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

Dubbing The Simpsons : Or How Groundskeeper Willie Lost His Kilt in Sardinia chiara ferrari given the international popul arit y 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 chiara ferrari is an assistant professor of mass communication at California State University, Chico, where http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Film and Video University of Illinois Press

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

Ferrari, Chiara.
Journal of Film and Video , Volume 61 (2) – May 16, 2009
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University of Illinois Press
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Copyright © University of Illinois Press
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1934-6018
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Abstract

chiara ferrari given the international popul arit y 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 chiara ferrari is an assistant professor of mass communication at California State University, Chico, where

Journal

Journal of Film and Video – University of Illinois Press

Published: May 16, 2009

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