10 DUBBING INCONSISTENCES IN "FRIENDS" THAT YOU (MAYBE) DON'T KNOW

Friends, the successful American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman was one of the  most loved comedy series of its genre. In fact, it boasts numerous awards and the constant affection of fans even twenty years after its last episode. 

Innovative from many points of view, Friends has been able to anticipate important themes which, although treated in ways suited to the feeling of the 90s of the old millennium, still remain highly relevant twenty-five years later. And today, as then, those same themes (homoparental families, gender identity, surrogate motherhood... just to name a few) do not fail to create controversy and debate, although with motivations diametrically opposed to their origins. In fact, if at the time some topics were found out of place and too anticipatory for a sitcom dedicated to a young audience, thirty years later the judgment of the new generations is rather severe regarding the ways in which certain situations are addressed. 

In any case, there are so many curiosities about the series and in this article we want to focus on the differences between the original version and the Italian transposition of the same. In Italy Friends was broadcast free-to-air by Rai. The dubbing was handled by the CDC Sefit Group which chose interpreters capable of best characterizing the characters. Among the voice actors we remember Vittorio De Angelis who passed away prematurely a few years ago, who masterfully gave voice to the character of Joey.

As however always happens in adaptations , there are some discrepancies between the original and dubbed versions: even Friends is no exception. Let's start by saying that the Italian adaptation is slightly more toned down than the original, with fewer swear words and fewer sexually explicit jokes. Furthermore, on many occasions references to commercial brands were eliminated or those to famous people were completely modified, replacing them with names better known to the Italian public. The small (big) differences in the Italian dubbing of Friends are so many. We won't dwell too much on the two most well-known ones: 

• the misunderstanding of “We were on a break!” which will recur between Ross and Rachel for almost the entire series 
• Joey who warns Chandler that his grandmother is particularly sensitive enough to be «the sixth person to have spat on the dangling corpse of Mussolini» which in the Italian version becomes «will take up his buckshot rifle» thus eliminating the reference to the fascist dictator.

1 – The pronunciation of names in Friends

The most evident inconsistency in the Italian version is certainly the use of a different pronunciation for the names of two protagonists. Difference that will remain constant for all seasons. In fact, “Phoebe” (which in English is pronounced “Fibi”) is changed to “Febe” and Joey's surname changes from “Tribbiani” to “Triviani”. Furthermore, during the various episodes, the boys often use diminutives: Mon, Rach, Pheebs. On at least one occasion the use of one of these diminutives becomes the center of a joke. In the episode A Weekend to Forget, Chandler and Monica, who are having an affair without the others knowing, decide to go away for a romantic weekend . Exasperated by the girl's fussiness, Chandler exclaims: «Geez, relax, Mom!» correcting “Mom” to “Mon” a second later so as not to infuriate her. In Italian the joke is less incisive because the play on words is less evident. In fact, the initial «Heaven, relax, Mommy!» becomes «Heaven, relax, Mommy…Monica!»

2- «How you doin'?»

This is the magic approach phrase used by Joey to approach any woman . It's a catchphrase that characterizes the entire series. In the Italian dubbing it is translated in various different ways: «Come ti va?», «How are you?», «How is it?». By using different forms, however, the comic force of reiteration is lost. Small curiosity: perhaps only on one occasion does the typical boarding phrase produce no effects. In the episode A Run in the Park Joey tries to impress his new roommate Janine, played by the super-model Elle Macpherson, but the phrase doesn't work, throwing Joey into despair. 

3 – Pablo or Paolo?

In episode By candlelight, Rachel meets an attractive tenant of her own building – played by the actor Cosimo Fusco – with whom she will embark on a brief and fiery relationship. In the Italian version we learn that the playboy is called Pablo, comes from Madrid and speaks very little English. In fact, he expresses himself almost exclusively in Spanish. In the original version, however, Pablo is actually called Paolo, he is Italian and comes from Rome. For obvious reasons it would have been difficult to maintain the true origins of the character in our version too, so we chose to dub with a Spanish accent the lines that Fusco, in the original version, recites directly in Italian. 

4 – Joey's grandmother and deafness

<1 >In the episode Pizza a Domicilio the kids gather at Monica and Rachel's house to watch an episode of Law&Order in which Joey plays a small role. The aspiring actor's biggest fan is also present at the evening: his grandmother. In the original version, Joey's grandmother does not speak English and only understands when spoken to in Italian. In Italy, not being able for logical reasons to change the geographical origin of the character as was done for Paolo/Pablo, another narrative ploy was opted for. In fact, it is specified that the old lady is a bit absent-minded and almost completely deaf, thus justifying the fact that she does not understand most of the things that are said to her. 

5 – Chandler's gymnastics

We have already mentioned the fact that some sexual jokes were often translated in a more sweetened way if not completely distorted. This is the case of a scene included in the episode Chandler the Lazy. Monica serves as Chandler's personal trainer in an attempt to get him into shape. During a training session, to try to convince the now exhausted boy to do a series of five more sit-ups, Monica promises to show him her breasts as a reward. Chandler only manages to do two and a half and therefore demands that Monica show him at least one breast in exchange. In the Italian version the lines change completely. Monica says: «Make me five more and I'll let you go» and Chandler, after having only managed to do half of it, replies: «The rest in installments». 

6 – Holland is the Neverland

In episode The Geller Cup, Chandler and Joey both try to impress about a Dutch girl. To try to put him on the spot, Chandler asks Joey where the Dutch come from. In the original version Joey confuses “Netherlands” (Netherlands) with “Neverland”, Peter Pan's Neverland. In the Italian version an attempt is made to replicate the misunderstanding by using Gulliver's Travels  (and therefore Lilliput) in reference to the "Netherlands" but with a decidedly minor comic vis. The meaning of the next line in which Chandler mentions Captain Hook is then completely lost.

7 – The man, power, penis

The female characters of Friends are characterized by a strong personality, especially Rachel. In fact, throughout the series she will transform from a spoiled rich girl, incapable of dealing with life on her own, to an independent, career woman. There are therefore frequent episodes in which Rachel herself, although with mixed and comical results, tries to reaffirm her self-determination regardless of a male presence. In the episode Poker Lessons perhaps he says one word too many for the time. Forced to pay off a gambling debt with Ross, Rachel mimics the boy's chauvinistic attitude by saying: «Hey, I'm a man! Hey, I have the power!». In the original version it is: «Oh, I'm a man! Oh, I have a penis!». Perhaps the word “penis” thirty years ago, in a series broadcast on Rai, was considered too explicit. 

8 – Mangy cat

Phoebe's songs they are certainly one of the most absurd and funniest things about Friends. In the Italian dubbing Phoebe is decidedly more out of tune than the original but as regards the translation of the lyrics of the songs, the work was quite accurate. The nonsense that characterizes Phoebe's interpretations on the stage of the Central Perk does not lose strength even in the Italian version. To be picky, however, the best-known song, which recurs throughout the series, Gatto Rognoso, should be translated as “Smelly Cat” since the original title is Smelly Cat. 

9 – You can see everything!

I am there are at least two episodes in which it is pointed out that by sitting slouched you can involuntarily show off the "family jewels". In the episode Two very special friends a subplot is in fact dedicated to Robert, Phoebe's new boyfriend who every time he sits down «makes the mouse come out of the hole» as Gunther will say in the course of the episode. It's not clear why in a subsequent episode the translation used for the Italian dubbing totally glossed over this topic. This is the episode The discovery of a talent. Chandler puts on a bathrobe and sits spread-eagled on the hall cabinet. He talks about how he caught Joey's new girlfriend naked in the shower and how painful this sight is for him given the feelings he secretly harbors for the girl. At the end of the short monologue he leaves the apartment and Phoebe asks the others: «Do you think he's really cooked?». The original joke is instead: «Did you notice that you could see everything?»

10 – The nipples of discord

The last inconsistency between the Italian dubbing and the original version concerns the use of the term “nipple”, evidently considered too bold. Although in some episodes reference is made several times to Chandler's now famous "third nipple" (which will later be surgically removed), in other episodes this word seems to represent a taboo. We mention one above all. In Roadside Assistance Chandler starts smoking again. In one scene, because smoking bothers others, he is forced to do it in front of an open window. In the Italian version Joey complains about the cold saying his chest hair is as hard as nails while in the original version he says his nipples are so hard they could cut glass.

If you want to find other inconsistencies and report them to us in the comments, all you have to do is watch the episodes in Italian but with an ever-vigilant eye on the English subtitles.<13 >

Francesca Arca