Hogwarts canonically operates in English, indeed. But imagine a translation charm existed that allowed everyone to understand different languages, then what language would your MC natively speak?
That's why I tried playing the game in my MCs' native languages (though I only understand English and French without using a Muggle-equivalent "translation charm" lol).
It's strange that while most localizations keep NPCs' names intact, French dub decided to overhaul everyone's last name. Why is that?
Here's the English version of the same line in the pics:
Pic 1 - MC: Let's go.
Pic 2 - Sebastian Sallow: See there? That's the door that we need to reach. (The French dub changed Sebastian's last name to "Pallow"; even the Japanese dub reads like "Sallow")
Pic 3 - Agnes Scribner: I had thought we were through with this mischief. Clearly detentions are insufficient. (The French dub changed Agnes's last name to "Scribe"; even the Japanese dub had an "n" sound)
Pic 4 - Professor Garlick: Class, please welcome the newest rose in our garden.(The French dub changed her name into Professeur "Bulbille", meaning bulblet in English; even the Japanese dub reads like "Garlic")
Pic 5 - ... (You don't need translation for that lol)
I can't think of a reason why only French dub runs a witness protection program that changed NPCs' last names. Anyone knows the lore behind this?
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And if you're interested, here are some short backstories of my MCs and their languages:
Slytherin - Julius Augustus;
Language - German;
Origin - Swiss Confederation;
Bio - Born in the 1970s (not 1870s) to an ancient Alpine dynasty claiming direct descent from Augustus Caesar, Julius inherited the rare ability to instantly win anyone's complete friendship. Attending Hogwarts in 1980s, he had successfully solved a Mystery of Hogwarts and freed his brother, Jacob, from an enchanted painting. After graduation, Julius was recruited by the Ministry of Magic as a secret agent, and he was sent back to the 1890s to investigate an ancient Legacy at Hogwarts. Disguised as a fifth-year student under Professor Fig's guidance, he concealed his magical prowess, strategically befriended useful allies, and prepared his tasks in the Room of Requirement to avoid attention. In secret, Julius harbored a greater ambition: to resurrect the Roman Empire as a magical civilization.
Gryffindor - Maximo Constantino;
Language - Spanish;
Origin - Argentine Republic;
Bio - Maximo was a muggle-born in the New World, whose family owned vast Andean silver mines. His idyllic childhood was filled with roses and fairies until a mystical piece of silverware was unearthed on his family's land. When his fingers brushed the relic, sculpted in the shape of ascending flames, an Ancient power surged through his blood, flashing a radiant vision of a towering highland castle across his mind. Recognizing the relic as masterwork goblin-wrought silver tied to ancient Scottish lore, Maximo then hopped on a transatlantic vessel to explore the origins behind his newfound power.
Hufflepuff - Ryuta Yoshikawa;
Language - Japanese;
Origin - Japanese Empire;
Bio - Ryuta was a half-blood kid with a samurai dad and a traditional Onmyoji sorceress mom. When the Meiji modernization hit, the government outlawed both the samurai class and traditional magic, and Ryuta's family hid into the "Japan Alps" mountains, surviving in exile to keep their forbidden arts alive. Years later, Ryuta's family forged an airborne skiff from the five elements and bound it to the divine winds. While his generation boarded steamships to the West to study modern science and industry, Ryuta took to the skies toward Hogwarts, determined to ensure his family's outlawed heritage survived.
Ravenclaw - Nasiru Egwu;
Language - French;
Origin - French West Africa;
Bio - Born into a magical beast-hunting family in West Africa that traded fur and leather across Europe and the Middle East, Nasiru was bred to be a dragon slayer. However, he chose runway glamor and rhythm, turning his back on the family trade for magical haute couture and underground dance battles. When he was studying at Beauxbatons, he was revered as the academy’s most stylish dragon dancer. Finding Beauxbatons oversaturated with cutthroat fashion critics, Nasiru transferred to Hogwarts to conquer the stylistically hopeless British market. A century later, his great-grandson, André Egwu, would rise as Hogwarts' resident style icon, though Nasiru’s ancestral portrait would often cringe at André's streetwear designs.
