Dec
18
2003

mistranslation

A Salon.com profile of “Far Side” cartoonist Gary Larson includes a curious anecdote about a “translation” of the comic. (“Brilliant Careers: Gary Larson” - 12/21/99)

“The Far Side” was eventually picked up by 1,900 newspapers and translated into 17 languages. Twice the Dayton Daily News inadvertently translated it into “Dennis the Menace,” by switching the captions on the side-by-side panels. (It didn’t do much for “The Far Side,” but greatly improved “Dennis the Menace,” as in the cartoon in which Dennis tells his doting mother, “I see your little, petrified skull … labeled and resting on a shelf somewhere,” a line that had been intended for a Neolithic fortune-teller.)

Creepy, yet intriguing. So bizarre.

(Thanks to Rob for the link.)

Posted at 5:26 PM in comic books, culture, language

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