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Difference between revisions of "Non-English versions"

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
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It is one of only a handful of American television shows that have wholly separate dubbed versions in Quebec and France, and a number of studies have been made comparing them. In France all the characters speak standard French with a strong Parisian accent, with the exception of the ethnic minorities: [[Apu]] is given the Portuguese accent common to French shop keepers while [[Carl]], who has no accent in the American version, also speaks inflected French. [[Kirk Van Houten]] is given a stereotypical Belgian accent.<ref>Actually, the Brussels accent generally associated with Belgium by the French public. "Van Houten" is a name which can be assumed to be Belgian.</ref> In the Quebec version only the town elite, such as [[Principal Skinner]] and [[Reverend Lovejoy]], speak International French. The Simpson family and most of the townsfolk speak Quebec French with strong ''Québécois'' accents. In the Quebec version the ethnic minorities also have accents. Apu speaks in a creole while Carl has the accent of a Black immigrant from Africa or the Caribbean.<ref>[http://www.randomwalks.com/2000/09/the_simpson_clan_lives_in.html randomWalks: The Simpson clan lives in<div style="display:none;"> Bot generated title </div>]</ref>
 
It is one of only a handful of American television shows that have wholly separate dubbed versions in Quebec and France, and a number of studies have been made comparing them. In France all the characters speak standard French with a strong Parisian accent, with the exception of the ethnic minorities: [[Apu]] is given the Portuguese accent common to French shop keepers while [[Carl]], who has no accent in the American version, also speaks inflected French. [[Kirk Van Houten]] is given a stereotypical Belgian accent.<ref>Actually, the Brussels accent generally associated with Belgium by the French public. "Van Houten" is a name which can be assumed to be Belgian.</ref> In the Quebec version only the town elite, such as [[Principal Skinner]] and [[Reverend Lovejoy]], speak International French. The Simpson family and most of the townsfolk speak Quebec French with strong ''Québécois'' accents. In the Quebec version the ethnic minorities also have accents. Apu speaks in a creole while Carl has the accent of a Black immigrant from Africa or the Caribbean.<ref>[http://www.randomwalks.com/2000/09/the_simpson_clan_lives_in.html randomWalks: The Simpson clan lives in<div style="display:none;"> Bot generated title </div>]</ref>
  
Local idioms are occasionally adopted in place of direct translation. American cultural and political jokes are occasionally replaced with local references. For instance, a reference to Newt Gingrich in Quebec is generally replaced with one to Mike Harris. Most of the recurring characters keep their English names in each French version. Two exceptions are [[Sideshow Bob]] and [[Sideshow Mel]], who are known as Tahiti Bob and Tahiti Mel in France, as the word ''sideshow'' has no direct translation. In Quebec, the title ''sideshow'' is kept as an Anglicism. Another exception is made for Simpsons family's dog, [[Santa's Little Helper]], who is called "Le p'tit renne au nez rouge" (Little Red-Nosed Reindeer) in the Quebec version and "Petit Papa Noël" (Little Santa) in the French one.
+
Local idioms are occasionally adopted in place of direct translation. American cultural and political jokes are occasionally replaced with local references. For instance, a reference to Newt Gingrich in Quebec is generally replaced with one to Mike Harris. Most of the recurring characters keep their English names in each French version. Two exceptions are [[Sideshow Bob]] and [[Sideshow Mel]], who are known as Tahiti Bob and Tahiti Mel in France, as the word ''sideshow'' has no direct translation. In Quebec, the title ''sideshow'' is kept as an Anglicism. Another exception is made for the Simpson family's dog, [[Santa's Little Helper]], who is called "Le p'tit renne au nez rouge" (Little Red-Nosed Reindeer) in the Quebec version and "Petit Papa Noël" (Little Santa) in the French one.
  
 
The episodes are dubbed by a team of voice actors, similar to the one that does the original. The team does about two episodes per day. In general these voice actors also do the characters who were voiced by celebrities in the American version. In the French version, on occasion, official dubbers are brought in. For instance for the episode where [[Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully|Scully]] from the ''X-Files'' appear the voice actors who do their voices on the French version of the ''X-Files'' guest starred.
 
The episodes are dubbed by a team of voice actors, similar to the one that does the original. The team does about two episodes per day. In general these voice actors also do the characters who were voiced by celebrities in the American version. In the French version, on occasion, official dubbers are brought in. For instance for the episode where [[Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully|Scully]] from the ''X-Files'' appear the voice actors who do their voices on the French version of the ''X-Files'' guest starred.
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{{TB|{{W|Junpei Takiguchi}}}}
 
{{TB|{{W|Junpei Takiguchi}}}}
 
{{TBT|[[Ned Flanders]]}}
 
{{TBT|[[Ned Flanders]]}}
{{TRs|Minoru Inaba|2]}}
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{{TRs|Minoru Inaba|2}}
 
{{TBT|[[Moe Szyslak]]}}
 
{{TBT|[[Moe Szyslak]]}}
 
{{TBT|[[Maude Flanders]]}}
 
{{TBT|[[Maude Flanders]]}}

Latest revision as of 09:37, November 8, 2024

The Simpsons has been broadcast in the United States since 1987 on FOX. In other countries, the TV show also started to be broadcast few times later 1987, either in its original version or in a dubbed version.

In addition to these non-English versions, The Simpsons Movie has also been dubbed in languages for which there is no TV series dubbed version. This is a list over the voice cast of all the different languages.

By language[edit]

languages listed here are those broadcast by television channels of different countries

Arabic[edit]

The show was first broadcast in the area in its original language with Arabic subtitles on networks like Showtime Arabia and Dubai's One TV, where it received a following in the area. The vast majority of all airings of the series on television channels in Arab countries (including all current broadcasts of the series) have been in English with Arabic subtitles.

The show finally received an Arabic dub in September 2005, under a title that transliterates as "Al-Shamshoon" (in Arabic, الشمشون) In addition to being dubbed into Egyptian Arabic (with subtitles provided for shots including written English, such as the chalkboards), references to alcohol (Duff Beer & Moe's Tavern), pork (bacon & hot dogs), and numerous other themes have been deleted or significantly modified. For instance, Homer drinks soda-pop instead of beer and eats beef sausages as opposed to pork and all references to Moe's Tavern were cut. The characters were also given typical Arabic names such as "Omar", "Mona" and "Abar" for Homer, Marge and Bart respectively as part of the retooling, while voices were provided by leading actors including Egyptian film star Mohamed Henedi as "Omar" and Hanan Tork as Lisa, and their hometown "Springfield" was called "Rabeea" (Arabic for Spring) and made it look like an American town with a major Arab population. Another major modification was that the Simpsons attended mosque instead of church to reflect an Islamic theme of the show. This dubbed version of the series did not fare very well in the Middle East nations, and only 34 of the 52 adapted episodes aired.[1]

Catalan[edit]

When the show first aired on TVE (in the early 90s), it aired in both Catalan and Spanish for the audience in Catalonia. Later, when Antena 3 bought the rights for the show, it also aired some episodes in both Catalan and Spanish for a brief period (within 1995) in Catalonia. Not long after, the Catalan dub fell into oblivion.

Dutch[edit]

The TV show is currently broadcast by Comedy Central undubbed, and formerly on SBS 6, with subtitles, which is usual for foreign-language TV shows and movies in the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking parrs of Belgium. However, the series was actually briefly aired on RTL 4 with a Dutch dub. Additionally, the movie received a dubbing in Dutch for its theatrical release in the Netherlands. Another Dutch dub of the movie was produced specifically for its release in Belgium, featuring Flemish actors. Names of the characters remain unchanged.[2]

The Netherlands[edit]

The Dutch movie voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Reinder van der Naalt
Marge Simpson Georgina Verbaan
Bart Simpson Marjolein Algera
Lisa Simpson Niki Romijn
Otto Mann, Waylon Smithers, Jr. fr:Fred Meijer

Belgium[edit]

The Flemish movie voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Chris Van den Durpel
Marge Simpson Tania Van der Sanden
Bart Simpson Vicky Florus
Lisa Simpson Mieke Laureys

French[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed into the French language twice; once in the Canadian province of Quebec, and again in France. In both versions, the show is named Les Simpson, as last names are not pluralized in French. Matt Groening has stated that the Quebec version of the series is the best translation of the show in another language in the world. The French audio on the Region 1 DVDs is the Quebec dub.

It is one of only a handful of American television shows that have wholly separate dubbed versions in Quebec and France, and a number of studies have been made comparing them. In France all the characters speak standard French with a strong Parisian accent, with the exception of the ethnic minorities: Apu is given the Portuguese accent common to French shop keepers while Carl, who has no accent in the American version, also speaks inflected French. Kirk Van Houten is given a stereotypical Belgian accent.[3] In the Quebec version only the town elite, such as Principal Skinner and Reverend Lovejoy, speak International French. The Simpson family and most of the townsfolk speak Quebec French with strong Québécois accents. In the Quebec version the ethnic minorities also have accents. Apu speaks in a creole while Carl has the accent of a Black immigrant from Africa or the Caribbean.[4]

Local idioms are occasionally adopted in place of direct translation. American cultural and political jokes are occasionally replaced with local references. For instance, a reference to Newt Gingrich in Quebec is generally replaced with one to Mike Harris. Most of the recurring characters keep their English names in each French version. Two exceptions are Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel, who are known as Tahiti Bob and Tahiti Mel in France, as the word sideshow has no direct translation. In Quebec, the title sideshow is kept as an Anglicism. Another exception is made for the Simpson family's dog, Santa's Little Helper, who is called "Le p'tit renne au nez rouge" (Little Red-Nosed Reindeer) in the Quebec version and "Petit Papa Noël" (Little Santa) in the French one.

The episodes are dubbed by a team of voice actors, similar to the one that does the original. The team does about two episodes per day. In general these voice actors also do the characters who were voiced by celebrities in the American version. In the French version, on occasion, official dubbers are brought in. For instance for the episode where Mulder and Scully from the X-Files appear the voice actors who do their voices on the French version of the X-Files guest starred.

The animation of the show is not changed, and what is in writing in English appears in English, subtitled in French, in the two French versions. One important exception is the blackboard joke at the beginning of each episode. The Quebec and France versions share these French language blackboard scenes.

In July 2007 Matt Groening said in an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that the actor (Philippe Peythieu) who does the voice of France French Homer says "Toe!" instead of Homer's trademark "D'oh!". This comes from the actor misreading the line the first time he did Homer's voice and has been that way ever since.

Philippe Peythieu, the France French voice of Homer, and Véronique Augereau, the France French voice of Marge, first met on the dubbing of the series and are now married, just like their animated counterparts. On April 8, 2007, Peythieu and Augereau hosted "in character" a special prime-time compilation of their favorite Simpsons episodes on French cable channel W9.[5]

Although the location and setting of the show are not changed in the Quebec dub (still takes place in the United States), many references to the characters watching American TV shows, movies, etc. are changed to references to Québécois ones (the same is done in the Quebec dub of King of the Hill, done by the same company). For example, a reference to Homer watching CSI: Miami in the original was changed to Fortier, a similar Québécois show. Although these changed references would be familiar to the French-Canadian viewer, in real life these would be awkward because almost all Québécois media is unknown in the USA. In addition, most instances of the word "English" are changed to "French". Due to this, in one episode where Homer visits Canada, the roles of anglophones and francophones are completely reversed, resulting in a stereotypical English Canadian speaking French and a stereotypical French Canadian speaking English.

Most Québécois who know about the France version are not too fond of it; the humor is completely different. Télétoon, which broadcasts the Quebec Simpsons dub, also once broadcasted France dubs of Futurama (also created by Matt Groening) and Family Guy, two shows similar to The Simpsons whose French dubs were also similar to The Simpsons' Parisian dub. Although The Simpsons has been on Télétoon long before the other two shows, Futurama and Family Guy are no longer shown on the network, while The Simpsons continues to be aired. Although this could have been done because there were no more French episodes of Futurama and Family Guy to air (reruns were repeatedly aired), it could as well have been because of a lack of popularity- Télétoon airs many other shows that only repeatedly show reruns.

Catchphrases[edit]

In France version of the show, many catchphrases are also translated: Homer's "D'oh" becomes "T'oh", Bart's "Eat my shorts" becomes "Va te faire shampouiner" (no direct translation, like "go to hell"). When Homer tries to throttle Bart, his phrase "Why you little..." becomes "espèce de sale petit...", literally "kind of dirty lil'...".

In Quebec version of the show, "D'oh!" stays "D'oh!", Bart's "Eat my shorts" becomes "Mange de la crotte" (we could translate it by "Eat some shit" but in a censored way), Bart's "I didn't do it!" becomes "J'ai rien fait". When Homer tries to throttle Bart, he says "Oh, Mon p'tit verrat" (a Quebec expression) instead of "Why you little...".

France[edit]

The French voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson, Abraham Simpson, Otto Mann Philippe Peythieu
Marge Simpson, Selma Bouvier, Patty Bouvier, Jacqueline Bouvier Véronique Augereau
Bart Simpson, Jimbo Jones (since season 7) Joëlle Guigui
Lisa Simpson, Milhouse Van Houten, Maggie Simpson Aurelia Bruno
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Waylon Smithers, Jr., Carl, Barney Gumble, Lou, Troy McClure, Rainier Wolfcastle, Comic Book Guy, Snake, Lionel Hutz, Superintendent Chalmers, Duffman, Herbert Powell (voice 1), Guibole, Roger Meyers (voice 4) Patrick Guillemin (seasons 1-9) Pierre Laurent (since season 10)
Moe Szyslak, Lenny, Willie, Cletus, Eddie, Arnie Pie, Louie, Database, Lance Murdock, Scratchy (voice 1), John Frink, Disco Stu, Murphy Gencives Sanglantes (voice 2) Roger Meyers (voice 3) Roland Timsit (seasons 1-4) Gilbert Levy (since season 5)
Charles Montgomery Burns, Krusty, Clancy Wiggum, Principal Skinner, Dr. Hibbert, Marvin Monroe, Kent Brockman, Joe Quimby, Tahiti Bob, Captain McCallister, Hans Taupeman, Gil Gunderson, Jasper, Kirk Van Houten, Snyder, Larry, Kang, Nick Riviera, Dewey Largo, Fat Tony (voice 2), Scratchy (voice 2), Herbert Powell (voice 2), Roger Meyers (voice 2), Clarence Bouvier (voice 2) Michel Modo (seasons 1-19) Gérard Rinaldi (since season 19)
Edna Krabappel (since season 7), Elizabeth Hoover, Sarah Wiggum, Maude Flanders, Agnes Skinner, Doris, Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Houten, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, Bernice Hibbert, Mona Olsen, Itchy, Nelson, Jimbo Jones (seasons 2-6), Kearney, Dolph, Martin Prince, Wendell Borton, Lewis Clark, Üter, Janey Powell, Sherri and Terri, Ralph Wiggum Régine Teyssot
Rod Flanders, Todd Flanders Régine Teyssot

  • The dialogue is adapted by Juliette Vigouroux and Alain Cassard until season 19, the dialogue was done by Regine Teyssot and Christian Dura now.
  • Art director by Christian Dura

There are two important changes in Simpson French dub. first, the departure of Patrick Guillemin at the end of season 9. and now the French adapters and Michel Modo (who died recently) during season 19. The presence of Gerard Rinaldi is not ensured yet for the upcoming seasons.

Quebec[edit]

The Quebec voices are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Hubert Gagnon
Abraham Simpson
Marge Simpson Béatrice Picard
Bart Simpson Johanne Léveillée
Lisa Simpson Lisette Dufour
Moe Szyslak Benoît Marleau
Herman Hermann
Maude Flanders Natalie Hamel-Roy
Elizabeth Hoover
Milhouse Van Houten Chantal Baril
Jimbo Jones Martin Watier
Professor Frink Gilbert Lachance
Nelson Muntz Hélene Lasnier
Ralph Wiggum
Agnes Skinner
Selma Bouvier Johanne Garneau
Charles Montgomery Burns Edgar Fruitier
Waylon Smithers, Jr. Alain Zouvi (formerly Jean-Louis Millette)
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Reverend Lovejoy Bernard Fortin
Clancy Wiggum
Ned Flanders
Groundskeeper Willie Pierre Auger
Lionel Hutz Mario Desmarais
Barney Gumble Yves Massicotte
Julius Hibbert
Krusty the Clown Marc Labrèche
Otto Mann (Otto Bus in the Quebec version)
Troy McClure Benoît Rousseau
Snake Jailbird
Lenny Leonard
Eddie
Seymour Skinner Mario Desmarais
Joe Quimby
Edna Krabappel Louise Rémy
Carl Carlson Joël Legendre
Marvin Monroe
Martin Prince Natalie Hamel-Roy
Rod Flanders Gabrielle Dhavernas
Todd Flanders Danielle Mayer
Sideshow Bob Ronald France
Patty Bouvier Chantal Baril
Fat Tony Pierre Auger
Lou Martin Watier

The speech of Homer, Lenny, Carl, and other lower-class characters in the Quebec version occasionally resembles joual, the working-class speech.

German[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed into one single German language and are broadcasted by ProSieben in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and ORF1 in Austria. The show is named Die Simpsons and the episodes appear uncut and dubbed, with written or sung English subtitled in German. The animation of the show is not changed. In the blackboard scene, Bart reads the phrase translated. Homer's alveolar catch phrase "D'oh!" has been translated to "Nein!" (meaning "No!") rather than leaving it as the meaningless interjection that is his annoyed grunt.

An alternate Austrian dub was produced for and broadcast on ÖRF1 in Austria, but only for a tiny handful of episodes. This dub features a voice cast comprised of local Austrian actors.

Characters[edit]

Nearly all of the characters carry their American names; there are only just a few characters which are translated, especially animals. For example Reverend Lovejoy is still Reverend Lovejoy. Lovejoy's name seems to be the single one ever (partially) translated into German for some episodes ("Reverend Gottlieb"). Gottlieb is a real German first name - albeit outdated - meaning "to love God". In the earlier episodes, Homer is called 'Humor', because the German translators didn't know how to spell it.

Translated characters:

In prior episodes solely translated as Tingeltangel Bob, afterwards taken over the original.
Reverend Gottlieb was used just a very few times, afterwards generally the original.
In the German version always a stereotypical Swiss, because they wouldn't make fun of themselves.

The German voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Norbert Gastell
Marge Simpson Elisabeth Volkmann † (season 1 - HABF04)
Anke Engelke (HABF05 - *)
Bart Simpson Sandra Schwittau
Lisa Simpson Sabine Bohlmann
Abe Simpson Walter Reichelt † (season 1 - 8)
Ulrich Bernsdorff † (season 9)
Horst Raspe † (season 10 - 15)
Michael Rüth (season 16 - *)
Patty Bouvier Gudrun Vaupel (season 1)
Elisabeth Volkmann † (season 2 - GABF17)
Angelika Bender (HABF08 - *)
Selma Bouvier Ursula Mellin (season 1)
Elisabeth Volkmann † (season 2 - GABF17)
Angelika Bender (HABF10 - *)
Ned Flanders Ulrich Frank
Charles Montgomery Burns Reinhard Brock
Krusty the Clown Hans-Rainer Müller
Seymour Skinner Fred Klaus † (season 1 - 13)
Klaus Guth (season 14 - *)
Edna Krabappel Gudrun Vaupel (season 1 - 4)
Inge Solbrig (season 5 - *)

Link with photos and sound samples:

Portuguese[edit]

In both Portugal and Brazil, the series is known as Os Simpsons.

Brazilian version[edit]

On this dubbing, Bart is voiced by a male actor instead of a female.

  • Homer Simpson: Waldyr Sant'anna (seasons 1-7, and 15-17); Julio Cesar (seasons 8-14); Carlos Alberto (since season 18)
  • Marge Simpson: Selma Lopes (seasons 1-7, and since season 14); Mariângela Cantú (seasons 8-10); Nelly Amaral (season 11-13)
  • Bart Simpson: Peterson Adriano (seasons 1-7); Rodrigo Antas (since season 8)
  • Lisa Simpson: Nair Amorim (seasons 1-7); Priscila Amorim (season 8-14); Flávia Saddy (since season 15)

Portugal[edit]

In Portugal the series itself is subtitled rather than dubbed, as with most foreign-language television programs not directed toward children and/or families.

The Simpsons Movie, however, did receive a dubbed version, in which José Jorge Duarte, Cláudia Cadima, Carla de Sá, and Manuela Couto provide the voice of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa, respectively.

Russian[edit]

Until 2018, the show was undubbed for its televised broadcast in Russia, and had an offscreen voiceover. The Simpsons Movie, however, was properly dubbed.

Spanish[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed into the Spanish language twice, once in Latin America and again in Spain. In both versions, the show is named Los Simpson, as last names are not pluralized in Spanish. There are many differences between the two versions. For example, Homer's name is translated as Homero, but in Spain it isn't translated. Other translations in Latin America but not in Spain are:

The animation of the show is not changed, and what is written in English appears in English in the Spanish versions. In the chalkboard gags, we hear Bart reading the phrase in Spanish. After the introduction in the Latin American version we hear Homer saying the name of the episode, unlike in the European Spanish dub.

The DVDs in some regions, and all of the episodes (including the movie) on Disney+/Star+ include both Latin and Castilian Spanish audio tracks.

Latin American version[edit]

The Latin American version is dubbed in Mexico by Audiomaster 3000 (seasons 1-14) and New Art Dub (season 15-onwards). The DVD commentary for season 3's "Like Father, Like Clown" states that writer Wallace Wolodarsky went to several countries, including Mexico and Germany, to cast the foreign versions. The most memorable cast dubbed from seasons 1 through 9 and was:

  • Homer: Humberto Vélez (seasons 1-15, 32-onwards)/ Víctor Manuel Espinoza (seasons 16-31).
  • Marge: Nancy MacKenzie (seasons 1-15, died)/ Marina Huerta (seasons 16-31)/ Claudia Motta (season 32-onwards).
  • Bart: Marina Huerta (seasons 1-9, 16-31)/ Claudia Motta (seasons 9-15, singing voice in season 30 episode "Krusty the Clown", 32-onwards).
  • Lisa: Patricia Acevedo (seasons 1-15, 32-onwards)/ Nallely Solís (seasons 16-31).
  • Mr. Burns: Gabriel Chávez (seasons 1-15, 32-onwards)/ Miguel Angel Botello (season 16-31).
  • Abraham Simpson: Carlos Petrel (season 1-11, died)/ Roberto Reséndiz (season 12)/ Humberto Vélez (season 13)/ Arturo Mercado (a couple of episodes)/ Sebastián Llapur (seasons 14-25, 32-onwards).
  • Seymour Skinner: Agustín Sauret (season 1-4)/ José Luis Castañeda (season 5-9)/ Gabriel Pingarrón (season 9-15)/ Gerardo Vásquez (seasons 16-31)/ Roberto Mendiola (season 32-onwards).
  • Ned Flanders: Agustín Sauret (seasons 1-15, died)/ Oscar Gómez (season 16-onwards).
  • Waylon Smithers, Jr.: Octavio Rojas (seasons 1-14, 32-onwards)/ Eduardo Fonseca (seasons 16-31).
  • Patty: Nelly Horseman (season 1-15)/ Erika Mireles (seasons 16-28, died)
  • Selma: Nelly Salvar (seasons 1-15)/ Erika Mireles (seasons 16-28, died)
  • Edna Krabappel: Loretta Santini (seasons 1-15)/ Gabriela Gómez (season 16-onwards)
  • Nelson: Sergio Bonilla (seasons 1-12, 32-onwards)/ Carlos Amador (seasons 13-15)/ Eduardo Garza (a couple of episodes)/ Edson Matus (seasons 16-17, 25-31)/ Hugo Núñez (seasons 17-25).
  • Moe: César Izaguirre (season 1-4)/ Jorge Ornelas(season 5-onwards).

During season 9, Huerta quit playing Bart for not being well paid by the company, and was replaced by Claudia Motta. Before season 16, the main cast had a legal issue with Grabaciones y Doblajes (today, New Art Dub) because it wanted the actors to be in the National Actors Association of Mexico, and they were not in that association, so as a result, the whole cast was fired. Beginning at season 16, they were replaced by new actors (in fact, they "copy" the old actors's character voice so the change is not so drastic for the viewers) and Huerta returned to do Bart's voice and replaced Nancy MacKenzie to make Marge's voice. However, since season 32, Claudia Motta return to dub the Bart's voice and also the Marge's voice due to Nancy MacKenzie was never called to dub the character. MacKenzie died on June 14, 2024.

European Spanish Version[edit]

The principal cast is the following:[6]

Many fans of the series and the rest of the Spanish cast were very sad after the death of Carlos Revilla due to his excellent work,[7][8][9] and Antena 3 had to find a substitute for Revilla's voice (as opposed to Dan Castellaneta's).[10] Carlos Revilla also dubbed the appearance of KITT in the episode "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace", like he did in Knight Rider. Other characters voiced by their voice actors' Spanish-speaking counterparts include Mulder and Scully from the X-Files, or Sideshow Bob and his brother Cecil. They are dubbed by the same actors who dub Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce in Frasier.

The Spanish version of The Simpsons also distinguishes itself by using more literal translations of what the characters are saying. The Spanish translation would most likely seem very salacious to a Latin American audience. Another large difference between the two versions is that in the Spanish version the guest stars are always voiced by that actor's particular Spanish voice counterpart. In this way if the Spanish public is expecting to hear Glenn Close they actually hear the voice they usually equate to that actress.

By country[edit]

Countries listed here are those broadcasting the original version or those whose dubbed version is broadcast in only one country

Bulgaria[edit]

In mid September 2005 dubbed in Bulgarian versions of the first four seasons of The Simpsons started airing on the Bulgarian branch of the cable television FOX Life. The show was named "Семейство Симпсън" (literally "Simpson Family"). There were rarely any mistranslations in the scripts, only the untranslatable word puns were changed to such in Bulgarian, albeit not nearly as creative as the originals. The dubbing, much like almost everything else dubbed for Bulgarian television, was crude and the original voices could be heard in the background. In mid 2006 dubbed versions of seasons 5 through 7 started running on the Bulgarian FOX Life after numerous reruns of the previous seasons. The dub quality was a little lower than the one of the first four seasons and almost the entire voice cast had been replaced. Minor mistranslations occurred from time to time, but they were not anything significant. In early May 2007 dubbed versions of the 8th and 9th season started airing on the Bulgarian FOX Life with the same voice cast as in the previous three seasons. The quality of the dub had however greatly declined - the voice direction had become very poor and all the lines were read in pretty much the same fashion; the secondary characters' voices were very inconsistent; the scripts were poorly translated and most of the spoken humor was lost (not only the untranslatable word puns). In late September 2007 a dubbed version of the 10th season started running on the Bulgarian FOX Life. The dub quality was as worse as the previous two seasons'.

China[edit]

In 2006, The Simpsons, along with other shows such as Pokémon, SpongeBob SquarePants and Mickey Mouse cartoons, were barred from being aired during primetime (5:00 to 8:00 PM) in China. This was done so that Chinese cartoons, which were having a hard time competing with foreign cartoons, would gain more viewers. The government had previously tried several things, such as ordering that networks cut down on the number of foreign animated series being aired in 2000 and in 2004, passed a rule that would ensure that 60 percent of cartoon content came from Chinese studios.[11] The move was heavily criticized by Chinese media.[12]

Czech Republic[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed into the Czech language and the show is named Simpsonovi. Directed by Zdeněk Štěpán. The movie is named Simpsonovi ve filmu. On this dubbing, Marge is unusually voiced by a male voice actor, unlike in all other documented dubbings of the series.

The Czech voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Vlastimil Bedrna (from 1st season) - cardiac infarct;
Vlastimil Zavřel (from 13th season)
Marge Simpson Jiří Lábus
Bart Simpson Martin Dejdar
Lisa Simpson Helena Štáchová
Maggie Simpson Helena Štáchová / Jiří Lábus
Abraham Simpson Dalimil Klapka
Patty Bouvier Zdeněk Štěpán
Selma Bouvier Jaroslava Kretschmerová
Jacqueline Bouvier Jiří Lábus
Other
Ned Flanders Jiří Havel
Milhouse Van Houten Pavel Tesař
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Vítězslav Bouchner
Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon Klára Sedláčková
Clancy Wiggum Bohdan Tůma
Julius Hibbert Bohuslav Kalva
Reverend Timothy Lovejoy Roman Mihina
Charles Montgomery Burns Bedřich Šetena
Waylon Smithers, Jr. Mojmír Maděrič
Lenny Leonard Josef Carda
Carl Carlson Jaroslav Horák
Seymour Skinner Dalimil Klapka
Gary Chalmers Milan Slepička
Edna Krabappel Blanka Zdichyncová
Groundskeeper Willie Zdeněk Hess
Otto Mann Martin Janouš
J. Loren Pryor Stanislav Fišer
Joe Quimby Jan Hanžlík
Sideshow Bob Jaromír Meduna
Fat Tony Zdeněk Hess
Comic Book Guy Stanislav Lehký
Herman Hermann Petr Pospíchal
Professor Frink Pavel Tesař
Hans Moleman Zdeněk Štěpán
Krusty the Clown Jiří Bruder
Poochie Vlastimil Bedrna
Kent Brockman Vladimír Fišer
Troy McClure Miroslav Táborský
Lurleen Lumpkin Veronika Žilková
Moe Szyslak Jan Vondráček
Barney Gumble Miroslav Saic
Dr. Marvin Monroe Antonín Molčík
Gil Gunderson Jiří Plachý
Lucille Botzcowski Simona Stašová
George H. W. Bush Jan Skopeček
Barbara Bush Marie Marešová
Alec Baldwin Martin Preiss
Tom Hanks Aleš Procházka
Ultrahouse 3000's Pierce Brosnan Vladislav Beneš
Ultrahouse 3000's Pierce Brosnan Tomáš Borůvka
And other
Pavel Soukup
Josef Pejchal
Ludmila Molínová
Jiří Schwarz
Aleš Procházka
Vladimír Fišer
Miroslav Moravec

Translated character names:

Denmark[edit]

The Simpsons is always showcased in its original English language with Danish subtitles when aired on television in Denmark, which is typical for most foreign-language programs aired on Danish television not aimed at children. However, The Simpsons Movie received a full Danish dub, which was showcased in movie theaters across Denmark.[13] The cast of the Danish dub is as follows:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Niels Ellegaard
Marge Simpson Helle Dolleris
Bart Simpson Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt
Lisa Simpson Pauline Rehné
Abraham Simpson Nis Bank-Mikkelsen
President Schwarzenegger Amin Jensen
Tom Hanks Preben Kristensen
Krusty the Clown Jens Jacob Tychsen
Comic Book Guy Henrik Koefoed
Charles Montgomery Burns Søren Ulrichs
Moe Szyslak Michael Elo
Ned Flanders Christian Damsgaard
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Søren Ulrichs
Clancy Wiggum Peter Zhelder/Peter Røschke
Timothy Lovejoy Peter Zhelder
Lenny Leonard Jens Jacob Tychsen
Russ Cargill Peter Aude
Milhouse Van Houten Sasia Mølgaard
Santa's Little Helper Thomas Mørk

Estonia[edit]

Finland[edit]

In Finland, the actual series is subtitled, but The Simpsons Movie was released both dubbed and subtitled. The show is named Simpsonit.

The Finnish voice actors of The Simpsons Movie are:

Translated character names:

Hungary[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed into the Hungarian language, and the show is named A Simpson család.

The Hungarian voice actors are:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson József Székhelyi† (season 1-29, movie)
János Háda (season 29-)
Marge Simpson Zsuzsa Pálos
Bart Simpson Balázs Simonyi (season 1-29, movie)
Tamás Markovics (season 29-)
Lisa Simpson Titanilla Bogdányi


Translated character names:

Italy[edit]

The Simpsons has been dubbed in Italian since the very beginning of the broadcasting by Italia 1, as subtitled shows are not common in Italy. The show is named I Simpson - as last names are not pluralized in Italian. The animation of the show is changed: whenever something written in English appears on screen, the Italian version superimposes the translated phrase. In the initial blackboard scene, Bart reads the phrase translated but the blackboard itself still shows the English words.

Characters[edit]

Main characters carry their American names; many of the side characters, however, have their names translated:

  • Santa's Little Helper: Piccolo aiutante di Babbo Natale;
  • Snowball: Palla di neve;
  • Moe Szyslak: Boe Szyslak/Boh Szyslak in the later seasons (his tavern's sign Moe has always superimposed Boe or Boh)
  • Fat Tony: Tony Ciccione;
  • Clancy Wiggum: Clancy Winchester (in just one episode, Homer alone, his last name is left Wiggum)
  • Edna Krabappel: Edna Caprapall
  • "Bleeding gums" Murphy: "Gengive sanguinanti" Murphy
  • Itchy and Scratchy: Grattachecca e Fichetto (in one episode they are translated as Grattino e Pruritino)
  • Hans Moleman: Hans Uomo Talpa
  • Otto Mann: Otto Disc
  • Sideshow Bob (Mel): Telespalla Bob (Mel)
  • Jimbo, Kearney, Dolph: Secco, Patata, Spada (literal translations: Slim, Potato, Sword)

Many characters are dubbed with strong local accents: Wiggum, Lou and Marvin Monroe talk like men from Naples, Eddie talks like someone from Bari, Carl with a Venice accent, Reverend Lovejoy is a Calabrian, Otto Mann a Milanese, Fat Tony - obviously - a Sicilian, and Willie is a Sardinian.

The Italian voices:

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Tonino Accolla, later replaced by Massimo Lopez
Marge Simpson Liù Bosisio, later replaced by Sonia Scotti
Bart Simpson Ilaria Stagni, later replaced by Gaia Bolognesi
Lisa Simpson Monica Ward
Abraham Simpson Mario Milita, later replaced by Mino Caprio
Patty Bouvier Liù Bosisio, later replaced by Antonella Alessandro
Selma Bouvier
Ned Flanders Pino Insegno, later replaced by Francesco Prando
Charles Montgomery Burns Sandro Iovino
Krusty the Clown Fabrizio Mazzotta

Catchphrases[edit]

Many catchphrases are also translated: while Homer's "D'oh" remains the same in Italian, Bart's "Ay caramba" becomes "E che cacchio" (meaning "What the hell", where "cacchio" is actually a euphemism for "dick") and "Eat my shorts" becomes "Ciucciati il calzino" (lit. "Suck your sock"). When Homer tries to throttle Bart, his phrase "Why you little..." becomes "Brutto bacarospo...". "Brutto" means "ugly", while "bacarospo" is a non-existent word, a portmanteau of "bacarozzo", which is a Romanesco word for "scarafaggio" (Eng: "cockroach") and Italian "rospo" which means "toad".

Censorship[edit]

Italian airing of four episodes were hit by censorship, at least on Italia 1. "Weekend at Burnsie's" and "Highway to Well" was aired in late evening viewing due to the argument for its premiere. It was never reaired on Italia 1 afterwards in reruns of the season. "Bart-Mangled Banner" was reaired less frequently due to the revisionism argument. "Treehouse of Horror XXVIII" is the first episode never aired in Italy, neither on Fox or Italia 1 (until February 20, 2021 on Italia 1 in late evening), due to the religious arguments in The Exor-Sis, and the crude segment MMM... Homer.

Japan[edit]

In Japan, The Simpsons has been dubbed into Japanese and were first broadcasted by WOWOW until 2002 and later on the Fox Channel-onwards.

The Japanese audio track was later included on Disney+ for first 17 seasons only.

Main characters[edit]

Character Voice actors
Homer Simpson Tōru Ōhira (season 1 - 14)
Jin Urayama (season 15 - present)
George Tokoro (film)
Marge Simpson Miyuki Ichijō (season 1 - 14)
Mariko Munakata (season 15 - present)
Akiko Wada (film)
Bart Simpson Junko Hori (season 1 - 14)
Yuka Takakura (season 15 - present)
Atsushi Tamura (film)
Lisa Simpson Chie Kōjiro (season 1 - 14)
Chihiro Uno (season 15 - present)
Becky (film)

Recurring characters[edit]

Character
Abraham Simpson Junpei Takiguchi
Ned Flanders Minoru Inaba
Moe Szyslak
Maude Flanders Sayuri Yamauchi
Itchy
Milhouse Van Houten Nobuo Tobita
Jimbo Jones
Professor Frink
Nelson Muntz Masahiro Anzai (season 1-6)
Toshiharu Sakurai (season 7-present)
Otto Mann
Snake Jailbird
Rod Flanders Mari Mashiba
Ralph Wiggum
Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon
Chuck
Lunchlady Dora
Charles Montgomery Burns Kōichi Kitamura †
Waylon Smithers, Jr. Kōsuke Meguro
Reverend Lovejoy
Groundskeeper Willie
Clancy Wiggum Daiki Nakamura
Lionel Hutz Hiroya Ishimaru
Barney Gumble Masashi Hirose
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Krusty the Clown Bin Shimada
Troy McClure
Seymour Skinner Shin Aomori
Julius Hibbert
Edna Krabappel Keiko Tomoe
Mayor Quimby Shinpachi Tsuji
Carl Carlson
Herman Hermann
Brent
Lenny Leonard Tetsuya Asado
Kent Brockman Hiroshi Ito
Kirk Van Houten
Marvin Monroe Kōsei Tomita
Martin Prince Shinobu Adachi
Todd Flanders
Sideshow Bob Akira Murayama
Della Hiromi Ishikawa
Patty Bouvier Reiko Suzuki
Agnes Skinner
Fat Tony Eizō Tsuda
Lou Eiji Itō
Donny
Jack Larson
Sarah Wiggum Mizuki Ōtsuka
Herman Hermann Shigeru Chiba

Latvia and Lithuania[edit]

In Latvia and Lithuania, the series is usually aired with a voice-over translation in Latvian or Lithuanian respectively read by a single individual and overlayed on top of the original English audio, similarly to how the series is usually aired in Poland. However, the movie was properly dubbed into Latvian and Lithuanian for its theatrical release, with a full voice cast.

Poland[edit]

Although The Simpsons (Simpsonowie) in Poland is typically aired with a Polish-language lector-style single-voice voice-over translation overlayed on top of the original English audio (narrated by Janusz Szydłowski for TVP1 and Canal+; Tomasz Knapik for Fox Kids; and Jarosław "Jarek" Łukomski, Ireneusz Machnicki and Paweł Bukrewicz for Fox/Fox Comedy),the movie has instead been dubbed into Polish (as Simpsonowie: Wersja kinowa), and the actual series was also dubbed into Polish when it aired on TV Puls in 2008 (although the TV Puls dub only covered the first three seasons). Later, three Disney+-original Simpsons shorts, "The Good, the Bart, and the Loki" ("Dobry, Bart i Loki"), "Plusaversary" ("Wszystkiego Disneyplusowego") and "Welcome to the Club" ("Witajcie w klubie") were dubbed into Polish.

The Polish voice actors of the movie are:

Character Voice actor
Homer Simpson Miłogost Reczek
Marge Simpson Barbara Zielińska
Bart Simpson Joanna Wizmur
Lisa Simpson Dominika Kluźniak
Russ Cargill Adam Ferency
Ned Flanders Wojciech Paszkowski
Medicine woman Emilia Krakowska

Sweden[edit]

When TV3 started broadcasting The Simpsons the show was not dubbed, but rather subtitled. However, in 1993, the network decided to start dubbing The Simpsons and moved the show to a more child friendly time at 6:00 p.m. After public outrage, the dubbing was dropped after only six episodes, and the show was moved to a more adult time.[14] Bart was voiced by Annica Smedius and Homer by Per Sandborgh.[1] Despite the original dubbing of the series being fully canceled, a dub of the movie was released with the The Simpsons Movie DVD.[15]

Ukraine[edit]

In Ukraine The Simpsons has been dubbed in Ukrainian since 2004. Dubbing and translation is liked by public.

It was first broadcasted by M1, then 2+2, then QTV, and the most recently (until 2021) NLO TV.

The Ukrainian voice actors are:

Character Voice actor (series) Voice actor (film)
Homer Simpson Yevhen Malukha Mykola Lutsenko
Marge Simpson Iryna Doroshenko
Bart Simpson Hanna Levchenko
Lisa Simpson Iryna Doroshenko Kateryna Kachan
Abraham Simpson Yuriy Kovalenko
Ned Flanders Yuriy Kovalenko Dmytro Zavadskyy
Russ Cargill Mykola Boklan
Moe Szyslak/Cletus Spuckler/Kent Brockman Yuriy Kovalenko

References[edit]

  1. Richard Poplak. "Homer's odyssey - Why The Simpsons flopped in the Middle East"Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-01-19. 
  2. Dutch Wikipedia - "The Simpsons Movie"
  3. Actually, the Brussels accent generally associated with Belgium by the French public. "Van Houten" is a name which can be assumed to be Belgian.
  4. randomWalks: The Simpson clan lives in
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  5. http://www.simpsonsweb.com/recherche-actualite-prime-p7 French dubbers host Simpsons Prime-time night
  6. Spanish dub cast list
  7. Spanish Carlos Revilla memorial
  8. Spanish Carlos Revilla memorial 2
  9. Spanish Carlos Revilla memorial 3
  10. Elsemanal.tv article about Revilla's substitute
  11. joe MacDonald. "China Bans 'Simpsons' From Prime-Time TV"Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. 
  12. Josh Grossberg. "D'oh! China Bans Bart from Prime Time"E! News. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. 
  13. Danish Wikipedia - "The Simpsons Movie"
  14. Sources from http://www.presstext.se/, a non-free online database of Swedish newspaper articles. Articles from Expressen and Dagens Nyheter, autumn 1993.
  15. DVD Komedi, Simpsons/Filmen (2 versioner/dts/87++) hittar du på Ginza Musik - CD, DVD, Filmer, Spel
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External links[edit]