Geek Syndicate Issue 5 | Page 32

Geek Syndicate
Image © Cinebook, 2012

words or concepts which simply do not have a direct English equivalent? How big of a cultural divide is there between us? Jerome: The cultural divide is, fortunately, not that wide. Yes, there are differences between France and the UK, or the US, but in the end, we’re still all Western civilisations, with common roots and common history. Even things that are different usually have a more or less direct equivalent. Obviously, we have readers throughout the world, since English is a lingua franca, but it’s the target language that determines the changes. Cultural equivalents are not the same as lexical or grammatical ones, though! Sometimes, you have to work around a sentence, twist it, break it, pad it... to make it work. Split it between two bubbles, for example. It’s a fun exercise, to be honest. Challenging and fun. And on occasion, terrifying.
Image © Cinebook, 2012

I just took over translation of Iznogoud, for example, which is chock-full of puns, and since the original translators were Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge (the legends behind the English version of Asterix)... It was a daunting prospect. How do you take over after such a team?? I hope I did good. :) I can tell you one thing: having lived abroad helps tremendously. I spent about two years in the USA, and 10 living in Ireland. I’ve spent time in the UK, in Australia... Without that first-hand experience of the people, the culture and the language, I shudder to think of the mistakes I could make. Colloquialisms and pop culture references are the worst! Humour is extremely difficult, and you can’t learn it at school, either. You have to experience it first, so you can recognise it and reshape it for a different audience. As I said: Fun, challenging... and terrifying. The Continental nations are perceived as being more liberal in their attitudes to sex and sexuality. Several of your books have had minor alterations made to the art with relation to this aspect of life. Is this thoughtful sensitivity or simple censorship? Is this itself a kind of cultural translation? Jerome: That’s actually a pretty good way to put it, yes... Cultural translation. I like that!

We’ve taken a bit of flak over those alterations, from readers who hate the idea of censorship for various reasons. Personally, I dislike it too, on principle, but it’s not that simple. I’m a product of French culture, in which nudity and mentions of sexuality are common and no big deal. It’s easy when you’ve been raised that way to smirk when other people get offended by the occasional exposed nipple. But that’s a grave mistake. You don’t wave your culture around and shove it into somebody’s face. That’s rude, and stupid, and counterproductive in the extreme. When you... invite yourself into somebody’s home, so to speak, you have to show respect for THEIR culture. And if that means covering up someone’s exposed body here and there, then so be it. When the alternative is to be labelled with an adult rating and relegated to the in-

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