Pirate translation of Harry Potter in record time

[Alexander Turcic]

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.

[hacker]

I wonder if this includes this missing pages from the printed copies that were being turned into electronic copies and put on sale in India.

I just mentioned this a few days ago... Could this be another "I Told You So"? <grin>

[TadW]

Originally Posted by Alexander

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.

Sounds to me like a grey area. If it comes to a legal case, I don't think the community would stand a chance against Rowling. Sure they can claim it to be "private", but what does it take to become part of the "private" community? Register with them and translate two sentences into German? I don't think that would justify.