Gendered reporting verbs in the Italian translation of Harry Potter

This chapter investigates the extent to which translation affects gender representations in the Italian version of the Harry Potter book series. It uses a corpus stylistic approach to study reporting verbs in the Italian translations in order to: (i) examine whether and to what extent the gendered constructions identified in the original by the existing literature are present in the Italian version of the series; (ii) analyse the effects that the translators’ choices have on the original’s gendered representations, whether they are concealing, highlighting, or rewriting them. I use keyword analysis to compare the Italian verbs used in relation to the three protagonists of the novels – Harry, Ron, and Hermione – to identify specific features of their reported speech in translation. This step reveals gendered differences in the use of reporting verbs; for example, Hermione strilla (‘shrieks’) and squittisce (‘squeaks’), while Harry urla (‘shouts’) and Ron commenta (‘comments’). Then, I trace each of the key Italian verbs back to its English original, in order to check whether and to what extent character differences reflect gendered representations in the source texts. The findings show that the Italian translation of reporting verbs mirrors gender stereotypes already present in the original novels; however, these gendered representations are more consistent and marked in translation. Overall, this chapter not only expands the study of gender in the Harry Potter series beyond the exploration of its English version, but it also contributes to redress a gap in our understanding of the part translation plays in the transmission of the books’ gender ideologies.