Translating fantasy is a challenging task since it usually depicts fictional worlds that are located on the borders of the real and the imaginary. In addition to difficulties in working with occasional realia, the translation of domestic realia often causes difficulties, such realia in fantasy bestsellers are worthy material for studying translational approaches; one of these bestsellers is a series of novels about Harry Potter.
The purpose of this article is to determine the localization strategies of Russian and Czech translators of Harry Potter. Translation and linguacultural methods of analysis are used to identify the problem that appears in the process of the localization of realities; in some cases, an alternative translation is offered that takes into account the cultural characteristics of the original.