Dubbing The Simpsons: Or How Groundskeeper Willie Lost His Kilt in Sardinia

Given the international popularity of The Simpsons from the 1990s to the present, one might assume that the show does not require significant changes when exported abroad because of the familiarity that audiences worldwide have with the characters. In September 2005, however, executives at the Arab network MBC felt that the Arab world needed a version of The Simpsons more in line with the feelings and beliefs of Islam, and they launched an “Arabized” hybrid of the series called Al Shamshoon. MBC altered the original text by changing some elements of the show through the Arab voiceover that substitutes for and translates the English soundtrack into Arabic. As a consequence, Homer Simpson became “Omar Shamshoon”; hot dogs became Egyptian beef sausages; donuts were turned into Arab cookies called kahk; and, most unexpectedly, the omnipresent Duff beer became simple soda.¹ This is a particularly revealing example of how television executives aim at making a foreign product familiar (and “proper”) to appeal to domestic audiences and maximize profit. MBC’s adaptation of The Simpsons, in fact, is only one instance of many transformations the series has undergone when exported. Indeed, if audiences worldwide are familiar with the yellow animated characters from Springfield, most likely it is because they have watched a dubbed or subtitled version of the show rather than the original episodes. The importance given to the translation of The Simpsons is confirmed by the attention that FOX and Gracie Films (coproducers of the series) have paid to every phase of the show’s international distribution. As Marion Edwards (executive vice president of FOX International Television) revealed in an interview with this author, the two production companies have been directly involved in the choice of translators and voiceover actors in most of the countries where the series has been exported. In Italy, in particular, Gracie Films has worked in collaboration with Mediaset to find voices for dubbing that match those of the original American actors as closely as possible. Furthermore, Gracie Films was directly involved in the choice of the Italian translator for the series.²

Such close attention to the exported product is explained, first of all, by the fact that through merchandizing and DVD sales, The Simpsons remains one of the most profitable shows on US television. But because the animated series created by Matt Groening is replete with cultural and political references specific to the United States, close attention must be paid to achieve a successful translation. Cultural content is so relevant that, at times, even small visual details can create problems in foreign markets. Marion Edwards explains, for example, how the show received a cold welcome when first exported to Japan because all the characters in the series have four fingers. Variety reports that “having fewer than five digits in Japanese culture could signal a lower-class status (as in a butcher’s occupational hazard), and thus a tough-sell to glamour-loving Japanese auds” (Swart). Furthermore, Bart’s disrespectful attitude toward his parents and every type of authoritarian figure has also been difficult to sell in Asian countries where respect for one’s elders is a cultural tradition. The solution found at FOX, in this case, was to market The Simpsons in Asia focusing on Lisa’s intellectual character instead of Bart’s more “hip” attitude (Swart). These examples, together with that of MBC’s Al Shamshoon, support the idea that translations are bridges between different cultures, not only between different languages. Furthermore, audiovisual translations not only modify the actual text; considered in a broad sense, they also provoke a systematic reorganization of programming and marketing strategies, a process that in itself represents a form of translation.

On this basis, the Italian translation of The Simpsons is an adaptation that involves not only linguistic and cultural factors but also aspects of programming. The modifications included in translation, far from depriving the show of its humor, have allowed the series to become particularly successful in Italy. This article explores some of the changes made to the program and poses the following questions regarding the strategies employed to make...