The well-known American animated sitcom is more than 30 years old and still airs on TV both in the USA and internationally. More than 100 international markets worldwide watch this popular show, including UAE, Germany, Turkey, and many other countries. This show has over 200 million viewers internationally, which only makes us think that there is at least one person in every country that watches The Simpsons. Today’s topic is about the international interest in The Simpsons animated sitcom, what countries watch the show, what languages are the series translated in, and what are the most memorable parts of the international part of the show.
The international interest in The Simpsons
Even though many people think that the Simpsons are a typical American family, everyone can find themselves in the characters as well. There is no family in the world that doesn’t face issues or people who have mean bosses. The sitcom shows us the typical issues, questions, and solutions that every family can face and overcome. The show is popular in more than 100 countries, and it is certain to say that international love for The Simpsons is undoubted. But why do people love the series so much? Some journalists in Rio have mentioned in many articles that there is a piece of Homer in all of us. He can be lazy, clumsy, jealous, and forgetful. And sometimes, we can resemble the character so well. A magazine in Germany has mentioned that Homer has a big heart and is a family-oriented person. And even though he has many other characteristics, his big heart is always his main trait. Recently, German journalists have asked 100 people if they watch The Simpsons, and how they are familiar with the family members. 27% of the participants said that they have insecurities just like Homer, 5% said that they are clumsy and forgetful, 63% said that they are kind-hearted like Marge, and 5% said that they are determined like Lisa.
Throughout the entire production of the sitcom, many people all over the world have made the show a part of their life. Which only makes us think that the American family is loved everywhere.
Translations of The Simpsons
Since the sitcom has been aired internationally, the TV show has been translated into over 15 languages. Moreover, the episodes are also subtitled into around 30 languages. People can watch The Simpsons in languages, such as Greek, Russian, German, Mandarin, and so much more. Even though many people still want to watch the show in the original language, many countries have made very good translations of the show in order to keep the interest of those who don’t understand English. There was a time when Swedish television decided to translate the series for Swedish people to watch in their native language instead of subtitles and English. However, when the casting for the voiceovers started, many actors refused to take the roles as they didn’t want to have poorer quality than the English voiceovers. And according to them, there was no way to make a better or even equal version of English Simpsons.
In Germany, the family Simpsons is famous by the name Die Simpsons. The show was translated into German with the main voice of Homer Simpson Norbert Gastell. However, he was replaced by another artist after his death in 2015. Another voiceover change in the series was in 2006 when the actress of the main voice of Marge Simpsons died. Marge’s initial voice in German was not very close to the original version. However, the second voice was more adapted to the English one, making it look more similar to the original. In the German version of The Simpsons, the voices of Maggie and Lisa are dubbed by the same actor, Sabine Bohlmann. Another interesting fact of the German version of The Simpsons is that Homer’s popular expression D’oh is screamed as Nein. This is a remarkable point, as many translations of the series tried to keep the common expressions the same as it is in the original.
The bottom line
There’s no doubt that people all over the world watch The Simpsons or at least have heard about the popular American family once. The popularity of the animated sitcom is mainly because many people see their families in the show, or maybe they see part of themselves in the situations that the characters face. Either way, people who watch The Simpsons always claim that the 33-season TV show has become an important part of their life, and they can rewatch each series over and over again. If you are bilingual, it is always interesting to watch the same movie in all the languages you understand. This way, you see how similar the translations are, which one has better performance and whether the translation can outperform the original one or not. Watching the Simpsons is always a fun and entertaining activity, whether you are watching it in English or another language.