Few quotes are as instantly recognizable in the Asterix comics as Obelix’s famous exclamation: “Ils sont fous, ces Romains !” (These Romans are crazy!) Over the decades, this short sentence has become one of the most enduring running gags in the series and one of its most widely quoted lines. Even readers who do not speak French often recognize the structure and meaning of the phrase through its local translations.

Why the Phrase Works Across Languages

One reason for the international success of the quote is its flexibility. Just as in the original French, “ces Romains” can easily be replaced by another group, making the expression adaptable far beyond the comics themselves. In the Asterix comics this happens more than once.

In Dutch, “Rare jongens, die Romeinen” has entered everyday speech, while in German, “Die spinnen, die Römer” is equally familiar. Comparable constructions appear in many other languages, particularly in Europe, where the phrase is often understood even by people who have never read an Asterix album.

When Asterix says it

On the inlay of some albums it is actually Asterix that repeats Obelix’s famous quote. I have noticed that in many translations the way Asterix says it differs from how Obelix says is. In the list below I sometimes only had Asterix’s quote to go on.

Translating Obelix: Patterns and Strategies

To understand how this iconic line has been adapted worldwide, we examined translations from a wide range of Asterix editions. Although wording and tone differ from language to language, most translators rely on a small number of recurring strategies to convey Obelix’s blunt assessment of the Romans.

Three Common Translation Variants

In practice, the translations tend to fall into three broad categories. Some use a direct statement declaring that the Romans are mad or insane. Others adopt a milder formulation, describing them as strange, foolish, or “not wise.” A third group replaces the idea of madness entirely with a local idiom or metaphor, such as “spinning,” “not being in one’s right mind,” or other culturally specific expressions that carry the same meaning.

Overview of the Translations

The table below lists the translations by language, together with a literal English rendering and an indication of which variant each translation follows. Sometimes a new publisher or translator comes in and the quote is changed. Where I found different translations I give them both.

Below is the list of all (*) translations I could find in my collection. For each entry, I have provided the Literal English Translation and categorized the Variant used.

(*) Asterix has been translated to a few more languages, but sometimes only the first title was translated. Obelix doesn’t utter his catchphrase until album 4, Asterix the Gladiator.

(**) In Modern Greek we get two versions of the quote.

(***) Only Asterix and the Great Crossing has been translated into Grondsprååtsi where Romans is replaced with Vikings.

(****) In 1992 two Asterix albums were published by Cosmos in Korea. The later publications by Munhak translated the quote different.

(*****) The first quote comes from a publication by Grasg y dref wen and the later one from Dalen

Help me

As you will probably understand, I don’t speak all the languages above myself. I mainly used the original French albums to locate a quote and then find the same speech bubble in a translated album. When uncertain I used AI to help me out. Obelix doesn’t say his famous quote in all albums, Asterix in Switzerland for example. The only Persian album I have is exactly that one. As my collection grows I will try to update this article. Any help is greatly appreciated.