29-06-2017, 10:54 AM
(29-06-2017, 09:22 AM)ppppenguin Wrote: The programme was "The Forsyte Saga" dubbed into French.
In 1980, I was doing acceptance testing at Barco's factory in Kortrijk on some special receivers they were making for us and we were invited round to the factory manager's house one night together with a couple of young lads from their UK distributor.
During the course of the evening, one of these lads asked "What is the difference between the Flemish and the Walloons?"
Anything could have happened at this point but Joel just switched on the TV! He started going round the Dutch and Flemish channels and came across an episode of "Soap" on one of the Dutch channels in the original American with Dutch subtitles. One of the Flemish channels was showing a BBC programme - I can't remember which - in English with Dutch* subtitles.
He then moved onto the French language channels and found something which he couldn't have possibly planned. A western, with Lee Marvin marching down the sidewalk, crashing through the bat-wing doors as he strode into the saloon, marching up to the bar and smashing his fist down on the bar. At this point he opened his mouth and this squeaky high-pitched French voice came out!
It was so out of character that we all just roared with laughter at such an inappropriate choice of voice.
The point Joel was making was that the Dutch language networks would show any imported material with subtitles and the original sound whereas the French language networks on both sides of the border refused to buy imported material unless it had been dubbed into French.
One small difference but an interesting way of neatly sidestepping an innocent question which could open up a veritable minefield!
* Flemish is actually a number of dialects of Dutch. There are considerable differences between them so all Flemish broadcasting uses the high level language, Dutch.
Last year there was a big awards ceremony in Antwerp which was hosted by a local celebrity who'd been a winner of Belgium's Got Talent or some-such.
She did the entire programme in the local dialect which two thirds of the TV audience couldn't understand and BRT was inundated with angry phone calls!
