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Europe
How do you say ‘D’oh’ in Danish?
2007-08-02
Ummmmm .... Danish
When The Simpsons Movie opens on Friday, fans who stumble into theatres showing the Danish version of the film will still be able recognise Homer Simpson’s trademark outburst, ‘D’oh!’.

Niels Ellegaard, the actor chosen to dub the voice of the family’s patriarch in the film’s Danish version, admitted he faced a dilemma when considering whether to replace the expression with a Danish variant. ‘On the one hand it’s impossible to copy the guy who has done the Homer voice for 20 years,’ Ellegaard told Politiken newspaper. ‘On the other hand, I had to say ‘D’oh’ in the Danish version. It wouldn’t work if we began saying ‘Øv’ or something else in Danish,’ he added.

The popular US series quickly found a Danish audience when TV3+ began broadcasting the adventures of the dysfunctional family from Springfield several years ago.

Ellegaard admitted he was not a long-time fan, and he was wary of taking on the challenge of providing the voice - especially since attempts in Sweden to dub the show fell flat. ‘I wasn’t sure that I wanted to because the show has such a cult following,’ he said.

While most fans are expected to choose the original version in theatres with the voice of Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Ellegaard predicted some fathers who are crazy about the show might choose the Danish version so they can take their children ‘as a compromise’.

The challenge of finding the right tone for Homer while not sounding like a cheap copy stumped Ellegaard. He says he practiced his ‘D’oh!’ while walking up and down his street, raising the eyebrows of Flanders-like neighbours. ‘They must have thought I was completely crazy,’ he laughed.

Ellegard said he did not need to get into character when it came time to step up to the microphone. ‘I didn’t dare try get inside the head of Homer,’ he said. ‘That would have been too frightening, I think.’
Posted by:mrp

#3  There is actually a similar Danish epithet. Whenever my Copenhagen born mother would burn herself on the stovetop she would exclaim, "Ow! For Søren!" I can only assume it refers to Søren Kierkegaard or some other similarly tortuous and tedious bit of schooling. When I asked her about the etemology I received the usual deer-in-the-headlights look. So, "For Søren!", it is.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-08-02 20:54  

#2  I don't recall there being an English version of "D'oh" either! How can you translate an invented word?
Posted by: Dar   2007-08-02 16:34  

#1  saw "The Simpsons Movie" yesterday - pretty damn funny
Posted by: Frank G   2007-08-02 09:37  

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