frbd1-5, Exercise 2: An Astérix gag type

Model answer (check the details), using the pun on names:

How it works: Gauls have names ending in -ix (Astérix, Obélix, Panoramix), Romans in -us (Caius Bonus), and so on for other peoples, so the name is both a character and a joke on the language. Many names are puns on a trait or a French word.

What is lost in translation: a name that puns in French has to be rebuilt to pun in English. The English translators Bell and Hockridge did this by inventing new puns instead of translating the old ones, so Panoramix became Getafix (a pun on "get a fix", check). The new joke fits the character but is a different joke.

Result: a good translation of wordplay is a new work in the target language. Compare German Humour: Does Germany Have a Sense of Humour?, Chapter 2, on German wordplay.

Care: translation credits and individual name changes should be checked in the albums.