I have a #40630 Frodo and Gollum set. The front spells Frodo's name correctly,
but the top says Frodon.
Is that an intentional French spelling? An error on the whole production run?
A limited super rare print error?
That will probably be corrected on the next batch...
Why would it be corrected? The set's name in French is often on one side
of the box.
and that is fine but this isn't a generic word, its a character name which
should always be referenced the same no matter which country just the same as
a persons name is a person name meaning you cant just alter and spell it differently
to anything other than what was chosen by parents or in this case the novelist!
[…]
and that is fine but this isn't a generic word, its a character name which
should always be referenced the same no matter which country just the same as
a persons name is a person name meaning you cant just alter and spell it differently
to anything other than what was chosen by parents or in this case the novelist!
Nonsense.
Bilbo the Hobbit (the first book) is a child book. Surnames were obviously chosen
to have a meaning and to be funny. Of course they have to be translated!
It’s then logical the next books, even if not aimed at children, kept the same
names.
For firstnames, Tolkien used “real” firstnames that already have different forms
in different langages. Names in -o in Germanic¹ languages (Frodo, Otho, Drogo…)
end in -on in French (and that’s pronounced /õ/, the nazalized vowel o, not /on/),
it was then also logical to add a final n in French.
Now, the latest translator decided to revert to -o for firstnames. He also changed
Sacquet to Bessac to keep the aliteration with Bilbo. But that won’t change
the dubbing of the movies
And last and certainly not least, Tolkien himself wrote a nomenclature especially
for translators so they can translate the names!
Traduttore, traditore.
———
¹ Works for Latin and Greek too: Plato(n), Pluto(n), Cato(n)….
Bilbo the Hobbit (the first book) is a child book. Surnames were obviously chosen
to have a meaning and to be funny. Of course they have to be translated!
Just like in English translations. Kids here would not understand Pippi Långstrump,
but call her Pippi Longstocking and they realise why she is called that with
her long socks.
Bilbo the Hobbit (the first book) is a child book. Surnames were obviously chosen
to have a meaning and to be funny. Of course they have to be translated!
Just like in English translations. Kids here would not understand Pippi Långstrump,
but call her Pippi Longstocking and they realise why she is called that with
her long socks.
USA, California
Sweden, Södermanland
United Kingdom, England
Netherlands, Zuid-Holland
France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine