A list of authorised publishers can be read on J.

In France in 2003 the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, became the first book in English to top the French best-seller list. Impatient fans in many places simply bought the book in English instead. Additionally, regional adaptations of the books have been made to accommodate regional dialects such as the American English edition or the Valencian adaptation of Catalan.įor reasons of secrecy, translations were only allowed to begin after each book had been published in English, creating a lag of several months for readers of other languages. This includes languages diverse as Azerbaijani, Malayalam and Welsh as well as the dead languages Latin and Ancient Greek. Rowling is one of the most translated series of all time, with the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, having been translated into over 76 languages. The Harry Potter series of fantasy novels by J.

The Russian translation of The Deathly Hallows goes on sale in Moscow, 2007
