Rather than wait for the official translated version, hundreds of eager
Harry Potter fans from Germany have bought an English copy of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and translated the book into German themselves.
Only 45 hours and 22 minutes after the English book had hit stores, the "Blitzübersetzung", or draft translation, of
Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz was complete. Under the rules of the collective, only those who contribute by translating or proofreading may see the final translated version. The official German edition of the sixth Harry Potter is due to be published by Carlsen Verlag on 01 October.
The community site has managed to avoid being shut down by the publishers because it claims a "private" status as a member forum and promises not to sell or distribute the translations beyond its circle. Clearly, this does not guarantee that one member could potentially leak the translated book onto a new Internet site - as if by magic.