Why is Darth Vader called Lord Fener in Italy?

May 10, 2005 5:37 PM

Why is Darth Vader called Lord Fener in Italy? Does Darth Vadar means something in Italian or was there some other reason to change that?
posted by willnot to society & culture (7 comments total)

I think Lucas made up quite a few of the names essentially phonetically, and that sensitivity extended to renaming them to trip off foreign tongues when dubbed. So, in French Darth Vader is "Dark Vador" and C3-P0 is "Z6-P0" to avoid the clunky "C-trois-P-zéro" ; in Italian it's Dart Fener and C1-P8 or "C-un'-P-otto".
posted by nicwolff at 7:26 PM on May 10, 2005

Are the "th" and "v" sounds both common in Italian? If only one of them is, it's possible they kind of run together in the Italian ear. As nicwolf points out, not all names are equally pronounceable in all locales. I don't think Germans have a "th" sound at all, for example.

Anyway "Lord" is a pretty good equivalent to what "Darth" means in the Star Wars mythos. It's a title. Some important guy. And Vader is obviously from the German for Father. Perhaps the translation is too obvious in Italian? Like, "Mister Father?" I dunno. We need an Italian speaker.
posted by scarabic at 8:10 PM on May 10, 2005

The "th" sounds (there are actually two "th" sounds in English: compare thin and this) are fairly uncommon in the world's languages and they do not occur in Italian.
posted by Utilitaritron at 9:36 PM on May 10, 2005

Darth is more specific, a title only for a sith. However, he is called Lord Vader several times in the movie anyway so it doesn't much matter.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2005

Yes, sorry, an important Sith is called a Darth, just as an important Jedi is called a Master. Master Yoda. Darth Maul.

In fact, I'm not even sure you have to be all that important. You just have to be "graduatetd," ie: an "adult" by the reckoning of your order.
posted by scarabic at 11:19 PM on May 10, 2005

Darth = Dark, in I can't remember what language.

So Darth Vader = Dark Father.
posted by armoured-ant at 11:33 PM on May 10, 2005

Wikipedia: Darth
posted by grouse at 11:47 PM on May 10, 2005