The latest book has flown off shelves

A movie version of the popular series hit cinema screens on 16 November and is already breaking box office records on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Welsh Books Council will help Bloomsbury with financial and translation aid.

The council's editorial head Dewi Morris Jones said an announcement was imminent, but he foresaw difficulties with adaptation of words like "muggle".

"There will be problems because there are several terms and names that will be quite tough to translate into Welsh," he said.

"It will be quite a challenge to the translate or adaptor who takes it on.

"But something like 'muggle' could remain in Welsh, spelt differently.

"The important thing is that the Welsh text reads naturally and as an original piece of Welsh."

International magician

The Harry Potter series, in which the youngster - destined to become a master magician - is whisked away to learn his craft, has already been translated into French, Spanish and German.

Three UK publishers are said to have turned down former Chepstow schoolgirl Rowling before Bloomsbury stumped up �10,000 for 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,' published in 1997.

Chepstow-educated J.K. Rowling wrote the first book on a train

The fourth in the series was given a 1.5m first print run in the UK, but booksellers were rushed off their feet after holding special events to mark the occasion in July 2000.

Mr Jones added: "It's good news. It's nice that an English publisher has taken the initiative to publish Welsh editions itself.

"Obviously, they think there is a very good markets because Harry Potter is very popular at the moment.

"I should think sales would be very good in Welsh as well."

He said Bloomsbury had received information on several experienced Welsh authors primed to magic up the Welsh version.

The publisher is expected to liaise with the Welsh Books Council on the integrity of the stories.

The translation follows the reversioning of the BBC Teletubbies show into Welsh for S4C.

However, the Superted and Miracle Maker animations, for example, have made successful conversions from Welsh to English.