English translations of Asterix
Encyclopedia
All Asterix
stories by Goscinny
and Uderzo
which have been officially translated into English
were translated by Anthea Bell
and Derek Hockridge
. Their first volume was published by Brockhampton Press
in 1969. However there have been some additional translations, one in English prior to the Bell/Hockridge version and two in attempts to enter the U.S.
market.
Ranger was merged into Look and Learn
magazine and the series continued there for a time. Before the Hockbridge/Bell translations, English versions of Asterix cartoon movies often used the Ranger/Look and Learn names - Asterix remained Asterix but the village chief became Tunabrix rather than Vitalstatistix.
The stories which appeared were
The Sunday color comic between stories contained the end of one story and the start of the next, each as a half page.
. These are Asterix and the Great Crossing
in 1984, Asterix the Legionary
and Asterix at the Olympic Games
in 1992, and Asterix in Britain
and Asterix and Cleopatra
in 1995.
For copyright purposes most characters' names were changed. With Asterix never achieving great popularity in the United States, this series of retranslations was halted after these albums, leading to some confusion among the few American fans of the series (the other volumes were issued with the British translation in the same market).
This happens in the original as well, as with Geriatrix (French: Agecanonix — canonical age — a French expression meaning very old or ancient), but it is not common, while absurd names in English, such as Dubius Status, are reserved for minor or one-story characters. Fictional place names however tend to be equally silly in all translations, for example the four camps (castra) which surround Asterix's village: Compendium, Aquarium, Laudanum and Totorum (Tot o' rum, colloquial English for shot of rum) — in French this camp is called "Babaorum", a pun on baba au rhum or rum baba
, a popular French pastry. (In one of the American translations, one of these camps is named Nohappimedium.)
and Derek Hockridge
have been widely praised for their rendition of the English language edition, maintaining the spirit and humour of the original even when direct translation is impossible — as it often is when translating puns between languages which are not closely related. A good example occurs in Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield
— when Obelix redistributes the water in the spa pools by diving in, the other guests complain and the druid in charge arrives asking Vitalstatistix, "Where are your Gauls?" In the original French he responds Mes Gaulois sont dans la pleine ("My Gauls are in the full one") which is a play on a famous (in French) quote Les Gaulois sont dans la plaine ("The Gauls are on the plain") which of course sounds almost exactly the same, though not in English. Instead the translated reply is "Pooling your resources" (the water), a clever double entendre
on a common phrase even though the original pun is lost. L'avoir pleine also is a common French phrase for "to have one's fill", maybe a reference to the druid's potion
.
Sometimes nothing of the original joke is salvageable. In Asterix in Britain
, there is a scene in Londinium where a greengrocer argues with a buyer — in the next panel Obelix says (in French), "Why is that man wearing a melon?" This relies on the fact that the French word for melon is also the name for the iconic British bowler hat
; with no way to convey this in the English translation, in the British edition Obelix says, "I say, Asterix, I think this bridge is falling down" referring to the children's rhyme "London bridge is falling down", leaving the original joke incomplete. In the panel shown, the reply of the British man on the right was "Rather, old fruit!", in some publications of the book; a good pun and typical of the way the British address each other in Asterix in Britain. In the same book, much of the humor came from Goscinny's high-fidelity rendition of the English language using French words. This, of course, is totally lost by retranslation in English, but compensated for by making the British characters speak in an antiquated, early-twentieth-century style.
Sometimes the translators even go further and add humor of their own when it is appropriate. An example of this is in Asterix and the Goths
, where a group of Goths who kidnapped Getafix run puzzled through a forest populated by Romans looking for Asterix and Obelix, who they think are responsible for the kidnapping. In the original, the Goth chief says "Faut pas chercher à comprendre", meaning "We shouldn't try to understand", a common French phrase with no particular pun attached. In the English version, the chief instead comments "Ours is not to reason why", a reference to The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, which states in its third stanza
"Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die".
In earlier translations, such as in Ranger/Look and Learn, other versions of names have appeared. Panoramix remained the name of the Druid, while the village chieftain became Tunabrix (ton of bricks). Some of these were used in early English-language versions of cartoon movies.
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
stories by Goscinny
René Goscinny
René Goscinny was a French comics editor and writer, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris and Iznogoud with Jean Tabary.-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family...
and Uderzo
Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. He is best known for his work on the Astérix series, but also drew other comics such as Oumpah-pah, also in collaboration with René Goscinny.-Early life:...
which have been officially translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
were translated by Anthea Bell
Anthea Bell
Anthea Bell OBE is a British translator who has translated numerous literary works, especially children's literature, from French, German, Danish and Polish to English...
and Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge was born in 1934 in Wales and brought up in Birmingham. His degree at the University of Wales, Cardiff, was followed by teacher training at St Edmund Hall, Oxford...
. Their first volume was published by Brockhampton Press
Brockhampton Press
Brockhampton Press was a British publishing company, based in Leicester. Originally specialising in children's books, from about 1940, it published well known series, including Asterix, many of Enid Blyton's story collections and Scottish author Nigel Tranter's children's books.It is now an imprint...
in 1969. However there have been some additional translations, one in English prior to the Bell/Hockridge version and two in attempts to enter the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market.
Ranger magazine
Ranger was a British magazine for boys published in 1965 and 1966. It included a version of Asterix transferred to Britain. The strip was called "Britons Never Never Never Shall Be Slaves" with Asterix renamed Beric and Obelix being called "Son of Boadicea".Ranger was merged into Look and Learn
Look and Learn
Look and Learn was a British weekly educational magazine for children published by Fleetway Publications Ltd from 1962 until 1982. It contained educational text articles that covered a wide variety of topics from volcanoes to the Loch Ness Monster; a long running science fiction comic strip, The...
magazine and the series continued there for a time. Before the Hockbridge/Bell translations, English versions of Asterix cartoon movies often used the Ranger/Look and Learn names - Asterix remained Asterix but the village chief became Tunabrix rather than Vitalstatistix.
National Geographic
In their May, 1977 issue the publication featured an article called The Celts: Europe's Founders, the article featured a section called Vive Les Celts devoted to Asterix with a comic strip exculsivly drawn for the magazine. The inclusion of the article was an attempt by Asterix's creator to make the character well-known in the United States. The strip, which was the first to ever appear in the publication, was later reprinted in Asterix and the Class Act.American newspaper syndication
From November 1977 until early 1979 five albums were serialized in syndicated form in a number of North American newspapers. Since these were printed as part of the standard daily comics, and were broken into separately licenced but concurrent daily and Sunday strips, the art needed considerable reworking. This required editing a lot of the dialog. In addition, a number of names, jokes, and pieces of art were further changed to be more politically correct or idiomatic for the newspapers' family-oriented audience. The results were very different from the original translations. The stories printed appeared in essentially random order as well, and the experiment came to an end quickly.The stories which appeared were
- "Asterix the GladiatorAsterix the GladiatorAsterix the Gladiator is the fourth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo . It was first serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 126-168, in 1962.-Plot summary:...
" from November 27, 1977 to February 26, 1978 - "Asterix and CleopatraAsterix and CleopatraAsterix and Cleopatra is the sixth book in the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 215-257, in 1963.-Synopsis:...
" from February 26 to May 28, 1978 - "Asterix and the Great CrossingAsterix and the Great CrossingAsterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo .-Plot summary:...
" from May 28 to August 27, 1978 - "Asterix and the Big FightAsterix and the Big FightAsterix and the Big Fight is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is Le Combat des chefs and it was first published in serial form in Pilote magazines, issues 261-302, in 1964...
" from August 27 to November 26, 1978 - "Asterix in SpainAsterix in SpainAsterix in Spain is the fourteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo . It was originally serialized in the megazine Pilote, issues 498-519, in 1969, and translated into English in 1971...
" from November 26, 1978 to February 25, 1979 (however, most papers had dropped it well before the final date)
The Sunday color comic between stories contained the end of one story and the start of the next, each as a half page.
American albums
Robert Steven Caron translated five volumes into American EnglishAmerican English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
. These are Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo .-Plot summary:...
in 1984, Asterix the Legionary
Asterix the Legionary
Asterix the Legionary is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in Pilote magazine, issues 368-389, in 1966.-Synopsis:...
and Asterix at the Olympic Games
Asterix at the Olympic Games
Asterix at the Olympic Games is the 12th comic book album in the Asterix series. Serialized in Pilote issues 434-455 in 1968 , it was translated into English in 1972...
in 1992, and Asterix in Britain
Asterix in Britain
Asterix in Britain is the eighth in the Asterix comic book series. It was published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 307-334, in 1965, and in album form in 1966...
and Asterix and Cleopatra
Asterix and Cleopatra
Asterix and Cleopatra is the sixth book in the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 215-257, in 1963.-Synopsis:...
in 1995.
For copyright purposes most characters' names were changed. With Asterix never achieving great popularity in the United States, this series of retranslations was halted after these albums, leading to some confusion among the few American fans of the series (the other volumes were issued with the British translation in the same market).
Translating names
In Asterix stories, many of the original names are humorous due to their absurdity. For example, the bard is Assurancetourix (assurance tous risques or "comprehensive insurance"), the translation of which is pointless since the bard has no connection to insurance of any kind — it's the silliness that makes it humorous. To maintain the spirit and flow of the story the translators change the joke in the name to a comment on the character. Thus in the English language edition the bard's name is Cacofonix which is an allusion to the term cacophony (a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds), since the central trait of the bard character is that the Gauls all hate listening to his music.This happens in the original as well, as with Geriatrix (French: Agecanonix — canonical age — a French expression meaning very old or ancient), but it is not common, while absurd names in English, such as Dubius Status, are reserved for minor or one-story characters. Fictional place names however tend to be equally silly in all translations, for example the four camps (castra) which surround Asterix's village: Compendium, Aquarium, Laudanum and Totorum (Tot o' rum, colloquial English for shot of rum) — in French this camp is called "Babaorum", a pun on baba au rhum or rum baba
Rum baba
A rum baba or baba au rhum is a small yeast cake saturated in liquor, usually rum, and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream...
, a popular French pastry. (In one of the American translations, one of these camps is named Nohappimedium.)
Lost in translation
Anthea BellAnthea Bell
Anthea Bell OBE is a British translator who has translated numerous literary works, especially children's literature, from French, German, Danish and Polish to English...
and Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge
Derek Hockridge was born in 1934 in Wales and brought up in Birmingham. His degree at the University of Wales, Cardiff, was followed by teacher training at St Edmund Hall, Oxford...
have been widely praised for their rendition of the English language edition, maintaining the spirit and humour of the original even when direct translation is impossible — as it often is when translating puns between languages which are not closely related. A good example occurs in Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield
Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield
Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield is the eleventh volume in the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. It was originally published as a serial in Pilote issues 399-421 in 1967.The book is inspired by the battle of Alesia, where the Gaulish warrior chief...
— when Obelix redistributes the water in the spa pools by diving in, the other guests complain and the druid in charge arrives asking Vitalstatistix, "Where are your Gauls?" In the original French he responds Mes Gaulois sont dans la pleine ("My Gauls are in the full one") which is a play on a famous (in French) quote Les Gaulois sont dans la plaine ("The Gauls are on the plain") which of course sounds almost exactly the same, though not in English. Instead the translated reply is "Pooling your resources" (the water), a clever double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
on a common phrase even though the original pun is lost. L'avoir pleine also is a common French phrase for "to have one's fill", maybe a reference to the druid's potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
.
Sometimes nothing of the original joke is salvageable. In Asterix in Britain
Asterix in Britain
Asterix in Britain is the eighth in the Asterix comic book series. It was published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 307-334, in 1965, and in album form in 1966...
, there is a scene in Londinium where a greengrocer argues with a buyer — in the next panel Obelix says (in French), "Why is that man wearing a melon?" This relies on the fact that the French word for melon is also the name for the iconic British bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
; with no way to convey this in the English translation, in the British edition Obelix says, "I say, Asterix, I think this bridge is falling down" referring to the children's rhyme "London bridge is falling down", leaving the original joke incomplete. In the panel shown, the reply of the British man on the right was "Rather, old fruit!", in some publications of the book; a good pun and typical of the way the British address each other in Asterix in Britain. In the same book, much of the humor came from Goscinny's high-fidelity rendition of the English language using French words. This, of course, is totally lost by retranslation in English, but compensated for by making the British characters speak in an antiquated, early-twentieth-century style.
Sometimes the translators even go further and add humor of their own when it is appropriate. An example of this is in Asterix and the Goths
Asterix and the Goths
Asterix and the Goths is the third volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo . It was first published in 1963 in French and translated into English in 1974.-Plot summary:...
, where a group of Goths who kidnapped Getafix run puzzled through a forest populated by Romans looking for Asterix and Obelix, who they think are responsible for the kidnapping. In the original, the Goth chief says "Faut pas chercher à comprendre", meaning "We shouldn't try to understand", a common French phrase with no particular pun attached. In the English version, the chief instead comments "Ours is not to reason why", a reference to The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade (poem)
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" is an 1854 narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson about the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War...
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, which states in its third stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
"Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die".
In earlier translations, such as in Ranger/Look and Learn, other versions of names have appeared. Panoramix remained the name of the Druid, while the village chieftain became Tunabrix (ton of bricks). Some of these were used in early English-language versions of cartoon movies.
Comparison of names of major characters
| Original name (French) | Meaning | Description | British name | American name (Newspaper) | American name (Album) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astérix | asterisk Asterisk An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star... (because he is the star), also the medical term asterixis Asterixis Asterixis is a tremor of the wrist when the wrist is extended , sometimes said to resemble a bird flapping its wings. This motor disorder is characterized by jerking movements and is associated with various encephalopathies due especially to faulty metabolism... refers to a periodic loss of muscle tone, the opposite of what Astérix displays when he drinks the magic potion |
Gaulish warrior | Asterix Asterix (character) Asterix is a fictional character, the titular hero of the French comic book series The Adventures of Asterix.The series portrays him as a diminutive but fearless Gaulish warrior living in the time of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Asterix was created in 1959 by writer René Goscinny and illustrator... |
Asterix | Asterix |
| Obélix | obelisk Obelisk An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon... (An obelisk is similar to a menhir Menhir A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top... ; and the obelisk symbol Dagger (typography) A dagger, or obelisk. is a typographical symbol or glyph. The term "obelisk" derives from Greek , which means "little obelus"; from meaning "roasting spit"... † often follows the asterisk.) |
Menhir delivery man |
Obelix Obelix Obelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength... |
Obelix | Obelix |
| Idéfix | idée fixe (theme or obsession) | Obelix’s dog | Dogmatix Dogmatix Dogmatix is a fictional character, a tiny white dog who belongs to Obelix in the Asterix comics. Dogmatix is a pun on the words dog and dogmatic. In the original French his name is Idéfix, itself a pun on the French expression idée fixe meaning an obsession... |
Dogmatix | Dogmatix |
| Panoramix | Panorama (wide view) | Druid | Getafix | Readymix | Magigimmix |
| Abraracourcix | à bras raccourcis: (hit, lambast) violently | Village Chief | Vitalstatistix | Vitalstatistix | Macroeconomix |
| Bonemine | Bonne mine (healthy look) | Chief's Wife | Impedimenta | n/a | Belladonna |
| Agecanonix | âge canonique (canonical age) | Village elder | Geriatrix | Geriatrix | Arthritix |
| Assurancetourix | Assurance tous risques (comprehensive insurance) | Bard | Cacofonix | Cacofonix | Malacoustix |
| Cétautomatix | c'est automatique (it's automatic) | Blacksmith | Fulliautomatix | ||
| Ordralfabétix | ordre alphabétique (alphabetical order) | Fishmonger | Unhygienix | Fishtix | Epidemix |
| Iélosubmarine | Yellow Submarine Yellow Submarine (song) "Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver album and issued as a single, coupled with "Eleanor Rigby". The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks... |
Wife of Fishmonger | Bacteria | ||
| Falbala | Piece of clothing added to a dress, usually seen as a bad taste luxury | Minor recurring character | Panacea | n/a | Philharmonia |