Harry’s name is cringe and Mrs. Dursley is a Karen. That’s how it is in a fan version that transforms Harry Potter into a text in the spirit of Generation Z – or at least their idea of how the generation speaks.
What is this text about? Every generation has its own way of speaking. Whether Boomers, Millennials or Generation Z, certain expressions are mainly used by a specific age group. However, people who do not belong to a specific generation tend to perceive this “generational slang” much more strongly than it actually is.
Some fans of Harry Potter “translate” the book series into the style of Generation Z, turning it into a kind of teenage comedy – because the translation is of course completely exaggerated and takes the “slang” of the generation to the extreme.
Dursleys flexing, Harry with the Sigma grindset
The highlights of the Gen Z translation: We fought our way through some pages of the Gen Z translation and jotted down a few highlights for you. However, the project is in English, so we only selected excerpts that are sensibly translatable into German.
- Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, liked to flex about how down-to-earth they were. Tbh, they were the last people you’d think would be sus. […] Mrs. Dursley was a total Karen and could never chill.
- Lily Potter was Mrs. Dursley’s sis, but Mrs. D ghosted her; irl (no cap), Mrs. D claimed to have no sister because Lil and her loser husband were just cringe.
- Harry was in his Sigma grindset and woke up mega early the next morning. He knew it was bright outside, but he kept his eyes closed. “That was just a dream,” he said to himself. “I was definitely tripping because no way did a giant named Hagrid tell me I’m going to a school for wizards.”
If you understand English and want to take a look at “Gen Z Harry Potter,” you can find books 1, 2, and 4 on Github.
What do the slang terms mean? If you’re having trouble understanding the quotes from the Gen Z translation, we’ll help you out:
- Flexing = showing off
- Tbh = to be honest
- sus = suspicious
- ghosting = ignoring
- irl = in real life
- no cap = no lie
- cringe = embarrassing
- Sigma/ Sigma Male = confident, solitary man
- Grindset = the mindset of “Sigmas” that prioritizes work and success, kind of like grinding; a mindset focused on the grind
- safe = definitely, for sure
- tripping = being high, hallucinating
- no way = no chance, never
You will probably mostly hear these terms among members of Generation Z or young Millennials. However, there are also expressions that are primarily used by Boomers and that younger generations shake their heads at: 5 things that only Boomers say and Gen Z would never say
