translating puns

[Per Starback]

On Tsamjah Phee (in Return to Xanadu):
[That's how his name's spelt in my D&S anyway.]

Wilmer asked:
> how are puns like this one (on Sam Jaffee, who played the ancient
> lama in "Lost Horizon") handled in the non-English editions?  If they
> use different names for Donald, Scrooge, etc., do they keep the
> "English" names for the incidental characters, such as the residents
> of Tra La La?  When that name involves a pun, what do they do?  In
> particular, how did the European editions handle "coral barques"?  Do
> the European authors attempt any "non-English" puns, or do they worry
> about how the story will read in English?

Tsamjah Phee was actually Samjah Fee in Swedish. The "coral barques"
remark was ignored in the Swedish translation.  (Well, what was there
to do?) Generally speaking the characters get Swedish names, and might
get new puns if the original ones aren't translatable.

I know that the translator has had problems with puns in Italian
stories.  I don't think most Egmont stories (Rosa excluded!) contain
any puns at all.  (After all, they know the stories will be translated
anyway.)
--       "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden.  email: starback at student.docs.uu.se
 "Life is but a gamble!  Let flipism chart your ramble!"