A table of Simpsons characters with the versions of their names used in Latin America and Spain—which are often completely different. (Examples: Sideshow Bob is Bob Patiño in the Americas and Actor Secundario Bob in Iberia; Itchy and Scratchy are Tommy y Daly and Rasca y Pica respectively.) A major exception: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is the same wherever you go. (The list is provided by Interlens en sus manos, where you will also find a tribute to Hatt Baby.)
Actually, if you look closely, you’ll notice that in the U.S. we refer to the character as “Slideshow Bob.” I assume this is a simple, forgivable spellcheck/typing error, but I still laughed when I saw it.
I’m reminded of Hergé’s Tintin. The names chosen for various characters are often quite different in other languages than in the original French.
But the translators have been careful to retain a sense of their personalities. The best example must surely be the two (almost but not exactly identical) idiot detectives in bowler hats, Dupont et Dupond. They come out as Thompson and Thomson in English.
Note the spelling.
More Tintin fun here.
I’m not going to the Web to check this, but I thought our Indian friend’s surname was Narasimhapetilan.
That reminds me of this great website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_characters'_names_in_various_languages
In France, Scrooge McDuck is Oncle Picsou.
I’m not going to the Web to check this, but I thought our Indian friend’s surname was Narasimhapetilan.
Not in English. That looks like an anagram of the actual name (Nahasapeemapetilan). Maybe that is an actual possible Indian name, unlike the one used on the show which is gibberish.
That reminds me of this great website
I’m glad to see a lot of languages have been added since I blogged it.
Simpsons writer Jeff Martin derived Apu’s name from someone he went to school with. I believe his name was/is Pahassaty Mapetilon (I am spelling this phoenetically).