New Swedish translation

[Nenya]

Talking about translations on the whole, how do you feel about translating proper names that have an actual meaning of sorts, e.g. Bag end and Brandywine? In the finnish translation of LotR most of these names have been translated, including such important ones as the Shire (which would of course propose huge problems when left untranslated) and Baggins.
The translations are almost all good - though I object to the unnecessary changing of Merry to "Merri" - and I can see the necessity for them, but it's still somehow sad to see how the wonderfully quirky names that we know Tolkien put so much time into creating have been modiefied and changed by others. Oh well, you can't have your cake and it eat too, I guess.

[Mithalwen]

I suppose if they are translated really well, with serious consideration of the rationale Tolkien expressed in the appendices, then it would be better to translate than not - unless you believe that the Shire has to retain it's English "feel" . Many of the hobbit names (but not Bilbo or Frodo) are similar to English names even if Toby is short for Tobold not Tobias and most of the surnames are clearly English, albeit slightly silly English.

Well the point I am trying to make is that the hobbit names are familiar to English reader in the way that the names of elves, dwarves, Gondor and even Rohan are not. It seems reasonable that the hobbit names should be rendered into things that are familiar in the translated language.

Certainly it should be done with care - the HP one that upset was making Prof Dumbledore Prof Silencio in Italian. Dumbledore is an old word for bumblebee and was chosen to suggest constant activity and a buzzing mind. Silencio picked up on the "dumb" bit only. I have the French versions of HP and I am not too keen on some of the names. I would be intrigued to see what they did with LOTR.

[Guinevere]

Since you are talking of translations I allow myself to give a link to my old thread here Tolkien Translations
The problems of the translated English names are discussed from post # 20 on.

On one hand I can understand the translator's reasoning that according to the fiction all the names that are supposed to be in "the common tongue" are therefore to be translated as well as the whole narrative.

On the other hand I feel not only that much local colour is lost that way (see the quotes from Tolkien's letters! The Shire is in England and nowhere else!) but in international discussions (let alone quizzes) it is very confusing to have different names for one and the same character! And since the movies people had to get used to the English names now anyhow!

I hope and think the new Swedish translation must be better - Tolkien was particularly annoyed with the first Swedish translation, as the translator seems to have taken a lot of liberties...