Catalan

Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan) is an autonomous region located in the northeastern part of Spain, bordered by France to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the rest of Spain to the west and south. It is known for its distinct language, Catalan, as well as its vibrant cultural traditions, including unique festivals, music, and cuisine. The region has a rich history, dating back to the medieval County of Barcelona, and today, Catalonia is one of Spain’s most economically and culturally significant areas.

Català

Catalan (Català) is a Romance language spoken in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community, and it holds official status alongside Spanish in these areas. Catalan has its roots in the Vulgar Latin spoken by the Romans and is closely related to Occitan and Spanish. Though it faced suppression during the Franco dictatorship, it has seen a resurgence, with a significant number of speakers and a thriving literary tradition.

Asterix speaks Catalan

Asterix has been translated into Catalan in various editions. The translations began in the late 1960s, with Bruguera publishing the early albums in Catalan.

Valencian?

Valencian is linguistically considered a dialect of Catalan, not a separate language, according to the consensus of experts and institutions like the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. It shares grammar, vocabulary, and mutual intelligibility with other Catalan varieties, despite regional differences. Politically and culturally, however, some people in the Valencian Community view it as a distinct language due to regional identity. Officially, both terms—Valencian and Catalan—refer to the same language, with local preferences respected.

How to distinguish?

Translations exist both in the Barcelona and Valencia dialects of Catalan. It can be hard to distinguish between both editions when you don’t actually know Catalan. The covers are practically the same. The Valencian albums have ISBN that starts with 84-85146-xx-x. The translator was Francesc Pérez Moragón. I hope this helps.

The website Asterix around the World has more information about both the Barcelona and Valencia versions.

Dual language albums

There are also several duo-albums of Asterix in which you can read the stories both in English and Catalan.

Spelling error

The Catalan translation of Asterix and the Falling Sky from 2005 has a spelling error on the cover. The title should be El cel ens cau al damunt!, but instead it reads El cel s’ens cau al damunt! placing a s’ before ens. This album is now of course wanted by collectors, but still relatively easy to find (but not necessarily cheap).