By J.K. Rowling

来自J.K.罗琳

Originally published on 

on Aug 10th 2015

发布在potter more于2015年8月10日

In the world of Harry Potter, a ghost is the transparent, three-dimensional imprint of a deceased witch or wizard, which continues to exist in the mortal world. Muggles cannot come back as ghosts, and the wisest witches and wizards choose not to. It is those with ‘unfinished business’, whether in the form of fear, guilt, regrets or overt attachment to the material world who refuse to move on to the next dimension.

在哈利波特的世界里，鬼魂是已故巫师的透明的、三维的印记，它继续存在于凡人的世界里。麻瓜是不会像幽灵一样回来的，而最聪明的巫师也不会这么做。是那些有“未完成的事情”的人，无论是以恐惧、内疚、后悔的形式，还是以对物质世界的公开依恋的形式，拒绝进入下一个维度。

Having chosen a feeble simulacrum of mortal life, ghosts are limited in what they can experience. No physical pleasure remains to them, and their knowledge and outlook remains at the level it had attained during life, so that old resentments (for instance, at having an incompletely severed neck) continue to rankle after several centuries. For this reason, ghosts tend to be poor company, on the whole. They are especially disappointing on the one subject that fascinates most people: ghosts cannot return a very sensible answer on what it is like to die, because they have chosen an impoverished version of life instead.

鬼魂选择了凡人生活中的一个微弱的拟像，它们所能体验的东西是有限的。身体上的愉悦仍然存在，他们的知识和观点仍然保持在生命中所达到的水平，因此，几个世纪后，旧的怨恨(例如，脖子未完全割断)仍在继续肆虐。因此，总的来说，鬼魂并不是一个好伙伴。他们在一个让大多数人着迷的问题上尤其令人失望:关于死亡是什么感觉，鬼魂无法给出一个非常明智的答案，因为他们选择了一种贫困的生活方式。

Ghosts can pass through solid objects without causing damage to themselves or the material, but create disturbances in water, fire and air. The temperature drops in the immediate vicinity of a ghost, an effect intensified if many congregate in the same place. Their appearance can also turn flames blue. Should part or all of a ghost pass through a living creature, the latter will experience a freezing sensation as though they have been plunged into ice-cold water.

幽灵可以穿过固体物体而不会对自身或物质造成伤害，但会在水、火和空气中产生干扰。幽灵附近的温度会下降，如果很多人聚集在同一个地方，这种效果会增强。它们的外表也能使火焰变成蓝色。鬼魂的一部分或全部通过一个活的生物，后者将体验到一种冰冷的感觉，就像他们被投入冰冷的水中一样。

Witches and wizards are much more susceptible to what Muggles call paranormal activity, and will see (and hear) ghosts plainly where a Muggle might only feel that a haunted place is cold or ‘creepy’. Muggles who insist that they see ghosts in perfect focus are either a) lying or b) wizards showing off – and in flagrant breach of the International Statute of Secrecy.

巫师们更容易受到麻瓜所谓的超自然活动的影响，他们能清楚地看到(听到)鬼魂，而麻瓜只会觉得闹鬼的地方很冷或“令人毛骨悚然”。那些坚持认为自己看到鬼魂的人要么是在撒谎，要么是在炫耀——而且公然违反了国际保密条例。