Ethnic, racial and national stereotypes in their respective dubs.

[Lance.Uppercut]

The Simpsons hasn't been shy about making jokes at other countries' expense, or at their people. What happens in the dubs? How did they dub Nicolas Sarkozy, in the French dubs, or the Bumblebee Man in the Latin American Spanish version? Or, on a related note, do they do anything strange with the stereotypes in dubs elsewhere?

Some examples: I've watched the German dub extensively, and the dubbing team does their best in translating the humor to a German audience. In S3's "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" (which is incorrect German and was called "Kraftwerk zu verkaufen", or "Power Plant for Sale", in the German dub), the plant is handed over to German businessmen. In the German dub, everyone in Springfield speaks High German anyway, so they give the German characters distinct regional dialects. The same goes for S16's "The Heartbroke Kid", in which the Simpsons' home is harbored by German backpackers.

Carl Carlson gets a kind of African accent in the Quebec French dub, and Kirk Van Houten a stereotypical Belgian dialect in the Parisian French dub. What other examples are there?

[Dark Homer]

That's pretty interesting, I've always wondered about that

Semi-offtopic, how do they deal with scenes where a character is talking in a foreign language when the show is dubbed in that foreign language?

[travisaholland]

My apologies for being a little academic about it, but I have a great article by Chiara Ferrari dealing with this exact issue in relation to Italy. She basically says that they dub different characters to voices of different regions associated with stereotypes that approximate with their American depictions. One really prominent example is Willie. Italians don't have the same stereotype of Scots that Americans do, so Willie actually becomes an immigrant from Sardinia, a mostly rural Italian island. Similarly, Wiggum is given a Neapolitan accent because it is closely associated with comedy in Italy.

I'm actually writing a thesis on a linked topic, how the idea of nation is created in the show, which relies heavily on examples of particular nations.

The full reference to the Italy article is:
Ferrari, C., 2009. Dubbing The Simpsons: Or How Groundskeeper Willie Lost His Kilt in Sardinia. Journal of Film and Video, 61(2), pp.19-37.

[Lance.Uppercut]

Travis, I don't mind you getting academic about it at all! I read that same article a few months back and found that Ferrari did a great job at explaining the complicated dubbing process for the Italian dub. Each country does their own dub, and it's the Italian dub - perhaps next to the Quebec French dub - that has the higher production values, more accurate soundalikes and the most changed / rewritten animation. I like how Homer, in the Italian dub, sometimes dips into regional Italian accents and voices. Tonino Accolla's Homer voice is so versatile!

If you consider that Springfield is a microcosm, with people representing huge subsets of American culture (Lovejoy representing the Christian community, Wiggum (er, excuse me: Winchester!) representing the "long, flabby arm of the law"), then you may want to see how that whole community is turned upside-down in the Arabic dub, which doesn't take place in Springfield proper.

In the 2005 Arabic dub, the show is rewritten to take place in Rabea (Arabic for "spring"), which is written as an American town with a strong Arab population. All the names are changed and a lot of the signs were rewritten or subtitled in Arabic. What happens when Krusty isn't Jewish or when the American baseball players from S3's Homer at the Bat are restructured with Arabic names? Or in the Quebec French dub, where most of the references are changed to Canadian ones, even though they'd be obscure by American standards?

Hell, the Quebec French King of the Hill (or Henri pis sa gang) is rewritten to take place in Quebec. Some community.

If the characters in a dub are speaking that language, they typically rewrite the dialogue and have to come up with new jokes and situations. For example, when Bart visits France in S1, his epiphany is learning to speak French in one of the more moving scenes of the season. In the French dubs, I think they rewrite it that, in the Quebec dub, he picks up on the Parisian French dialect after struggling for a while and, in the Parisian French dub, he picks up on different types of wine (or winemaking), which is considered an important part of French culture - and is integral to the plot of the episode.

For the German dub, if characters ever speak German (Homer singing 99 Lufballons in S16, Lisa with her German verb wheel in S8) the family singing O Tannenbaum in S22), they have the German voice actors just re-record it German. It loses the novelty of the fact that it's the American voice actors speaking in German.

I'd like to see how they rewrote "The Italian Bob" and "The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas", two S17 episodes, into Italian.

What else is out there?

[simpsonsbart]

In Parisian French version, Carl is given an inflected French accent, because of his skin. Note that, Lou's got the same accent too. Note that, they've the same French dubber (Patrick Guillemin from Season 1 to 9, and Pierre Laurent since the 10th Season).

In the Original version, Apu is given a very light Indian accent, but, in Parisian French version, he's given a very strong Indian accent.

In the same version, Raphael is given a Marseilles accent.

[Flimpson Tide]

As far as King of the Hill taking place in Quebec (this sounds so crazy just typing this), I suppose you can rewrite dialogue all you want, but what about artwork such as American flags or entire American-based episodes, like Born Again on the 4th of July? If Krusty's not Jewish in the Arabic version, how can they possibly work with his occasional yamaka, or a whole episode like Today I Am a Clown where all the rewriting in the world won't hide the animation's depictions of Judaism?

When I "watched" The Simpsons on a trip to Costa Rica, they were showing Homer and Apu. Everything was dubbed, but the "Who needs the Kwik E Mart" song wasn't even attempted to be translated to Spanish. I'm sure everybody already knew this from Spanish language settings on the DVDs, but for the one person who didn't, hooray, you learned something today.

[Lance.Uppercut]

It's up to the dubbers whether they translate the songs. Most choose not to; when popular songs play, they don't translate the lyrics - except in the Arabic version. The songs are translated in the French versions, the Italian dub and were translated once or twice in the German dub (for example, the "dialogue" in All Singing, All Dancing and Homer's walking song in S14). Otherwise, most prefer to use subtitles, as it retains the rhythm and rhyme scheme of the original.

For King of the Hill in Quebec, I think that, paradoxically, they keep in the American iconography like flags and maps of Texas. Maybe they rewrite the "4th of July" ep as one that takes place on Bastille Day or something.

For The Simpsons in Arabic, they wrote out the fact that Krusty's Jewish or that Apu is Hindu; episodes like Today I am a Klown and S3's Like Father, Like Clown weren't translated for Arabic audiences. The ones they did pick for the Arabic translation include...

Treehouse of Horror
Homer at the Bat
Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?
Black Widower
Stark Raving Dad (yes, with an Arabic-speaking Michael Jackson impersonator, with "Happy Birthday Lisa" sung in Arabic)
Bart the Lover (the name of the guy in the want ad was changed from Woodrow to Roosevelt)
Homer Defined

and a few others. Shots of Homer being lazy, a girl with large breasts in Homer Defined and a few other shots and even entire episodes were cut. The Arabic dub wasn't very successful.

[irvine_11]

Was this the same Arabic dub where Homer drank juice instead of beer?

I remember reading that and thinking that was a huge mistake.

[Lance.Uppercut]

Was this the same Arabic dub where Homer drank juice instead of beer?

I remember reading that and thinking that was a huge mistake.

Yeah, that's the same dub.

[travisaholland]

The reactions of audiences/broadcasters to episodes featuring their country is fascinating. Bart vs Australia was widely panned in Australia at first, but I think people have come to love it now. Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo wasn't aired in Japan because of the representations of the Emperor, and the Brazilian episode Blame it on Lisa brought threat of a lawsuit from the Rio de Janeiro tourism board. I've also read that Japanese culture considers missing fingers to be evidence of menial work and that producers have been lobbied to redraw the characters just for Japan because of this.

[simpsonsbart]

Oh... I frogot that!

In the original and Parisian French version, Moe has an accent, maybe Dutch or something like that.

We already know he pronounces "Woh" instead of "Wah", "Nah" instead of "No" (and, in Parisian French version, "Naon" or "Nan" instead of "Non"), "Whaa" instead of "What", etc.

And, sometimes, in the Parisian French version, he calls Homer "Homar".

And Guy Incognito has an Italian accent in the Parisian French version.

The Parisian French version is one of the heavily version in accents, even the first. She has always respected the character's origins: Kirk and Luann have Flemmish accent, Apu has a very, very strong Indian accent, Rich Texan has an American accent, etc.

[Lance.Uppercut]

Some of those make sense; other instances baffle me. There was that S12 episode where Homer was replaced by a "German double"; in the German dub, it was an Italian double. Uter is re-written in German as a Swiss boy and uses typical Swiss German expressions and speaks in a heavy accent.

[Mr Black]

racial.

[Pops]

My mates and I have been toying with the idea of doing a 'British' dub using regional accents from all around the UK just for the sheer madness of it. a bit off topic but still.
our 1st idea was to have certain characters speak with the following accents.

The Simpsons themselves : Yorkshire Accents

Mr Burns: very plummy and posh but when he goes all feeble it softens a bit.

Apu: a soft Birmingham accent whilst retaining a slight asian twang.

Ned Flanders: A Welsh lilt, it just suits him.

Cheif Wiggum and the coppers: Cockney accents.

Ralph: A proper Yam-Yam (black country) accent.

that's all we have for now.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Sweet thread, I always did wonder about this stuff.

[simpsonsbart]

In the Parisian French version of "Guess Who's coming criticize the dinner?", French cook is dubbed with Russian accent.

[Malaise Forever]

In "Crepes of Wrath" Bart speaks to the French Officer with a pronounced Quebec accent so he has to swith to a French accent so he can understand him.

[simpsonsbart]

In the Parisian French version of "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", Mr Lacoste becomes Mr Corrida, who speaking with strong Spanish accent.

[Lance.Uppercut]

In the Parisian French version of "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", Mr Lacoste becomes Mr Corrida, who speaking with strong Spanish accent.

Oh, that's not fair. That waiter was one of the highlights of that episode, although his clumsiness probably wasn't doing the French many favors. I imagine how there had to be a contrast somehow (how can he be a national stereotype if, in the French dub, he'd appear as French?), but I can't help but feel something was lost. Interesting information, though.

[simpsonsbart]

In the Parisian French version, he's Spanish, because Freddy Quimby and the others speak Parisian French.

[Lance.Uppercut]

Oh, so they can probably still do the "schaudair" / "chowdah" (chowder) gag pretty well. Freddy Quimby was so boorish.

[simpsonsbart]

No. Instead of "Chowder" who the waiter pronounces "Shaudair", it is "Cresson" (Cress in French), who the waiter pronounces "Clessone"

[Lance.Uppercut]

Aha. This kind of discussion makes me wish I knew a third language.

[simpsonsbart]

I forgot: Dr. Nick hasn't got an accent in the original version, but, in Parisian French version, he's got an Italian accent.

[Lance.Uppercut]

I forgot: Dr. Nick hasn't got an accent in the original version, but, in Parisian French version, he's got an Italian accent.

The hell'd they do that for? Riviera's a Spanish last name. In the Latin American version, they sometimes call him Dr. Sables. In German, he's sometimes dubbed with a "vaguely non-German European" accept (mostly just doing a strange thing with intonation and how his "r"'s are pronounced) and sometimes with just a goofy-sounding voice to, I suppose, indicate that he's a goofy quack.

[Pops]

In the 'British Dub' I was toying with he'll speak with a sleazy Mexican accent. It's the best we could do.

[Lance.Uppercut]

In the 'British Dub' I was toying with he'll speak with a sleazy Mexican accent. It's the best we could do.

I don't understands your tenses. I remember you mentioning your 'British Dub' before; does this mean you're done and that the dub is almost ready to watch? I'd be interested in seeing it. Oh, and perhaps you'd know; I heard there was a Gaelic dub. Do you know if that exists or if there's any information on it?

[Pops]

It's being planned, we just need to plan the voices and certain episodes we can use.

[Lance.Uppercut]

I'm very much looking forward to that. It'll be like the Italian dub! Many of the secondary characters get regional dialects (I'm sorry if I've been using the words "accent" and "dialect" interchangeably. Laziness on my part).