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[Matilda]

I wasn't able to get this Radice story in French--nobody on eBay.fr was selling SPG 196 to a buyer in the USA--so I got it in Italian, and I am struggling through the translation process (about halfway through now!). But I'm curious about how the "Greek" was shown in other countries. In the Italian original, the Greek-speakers' dialogue is written in Italian, but the Italian is lettered with Greek letters that look like the Roman alphabet letters, in order to indicate to the reader that they're speaking Greek. Inducks actually indicates that the artist, Stefano Turconi, did the lettering of the "fake Greek." So...in the French version in SPG 196, did they bother to write the French dialogue of the Greek characters in "fake Greek"? That must be a whole lot of work. Or did they just add an explanatory box to say they're speaking in Greek? And what on earth did they do in the Greek version, to make it clear that the Ducks weren't speaking Greek and didn't understand it?

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

In the French one they did exactly as the Italian original version, with the Greeks talking in a "Greeky font".

It is an idea coming from Goscinny-Uderzo's Asterix and The Goths (1963), where the Goths speak in Gothic font.



I always wonder what is the legacy of Goscinny in the US. In the rest of the world he is plainly and simply considered the most talented, innovative and influential humor comics writer of the 20th century (yes, even more than Carl Barks). All European funny comics (even Disney ones) descend from the genius of Goscinny.

(Matilda, if you need help in your struggle for the translation, please ask!)

[The KKM]

Astérix used the gag with more than Goths- Astérix the Gladiator, released after Goths, has the gag applied to a ton of languages, including greek looking like how Matilda's describing it, yeah.

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

Yes, I was mentioning the first time that idea appeared, if I am not mistaking.

The whole Asterix the legionary is based on that, too:  

      

  

[Zantaf]

Oct 26, 2017 1:13:19 GMT Matilda said:

...And what on earth did they do in the Greek version, to make it clear that the Ducks weren't speaking Greek and didn't understand it?

The same was done in the Greek version too. They used a "Greek" font (as opposed to the usual comic book font) to indicate that the ducks didn't understand the language. Of course in this case it didn't have to be "fake Greek"! 

[Matilda]

Thanks, y'all! It's interesting to hear how they handled this in French and in Greek.

I read some Asterix long ago in my youth, but didn't remember the use of fonts to indicate various languages. Nice to know who started this, and even used a "Greeky" font!

Monkey_F, thanks for your offer of translation help. I'll see how far I can get on my own, but will take you up on that offer if I get stuck anywhere in the story. It's a challenge to have the additional hurdle of the Greeky font!

[Pan Maciej]

In the newest book "Asterix and the chariot race" they have Sarmatian warriors talk with their local font as well, while two ladies from Kingdom of Kush talk in heroglyph like pictures.


I think in series like Asterx it's a gret way to give you feeling of richness of the aincent world and vibe of diffrent cultures clashing.