Non-English versions of The Simpsons
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The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' is an American animated sitcom broadcast by the
Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
since 1989. In other countries, the television show started its broadcasts after 1989 either in its original
English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the i ...
version or in a dubbed version.


By language


Arabic

The show was first broadcast in the area in English with
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
subtitles on networks like
Showtime Arabia Showtime Arabia was Showtime Networks' pay television service in the Middle East and North Africa. It was a joint venture between Kuwaiti holding company KIPCO (79% stake) and American media firm Viacom Inc. (21% stake). The company was incorp ...
and Dubai's One TV, where it received a following in the area. The show was finally dubbed into Arabic in September 2005, under the title "Al-Shamshoon" ( ar, آل شمشون, ʾĀl Shamshūn, lit=The Shamshoons). In addition to being dubbed in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
(with subtitles provided for shots including written English, such as the chalkboards), references to alcohol, pork, and numerous other themes have been deleted or significantly modified. For instance, Homer drinks soda-pop instead of beer, eats beef sausages and hot dogs as opposed to pork, while shots of him eating bacon and pork rinds were removed entirely, eats ka'ak instead of donuts, and all references to Moe's Tavern were cut. References to
Rabbi Krustofsky The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
, Krusty the Clown's father, were removed as well. According to Richard Poplak of the CBC, an ex-
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
employee in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
told him that, in Poplak's words, "if a TV station can help it, they’ll excise references to
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
from shows meant for the pan-Arab market." Badih Fattouh, MBC 1's acquisitions and drama commissioner head, said, "You must understand that we did not simply dub, but we
Arabized Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, ...
the concept, and we toned it down a bit. We toned
own Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...
the language—we Arabized it in the cultural sense." MBC 1, a company owned by
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
n sheiks, created the Arabic adaptation. Amr Hosny, a scriptwriter who frequently adapts works for the Arab world, served as the writer. The creative personalities behind ''Al-Shamshoon'' were Egyptian. The producers decided to adapt the "classic" episodes, beginning with Season 4, rather than starting with the original episodes. The characters were also given typical Arabic names such as Omar, Mona, Beesa and Badr for Homer, Marge, Lisa and Bart, respectively, as part of the retooling, while voices were provided by leading actors including
Egyptian film The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing film industry based in Cairo, sometimes also referred to as Hollywood on the Nile. Since 1976, the capital has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the Intern ...
star Mohamed Henedi as "Omar". Their hometown "Springfield" was called "''Rabeea''" (Arabic for ''spring'') and made it look like an American town with a major Arab population. Poplak said, "Although Fattouh and MBC will give no figures, the licence fees from
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
could not have been cheap." About the original series, Hosny said, "I loved it. I take off my chapeau: they are very good artists. And the writers are unbelievable. I loved the character of Homer. There is something very strange about this character. It’s very close to the Egyptian point of view. He’s a very simple and kind person; from some points of view you feel that he’s incredibly stupid, and from some points of view you feel he is wise. Sometimes I felt I was talking about an Egyptian person. Nothing is certain and taken for granted—it’s not ipso facto—and this makes good art". Hosny said that the sheiks who owned MBC interfered in the creative process, making the show more edited and less comprehensible. For instance, Hosny wanted to make a "Little Arab Town" where it would be explained why there were many Arab people living in the middle of the United States. The sheiks rejected Hosny's suggestions. Poplak said, "Instead, Springfield remained, and there was no coherent explanation given as to why a full Arab community exists within the middle of Middle America". Hosny wanted Homer to drink she'er, a non-alcoholic malt drink, so dubbing would be easy. The sheiks insisted that Homer should drink juice. Hosny also stated that he tried to underemphasize
Waylon Smithers Waylon Joseph Smithers Jr., usually referred to as Mr. Smithers or simply Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer. He first appeared in "Homer's Odyssey (The Simpsons), Homer's ...
's homosexual attraction to
Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
. Poplak said, "Through a steady process of cross-cultural attrition—no bacon sandwiches, no Moe’s Tavern, church becomes masjid (mosque)—''The Simpsons'' was whittled down to a shadow of itself." The show debuted after al-Iftar on October 4, 2005, the first night of
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
. The show overall had a poor reception. Fattouh said, "The show was not a big success. Otherwise, of course, we would have continued to do another season. I would say it was fairly received, but average. This made us reconsider". Poplak said, "That’s putting it mildly. MBC’s core viewers were baffled. From most accounts, the show was incoherent". The MBC show had a poor reception in the Saudi Arabian market, described by Poplak as "all-important". Cartoons in Saudi Arabia are perceived as being for children, and adults, puzzled at why cartoons were airing during the post-
Iftar Iftar ( ar, translit=Iftar Ramadan, إفطار رمضان), also known as (from , , 'breakfast'), (), is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. They break their fast at the time of the call to prayer ...
time, chose to watch other channels. Arabs who were fans of ''The Simpsons'' also had a negative reaction. As'ad AbuKhalil, a professor at
California State University, Stanislaus California State University, Stanislaus (Stanislaus State, Stan State) is a public university in Turlock, Stanislaus County, California. It is part of the California State University system. It was established in 1957 and is also the only cam ...
and a blogger who operates the "
Angry Arab News Service As'ad AbuKhalil ( ar, أسعد أبو خليل) (born 16 March 1960) is a Lebanese-American professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. AbuKhalil is the author of ''Historical Dictionary of Lebanon'' (1998), ''Bin ...
," ( ar, وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب) said that after he saw a promotional segment, "This is just beyond the pale and "It was just painful. ... The guy who played Homer Simpson was one of the most unfunny people I ever watched. Just drop the project, and air reruns of
Tony Danza Tony Danza (born Anthony Salvatore Iadanza; April 21, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for co-starring in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983) and '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award a ...
's show instead." Fattouh added "You see, culturally, it didn’t cross very well. Maybe the sense of humour is too North American. Comedy is especially a
culturally sensitive Cultural sensitivity, also referred to as cross-cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness, is the knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of other cultures and others' cultural identities. It is related to cultural competence (the skills needed fo ...
matter. What you can define as funny is an outcome of learnings, habits, doings, local behaviour—it is the sum of so many factors. Drama is one thing, but with comedy, it is black and white. Deep inside, either you laugh or you say, ‘No, this is not funny.’ They did not think this was funny". As a result, only 34 of the 52 adapted episodes aired. Poplak said, "It is a lesson in cross-cultural adaptation, and a warning of how delicate a powerful piece of television art like ''The Simpsons'' actually is." The show in its unedited form currently airs on
Fox Series The ''Fox Series Channel'', or simply ''Fox'', was a Middle Eastern version of the American Fox Channel. It launched as a free-to-air channel in December 1, 2008. The channel was relaunched as Fox on March 1, 2011. Tuning parameters The DVB-S I ...
in English with Arabic subtitles.


Catalan

La 2 aired the show in early 90's airing both Catalan and Spanish for Catalonia audience, 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, then they dubbed four seasons.


Czech

''The Simpsons'' ("Simpsonovi") in Czech is broadcast in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, premiering on January 8, 1993, on
Česká televize Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...
, who broadcast the series until 2010, when the Czech broadcast rights were bought by
Prima Cool Prima Cool is a private Czech Republic, Czech television station. Prima Cool is TV Prima's second channel. It is targeted primarily at young male audiences. Prima Cool launched on 1 April 2009 as TV Prima's new digital channel. It is availab ...
. The late actress Helena Štáchová provided the voice of Lisa Simpson until 2017; since then, Ivana Korolová has voiced Lisa. Popular Czech actor Jiří Lábus voices Marge Simpson.
Martin Dejdar Martin Dejdar (born 11 March 1965) is a Czech actor, writer, comedian, director, television presenter, producer and entertainer. Career He graduated from the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, from which he holds a Mag ...
voices Bart and Vlastimil Bedrna voiced Homer until the 13th season and Vlastimil Zavřel voices him since then.


French

''The Simpsons'' has been dubbed into the
French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
twice, once in the
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
province of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
and again in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The show is titled "Les Simpson" in both regions, following local orthography standards. The French audio on most Region 1 DVDs is the Quebec dub, although very early releases used the European French dub instead. It is one of only a handful of American television shows that have wholly separate versions in Quebec and France, and a number of studies have been made comparing them. In France all the characters speak standard French, with the exception of the ethnic minorities: Apu is given a
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
accent, while black characters such as
Carl Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...
, who have American accents in the English version, speak with inflected accents typical of North African immigrants. Kirk Van Houten is given a stereotypical
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
accent, as "Van Houten" is a name which can be assumed to be
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
. In the Quebec version, blue-collar workers like Homer and
Barney Gumble Barnard Arnold "Barney" Gumble is a recurring character in the American animated TV series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Barney is the ...
speak with a heavy
joual ''Joual'' () is an accepted name for the linguistic features of Quebec French that are associated with the French-speaking working class in Montreal which has become a symbol of national identity for some. ''Joual'' is stigmatized by some and ...
drawl whereas the town élite, such as
Principal Skinner Principal Seymour Skinner (born Armin Tamzarian) is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', who is voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he struggles to control, an ...
and Reverend Lovejoy, speak with a French accent. In the Quebec version the ethnic minorities also have accents. Noticeably, Carl has the accent of a Black immigrant from Haiti. 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 Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U. ...
in Quebec is generally replaced with one to
Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
. Most of the recurring characters keep their English names in each French version. Two exceptions are
Sideshow Bob Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a sel ...
and
Sideshow Mel In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten seq ...
, who are known as
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
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 Simpsons family's dog,
Santa's Little Helper Santa's Little Helper is a fictional dog in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. He was previously voiced by Frank Welker, and is currently voiced by Dan Castellaneta. The dog ...
, who is called "Le p'tit renne au nez rouge" (the French name for the song "
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
", which literally means "Little Red-Nosed Reindeer") in the Quebec version and "Petit Papa Noël" (name of a French
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
song that literally means "Little Father Christmas") in the French one. In addition, 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. For example, a reference to Homer watching ''
CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Detec ...
'' 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 United States. This is an example of localizing the humour for the Quebec market. In the episode " Lisa's Rival", Bart's mention of getting Millhouse Van Houten on ''America's Most Wanted'', is simply changed for "on television". 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 Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
and
francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
s are completely reversed, resulting in a stereotypical English-Canadian speaking French and a stereotypical French-Canadian speaking English. In another episode, English-Canadians were given stereotypical American accents speaking French, even when the main characters from the U.S.A. were not. The same practice is done in the Quebec dub of ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'', done by the same company and many of the same actors, but to a greater extent: instead of taking place in Arlen, Texas, the show takes place in
Sainte-Irène, Quebec Sainte-Irène is a parish municipality in Quebec, Canada. Municipal council * Mayor: Sébastien Lévesque * Councillors: Nathalie Daoust, Charli Fournier, Carmen Fournier, Nancy Lizotte, Alain Delisle, Nelson Thériault Demographics In the ...
, and many of the characters' names are changed. However,
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Texas flag The flag of Texas is the official flag of the U.S. state of Texas. It is well known for its prominent single white star which gives the flag its commonly-used name: "Lone Star Flag". This lone star, in turn, gives rise to the state's nickname: "T ...
s along with pictures of
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
state (such as on the side of police cars) are not edited. Generally, names are pronounced according to French pronunciation rules. For example,
Milhouse van Houten Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...
sounds like ''Meeloose Vanooten''.
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...
, the ''ge'' is pronounced /ʒ/ instead of /dʒ/, in
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
, the ''h'' is mute. The ''u'' in
Krusty Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ) better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castel ...
is pronounced as /œ/ as usual in French if words derive from English language such as ''club''. Other names are slightly different such as
Edna Krabappel Edna Krabappel-Flanders ( Krabappel; ) is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Marcia Wallace from 1990 until her death in October 2013. She was a 4th-grade teacher, who taught Bart Simpson's class a ...
who is named ''Edna Krapabelle''. Unlike in the original version, some names are stressed on the second syllable like ''Li'Sa'', ''Mag'Gie'' or ''Nel'Son''. 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, in the episode "
The Springfield Files "The Springfield Files" is the tenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 1997. In the episode, Homer believes he has ...
", where agents
Mulder Mulder is a surname of two possible origins: Dutch and German. It may be Dutch language occupational surname. It is an archaic Dutch word for "miller" (modern Dutch: ''molenaar''). With 38,207 people in the Netherlands named Mulder, it was the 12t ...
and Scully from ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'' appear the voice actors who do their voices on the French version of the ''X-Files'' guest starred. Up to a certain point, the animation of the show was not changed, and what is written in English appears in English, either subtitled in French or spoken by a character in French, in the two French versions. One important exception is the blackboard joke at the beginning of each episode. While the France version kept the original English, translating in the subtitles, the Quebec version changed the writing on the board directly to French. However, for later episodes of the Quebec version, other text was changed as well, such as movie titles ("Cosmic Wars" became "La guerre de l'espace" pace Warin the episode "
Co-Dependents' Day "Co-Dependents' Day" is the fifteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 21, 2004. Plot Homer, Bart, and Lisa see the ...
"). In July 2007
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
said in an interview on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' that the actor (Phillippe Peythieu) who does the voice of France French
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
says "T'oh!" 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. In the France version of the show, many other
catch phrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
s are also translated: Bart's "Eat my shorts" becomes "Va te faire shampouiner" ("Go shampoo yourself", similar to "go to hell"). When Homer tries to throttle Bart, his phrase "Why you little..." becomes "espèce de sale petit..." (literally "you dirty lil'..."). This version also has its popular catchphrases, to translate some terms that in the original versions are not catchphrases. Thereby, instead of "Oh my god!", Homer says "Ouh pinaise!", a deformation of "Oh punaise!" (Oh darn!), a watered-down form of the expletive "Oh putain!" (Oh damn!). "Oh pinaise!" is in French as much essential to characterize Homer as "D'oh" is in English. Homer is also unable to pronounce some terms like "bibliothèque" (library) and says "bibiliothèque". These catch phrases are translated in the Canadian French version as well: "Eat my shorts" becomes "mange de la crotte" ("eat shit") while "Why you little..." becomes "mon p'tit verrat" ("you little brat").
Gérard Rinaldi Gérard Rinaldi (February 17, 1943 – March 2, 2012) was a French actor, musician, lyricist, artistic director and singer with Les Charlots. Career Death Rinaldi died of lymphoma on March 2, 2012. He was 69. A few days later, holding back ...
, who replaced Michel Modo (who died in 2008 and who notably voiced Krusty, Chief Wiggum, Dr Hibbert, Mr. Burns, and Principal Skinner), was himself replaced by
Xavier Fagnon Xavier Fagnon is a French actor who specializes in dubbing. Biography Dubbing roles Theatrical animation *''Over the Hedge'' – Doctor Dennis ( Joel McCrary)/Nugent (Brian Stepanek) *''Paprika'' – Doctor Kōsaku Tokita (Tōru Furuya) *''Mad ...
after his death in March 2012. Régine Teyssot voiced nearly every secondary female and child character.


German

''Die Simpsons'' is broadcast on
ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
in Germany and on
ORF1 ORF 1 (''ORF eins'') is an Austrian public television channel owned by ORF. It was the first television channel in Austria, started in 1955. ORF 1 is one of four public TV channels in Austria. It is funded by a mixture of advertising revenue an ...
in Austria. Until 1994, ZDF broadcast ''The Simpsons'' in Germany. The main voices are dubbed by Norbert Gastell for
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
until season 26. After he died in 2015, Christoph Jablonka replaced him from season 27.
Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...
was dubbed by
Elisabeth Volkmann Elisabeth Volkmann (; 16 March 1936 – 27 July 2006) was a German actress and comedian, best known for her part in the German absurd comedy series ' (1973–1979), which was watched by millions of viewers in GermanyAnke Engelke Anke Christina Fischer ( Engelke; born 21 December 1965) is a German comedian, actress, voice actress and television presenter. Personal life Born in Montreal, Canada, Engelke moved to Cologne, Germany in 1971 with her German parents. Earl ...
became her successor. The change of the voices took place in the midst of season 17, when Volkmann's last dubbed episode was "
We're on the Road to D'ohwhere "We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" is the eleventh episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 29, 2006. Plot While messing around ...
" and Engelke's first dubbed episode was ''
My Fair Laddy "My Fair Laddy" is the twelfth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 26, 2006. This is the first episode that centers on ...
''. Whilst Elisabeth Volkmann's voice is not so close, Engelke's voice is rather "adapted" to the original voice.
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
is dubbed by Sandra Schwittau and Lisa by Sabine Bohlmann, who also dubs Maggie. One major difference is that Homer's "D'oh!" is yelled as a fierce ''("NO!")''. Whenever Homer strangles Bart, he says ''("Wait you little ...")'' or ''("You mean little ...")''.


Italian

''I Simpson'' has been aired in Italy since October 1, 1991. The main voices are by
Tonino Accolla Antonio "Tonino" Accolla (6 April 1949 – 14 July 2013) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Accolla began his career in the late 1970s making his very first dubbing contribution in the 1979 film ''Apocalypse Now''. He was also nota ...
(Homer), Liù Bosisio (Marge), Ilaria Stagni (Bart) and
Monica Ward Monica Ward (born August 5, 1965) is an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography Ward contributes to dubbing characters in anime, cartoons, movies, and other content as well as voicing characters in Italian animation such as Nova in ''Winx C ...
(Lisa). 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. While all of the character names remain in English, some have been modified, possibly to be easier to understand and recognize as a name to the audience: most notably, ''Moe'' became ''Boe'' (and all shots of his bar's sign are graphically modified accordingly), ''Edna Krabappel'' is named ''Caprapall'', ''Chief Wiggum'' is ''Commissario Winchester'' and Itchy and Scratchy are replaced by ''Grattachecca e Fichetto'' (the first refers to a typical granita sold in Rome. Fichetto is a person who wants to be cool but not in an exaggerated way). All characters having roles in their name (Principal Skinner, Chief Wiggum, Groundskeeper Willie, etc.) or English words (Fat Tony) have received literal translation for their title, with ''Sideshow'' (Mel and Bob) becoming ''Telespalla'' (the word did not exist in Italian before the show, but it is a good translation since ''spalla'' is the role of a sideshow). Many characters are dubbed with strong local accents. In November 2012, Liù Bosisio and Ilaria Stagni, were replaced by Sonia Scotti (Marge), and Gaia Bolognesi (Bart). Like the French and Spanish version, real and fictional characters conserve their frequent Italian voice, for example in the episode "
Any Given Sundance "Any Given Sundance" (a play on the title of the film ''Any Given Sunday'', but otherwise unrelated) is the eighteenth episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox net ...
",
Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
(voiced by
Hank Azaria Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, ...
), was dubbed by his Italian voice
Oreste Lionello Oreste Lionello (18 April 1927 – 19 February 2009) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Lionello was born in Rhodes (which was then a possession of Italy), to Calabrian parents, and grew up in Reggio Calabria. He began his career a ...
who did the last dub of his career, in fact he died a week after the Italian airing. Many characters are voiced by guest stars, like ex-minister
Ignazio La Russa Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as President of the Senate of the Republic since 13 October 2022. He is the first politician with a neo-fascist background to hold the position of Presid ...
who voiced Garth, the sugar industries manager, politician
Alessandra Mussolini Alessandra is a female given name of Italian origin, meaning ''defender of men''. It is the Italian form of the female given name Alexandra and the female form of the male given name Alessandro. Alessandra may refer to: * Alessandra Ambrosio (bo ...
as Marge's friend Tammy, football player
Francesco Totti Francesco Totti (; born 27 September 1976) is an Italian former professional footballer who played solely for Roma and the Italy national team. He is often referred to as ''Er Bimbo de Oro'' (The Golden Boy), ''L'Ottavo Re di Roma'' (The Eig ...
and his wife, showgirl
Ilary Blasi Ilary Blasi (; born 28 April 1981) is an Italian showgirl, model, television personality, and former child actress. Early life Ilary was born in Rome, daughter of Roberto and Daniela. Her mother named her after one of her favourite Western movi ...
as Buck Mitchell and Tabitha Vixx, showgirl
Valeria Marini Valeria Marini (born 14 May 1967) is an Italian actress, showgirl and entrepreneur. Biography Born in Rome, to a Sardinian mother and a father from Rome, but raised in Cagliari, Valeria's first cinematographic appearance was in 1987 in the fi ...
as Mindy Simmons,
Maria Grazia Cucinotta Maria Grazia Cucinotta (; born 27 July 1968) is an Italian actress who has featured in films and television series since 1990. She has also worked as a film producer, screenwriter and model. Internationally she is best known for her roles in ' ...
as in the original version is Francesca, sideshow Bob's wife. On July 14, 2013,
Tonino Accolla Antonio "Tonino" Accolla (6 April 1949 – 14 July 2013) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Accolla began his career in the late 1970s making his very first dubbing contribution in the 1979 film ''Apocalypse Now''. He was also nota ...
, the voice for Homer Simpson, died and was replaced by
Massimo Lopez Massimo Lopez (born 11 January 1952) is an Italian actor, voice actor, comedian, impressionist and television personality. Together with fellow actors Anna Marchesini and Tullio Solenghi, he has been a member of the comic group known as '' Il ...
. In Italian, many other
catch phrases A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
are also translated: Bart's "Eat my shorts" becomes "Ciucciati il calzino" ("Suck the sock"). When Homer tries to throttle Bart, his phrase "Why you little..." becomes "Brutto bagarospo..." ("You ugly cockroach-frog...").


Luxembourgish

''The Simpsons'' was first broadcast in Luxembourgish in September 2011 on RTL Luxembourg, after many years of being able to watch the show in the more widely spoken French language on French TV. The show is titled ''D' Simpsons'', an abbreviation for ''De Simpsons''. Like the French version, mentions of American culture are often not mentioned such as TV shows not known internationally, while the episodes appear uncut and broadcast in full with the end credits intact. The start sequence sees an onscreen subtitle for the chalk board gags. This version came about after many fans in Luxembourg protested for such a version, although the movie is only available in French and German at present (two of the three official languages of the country). RTL's screening of the show is sponsored by Luxembourg Post.


Russian

''Симпсоны'' was first shown in Russian language in 1997 on local network
REN TV REN TV (russian: РЕН ТВ) is a Russian free-to-air television network, was founded on 1 January 1997 by Irena Lesnevskaya and her son, Dmitry Lesnevsky, who had been running REN TV as a production house for other national Russian television ...
and, eventually, its air coverage reached almost all ex-USSR area (including Baltics). The show has been voice-overed by married couple
Boris Bystrov Boris Yevgenievich Bystrov (russian: Борис Евгеньевич Быстров; born February 12, 1945) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian actor and voice actor. Biography In 1966, he graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre. After graduat ...
and Irina Savina since season 9 to the newest ones (with some break offs), including The Movie. In 2007, due to changes of channel's conception, ''Симпсоны'' switched from REN TV to 2×2, a Russian analog of
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
, where they perform nowadays. Although the show was heavily criticized for its "amorality", the broadcast has never been stopped and barely any censorship occurred, except for blurring alcohol and cigarettes appearances due to local law. A more serious censorship occurred in
Looking for Mr. Goodbart "Looking for Mr. Goodbart" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 616th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 30, 2017, and t ...
, where the scene with Homer playing ''Peekimon Get'' in church has been cut off due to the similarities with the ongoing
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
with local blogger who had done the same thing in real life before and, eventually, got jailed. The translation is direct and the references to American pop-culture remain untouched, making jokes harder to understand for Russian viewer. However, if possible, translators try to
russify Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
puns. ''"D'oh!"'' is usually ''"Чёрт!"'' (Damn!), ''"Ой!"'' (Oh!) or remain untouched.


Spanish

''The Simpsons'' is dubbed into the
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the ...
in two versions, one for
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, and another in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
targeted to all Spanish-speaking countries in the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...
. In both versions, the show is named ''Los Simpson'', as last names are pluralized in Spanish using the article rather than the -s suffix (although it is commonly misspelled as "Los Simpsons"). There are many differences between the two versions, as there are differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and in Hispanic America. Whereas the dubbing in Spain tends to be more literal and to not translate character names nor toponyms, in the Hispanic American version many of the character names are translated, sometimes freely. Thus, in Hispanic America
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
is translated as ''Homero Simpson''. Other translations in Hispanic America are: Barney Gumble as ''Barney Gómez'', Chief Wiggum as ''Jefe Gorgory'', Ralph Wiggum as ''Ralf/Rafa Gorgory'', Reverend Lovejoy as ''Reverendo Alegría'' and Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby as ''Alcalde Diamante''. Itchy and Scratchy are translated in the two versions: ''Tomy y Daly'' for Hispanic America, and ''Rasca y Pica'' for Spain (however, "Pica" and "Rasca" literally translate as "It itches" and "It scratches"). Sideshow Bob is ''Bob Patiño'' in Hispanic America, and ''Actor secundario Bob'' in Spain. The region 1 DVDs include the Hispanic American audio.


Latin America

''The Simpsons'' was first dubbed in Mexico in 1990. The first dubbing studio selected was Audiomaster 3000; in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. In the list of voice actors chosen was Humberto Vélez, a recognized voice actor; besides dubbing Homer Simpson, Vélez was the narrator and translator in the series. The series was adapted to including words and expressions not only Mexican, but of the Americas; such as Chile, Argentina, among anothers. In January 2005, the
National Association of Actors The National Association of Actors ( es, Asociación Nacional de Actores, ANDA) is the Mexican actors guild. It is a member of the Bloque Latinoamericano de Actores (BLADA, the Latin American Actors' Block) that includes all of the actors' unions ...
opposed a proposal from Grabaciones y Doblajes Internationales (later New Art Dub), the dubbing studio responsible for producing the Hispanic American version, to allow hiring of non-trade actors. That April, Vélez announced his departure from ''The Simpsons''. In July, from the sixteen season onwards, almost the entire cast was permanently replaced with new actors, who also were unable to dub ''
The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
''. In 2021, after the Disney purchase, the original voice cast returned to ''The Simpsons'', including Humberto Vélez (Homer), Claudia Motta (Bart and Marge), Patricia Acevedo (Lisa) and Gabriel Chávez (Mr. Burns). They returned to give voice to the characters in the short ''
The Good, the Bart, and the Loki ''The Good, the Bart, and the Loki'' (also known as ''The Simpsons: The Good, the Bart, and the Loki'') is an American animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons'' produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television Animation fo ...
'', available on
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
, and season 32. The comeback was praised by the critics and fans. The Mexican version, it is common to hear local jokes or expressions, as well as references to Latin American pop-culture. For the Hispanic American version; the local jokes, expressions and words were deleted after the actors' strike, becoming more neutral. Since 2021, the local jokes are used again, such as the words ''chulada'', ''pequeño demonio'' and ''anda la osa''.


Spain

The Spanish voice acting is performed in standard Castilian accent. The show is translated to the standard Spanish dialect, accounting for some differences in vocabulary from its Hispanic American counterpart. Regional accents, as would be present in the original English cast (e.g., Willie's Scottish accent) are also dubbed into the standard Castilian accent so as to avoid representing specific Spanish regional accents with the stereotypes associated in English to characters of that accent. Several fans of the series and the rest of the Spanish cast were devastated after the death of Carlos Revilla due to his fame as
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...
, and Antena 3 had to find a substitute for Revilla's voice (as opposed to Dan Castellaneta's). Finally, Carlos Isbert, a popular voice actor who had been a supporting actor on the Revilla's team, now voices Homer. Revilla also dubbed the appearance of KITT in the episode "
The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" is the second episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 20, 1998, and was seen in around 7. ...
", like he did in ''
Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...
''. There are other characters that conserve their frequent voice in Spain: like
Mulder Mulder is a surname of two possible origins: Dutch and German. It may be Dutch language occupational surname. It is an archaic Dutch word for "miller" (modern Dutch: ''molenaar''). With 38,207 people in the Netherlands named Mulder, it was the 12t ...
and Scully from ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'', or
Sideshow Bob Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a sel ...
and his brother Cecil. They are dubbed by the same actors who dub
Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...
and
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Scree ...
in ''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...
''. (With Cecil this only occurs in his first appearance.) In the Spanish version of
The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
, the
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
cameo was dubbing by his habitual voice in Spain. In European Spanish, the rest of the family characters are played by Margarita de Francia (Marge), Isacha Mengíbar (Lisa) and Sara Vivas (Bart). The Spanish version of ''The Simpsons'' also distinguishes itself by using more literal translations of what the characters are saying. Jokes and pop cultural references from the original English version are generally maintained. In 2000, the Spaniard version was awarded the ''Best Simpsons Dub in Europe'' by FOX.


Brazilian Portuguese

In Brazil, ''The Simpsons'' is dubbed into Brazilian Portuguese by Audio News studio in Rio de Janeiro. The voice for Homer/Abe is Carlos Alberto, Marge is Selma Lopes, Lisa is voiced by Flavia Saddy and Bart is voiced by Rodrigo Antas. Some of the name of the characters is adapted to a similar name in Brazilian Portuguese or translated, when there are words or names in the Brazilian Portuguese language. For an example the character Gil, his name is pronounced Jil, like the singer
Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...
, for translations: Snowball is called ''Bola de Neve'', and Santa's Little Helper is called ''Ajudante do Papai Noel''. Kwik E 'Mart, the first season is ''Mercadinho''. Homer's friend, Lenny has an accent from the Brazilian northeast. Unlike Brazil, in Portugal, and it airs in its original version with Portuguese subtitles. However, ''The Simpsons Movie'' was subtitled, (even though the original version with subtitles also came out in Portuguese theaters).


By country


China

In 2006, ''The Simpsons'', along with other shows such as ''
Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...
'', ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...
'' and ''
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
'' cartoons, were banned from being aired during primetime (5:00 to 8:00 PM) in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. 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. The move was heavily criticized by Chinese media. ''
The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
'', however, has been dubbed into Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese. The show currently airs in Mandarin with some edits. Episodes are typically broadcast 2–3 weeks after its original airdate in the US.


Hungary

''The Simpsons'' appeared for the first time in Hungary, and it was dubbed into the Hungarian language on
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television * Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by E ...
on September 14, 1998. The series was one of the most popular shows on TV3, but this channel closed down on February 21, 2000. As a result, Viasat 3 started to broadcast new episodes starting with season 6 from September 29, 2001. In January 2008, Viasat 3 was ceased to broadcast ''The Simpsons'', and its sister channel, Viasat 6 (then TV6) started to air reruns. In September 2008, Viasat 6 also started to air new episodes. On August 30, 2013, Viasat 6 broadcast the season finale of season 24. On February 4, 2014, the Hungarian version of Fox launched, and from season 25, Fox broadcasts new episodes of ''The Simpsons'' in Hungary on Fridays. Currently the episodes are available in Hungarian after two weeks from its original broadcast in the US.


India

''The Simpsons'' (द सिम्पसन्स) has aired on Fox India and FX India, in English and dubbed into the
Hindi language Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
. Chetan Shashital provides the voice for
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...
in the Hindi dub of the TV series, while during talks of a Hindi dub of ''
The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
'', the producers of the planned Hindi dub wanted to choose
Boman Irani Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career. Ear ...
to voice Homer instead, but that project never came through. It also airs in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
and
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
.


Japan

In
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, The Simpsons has been dubbed into Japanese and was first broadcast by WOWOW from September 19, 1992, until 2002 (seasons 1 - 12), and later on the
Fox Channel The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...
(seasons 13 - 14) until 2007. The show is broadcast on Fox Sports and Entertainment in English with Japanese subtitles from 2008 (season 15 -) onwards. However Season 15, Season 16, and Season 17 were dubbed for Disney+ in 2022.


Pakistan

''The Simpsons'' was dubbed for the first time in
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
and aired on
Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October ...
in Pakistan. The name of the localised Punjabi version is ''Tedi Sim Sim'' ( pa, ). All references to drugs, drinking and sex have been removed. It is one of the most popular shows that airs on
Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October ...
. The original English version also airs but on
STAR World Star World (formerly known as Star Plus) is an English language entertainment television channel originally launched on 15 December 1991 as Star Entertainment () by STAR TV in Hong Kong as the old iteration of Star Plus. On 30 March 1996, th ...
. Both of the versions are quite popular.


South Africa

In
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, all networks air the show in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
. This is due to the fact that there are no
Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...
or native language dubs of the show and that most people would view it in English anyway.


South Korea

The show arrived to South Korea on January 9, 1995, on MBC and the second season on July 1, 1995. Homer was dubbed by Han Song-Pae. Due to disparate cultural differences, MBC pulled the show from their schedule. In 2002, EBS and Tooniverse acquired the show with individual dubs for each channel. However, The show stopped being aired in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
after Season 28. Currently, The Series streams in South Korea On Disney+.


Sweden

''The Simpsons'' appeared for the first time on Swedish television on November 29, 1990. The series was originally broadcast on
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television * Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by E ...
in English with Swedish subtitles. However, in 1993, the network decided to start dubbing ''The Simpsons'' into Swedish to increase ratings, and the show was moved to a more child-friendly time. After a public outrage the dubbing was dropped after only six episodes and the show was moved to a more adult time. Bart was voiced by Annica Smedius and Homer by
Per Sandborgh Per Sandborgh is a Swedish actor, musician and translator.The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...
'' DVD, with Annica Smedius providing the voice for Bart once again.


List of languages

*
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
*
Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...
*
Canadian French Canadian French (french: français canadien) is the French language as it is spoken in Canada. It includes multiple varieties, the most prominent of which is Québécois (Quebec French). Formerly ''Canadian French'' referred solely to Quebec ...
*
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...
* Danish *
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
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English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
* European French *
European Portuguese European Portuguese ( pt, português europeu, ), also known as Portuguese of Portugal ( Portuguese: português de Portugal), Iberian Portuguese ( Portuguese: português ibérico), and Peninsular Portuguese ( Portuguese: português peninsular), re ...
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European Spanish Peninsular Spanish ( es, español peninsular) (also known as the Spanish of Spain ( es, español de España, links=no), European Spanish ( es, español europeo, links=no), Iberian Spanish ( es, español ibérico, links=no) or Spanish Spanish ( es ...
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Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
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German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
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Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
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Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
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Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
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Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
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Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
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Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
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Latin American Spanish The different varieties of the Spanish language spoken in the Americas are distinct from each other as well as from those varieties spoken in the Iberian peninsula, collectively known as Peninsular Spanish and Spanish spoken elsewhere, such as in ...
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Luxembourgish Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of th ...
* Lithuanian *
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...
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Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
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Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
* Russian *
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
* Thai * Vietnamese


References


External links


D'oh! Arabized Simpsons Aren't Getting Many Laughs
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – an article about the negative response the Arabic adaptation received among longtime Simpsons fans in the Arabic regions.
Homer’s odyssey: Why The Simpsons flopped in the Middle East
– an article from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation regarding the failure of the Arabised version of the show.
Details about the dubbed version in Pakistan.

An in depth essay about the Italian dubbed version.
{{The Simpsons The Simpsons Simpsons, The