Who the hell is this Dandelion?

[Bellator Pius Gratus]

Where are you from?

Good question.

Spoiler

Really? I mean, he acts pretty chivalrous and he rides them mares as often as he can. ^^

I actually meant regarding his profession, being a bard or minstrel, not his personality. But either being associated with knight or spurs doesn't quite cut it in Scandinavian. In fact, hearing that name you'd expect him to be a knight and royal to boot. Well that is my opinion anyway.

But aye, he does, and he yes can certainly be chivalrous.

But sometimes he's just plain dumb and shortsighted. I tell you, first two books I had mixed feelings about Dandelion. The nature of his wishes in The Last Wish speaks a lot of him. He means well but sometimes...well.

I liked his character better in Witcher 1 than in Witcher 2 so I'm interested the devs will do with his character in Witcher 3. Sorry to digress.

EDIT: Dandelion(as in the English word) would work for me, and even Jaskier. But sense for sense translation from Polish would not result in Knight's spur.

I'm not going to go on what terrible translators and translations are doing to my country's language...as it would turn out to be quite a wall of text.

 

[SweetGumiho]

In the French version it is still Jaskier (the Polish name) since Bouton-d'Or is a girl name to start with (in French).
- Jaskier (in Polish) = buttercup (in English) = bouton-d'or (in French).
- Dandelion (in English) = pissenlit (in French) = mniszek (in Polish).

Two different flowers, both yellow and very common though :
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus

 

[addar]

up, i can assure u there is no one named jaskier in poland also... or should i say there was no one by this name before witcher saga( i dont know now , but i never meet one yet ) thats a point here he has nickname like flower its not proper name

 

[wichat]

OMG!

I try to imaging Geralt calling Jaskier as Pissenlit!

Pissensofa!

 

[Sephira]

Pissenlit

Their acids quarrels would have been even funnier I think. :rofl:

As @addar said it's just a nickname, not the real name, it fits his personality.

In Italy there are few common female names which are also flowers, like Rosa and Viola, or Mimosa (actually I only heard about this and never met someone named this way lol it would be slightly funny) and male names like Giacinto (but even here, never met someone young with this name).

 

[SweetGumiho]

up, i can assure u there is no one named jaskier in poland also...

"Jaskier" as said in the books is not even his real name, his birthname, but a nickname. So that's probably why... ^^

 

[GuyNwah]

Musicians need a stage name. Julian Alfred Pankratz (even styling himself viscount de Lettenhove) isn't as memorable.

Jacinto is a common name in northern Mexico and south Texas, due to some local heroes who bore the name, and a place where a decisive battle of the invasion of Mexico was fought.

 

[Shmelekrabe]

In the French version it is still Jaskier (the Polish name) since Pissenlit isn't even a proper name to start with (in French). Pissenlit (in French) = dandelion (in English) = jaskier (in Polish). This is a very common flower : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum . Since Dandelion was a name in English it worked and they translated it that way.

I don't think so.
Pissenlit (in French) = dandelion (in English) = mniszek (in Polish).
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mniszek_(roślina)

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaskier

 

[LordRhoop]

Dandelions are common but I would propose also remarkable plants, in almost every way: herb, salad, flower, drink, toy, inspiration etc.

It has been much loved by many children due to its incredible spherical seed head; though it was rubbish at telling the time, there was something magical about blowing a little flotilla of perfect seeds into the air, best done on a day with no wind, so that you could see how incredible their natural aerobatics are.

The roots are supposed to make a coffee substitute if roasted and ground: I tried this but it tasted pretty awful, though I was a child at the time.
Their name comes from their leaves, a corruption the French dent de lion meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves. If you cover the whole plant with a pot or cloche the leaves are blanched and can be eaten as a salad, losing some their bitterness (but retaining their diuretic qualities I suspect) they are said to be very healthy for you however.

Illustrator Arthur Rackham used their wild beauty, and Mary Cecily Barker saw them as a masculine plant (albeit for children's books):
http://www.lair2000.net/fairy_spring_poems/spring_poems/dandelion.jpg

Here's the Dandelion's rhyme:
See my leaves with tooth-like edges;
Blow my clocks to tell the time;
See me flaunting by the hedges,
In the meadow, in the lane,
Gay and naughty in the garden;
Pull me up - I grow again,
Asking neither leave nor pardon.
Sillies, what are you about
With your spades and hoes of iron?
You can never drive me out
Me, the dauntless Dandelion!

Being rather silly, I like the flaunting, the gay and naughty, and dauntless references Does this suit the Witcher's Dandelion?

 

[GuyNwah]

"Lion's tooth" as it grows, "golden lad" when it blooms, "chimney sweep" for its brush of seeds. Dandelions are a masculine plant, and not just in children's books.

If you make a wish on one, and blow all the seeds away in one breath, your wish will be granted. Or at least we thought so as children.

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."

[Shakespeare, Cymbeline, and set to music by a number of composers.]

 

[SweetGumiho]

I don't think so.
Pissenlit (in French) = dandelion (in English) = mniszek (in Polish).
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mniszek_(roślina)

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaskier

You're so right! My mistake then. Jaskier (in Polish) = Bouton-d'Or (in French) = Buttercup (in English)

This is not the same flower as the "dandelion" although it is yellow too. http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaskier
I don't see why they felt to change the name that way... :/

 

[Dan_Normandy]

I'm glad that the spanish version kept the original game. Dandelion is a filthy anglosaxon usurper

 

[Geralt_and_Ciri]

In Spanish is Jaskier, and by far, the spanish version is almost good like the original,so, whot ?

 

[hjortur.erlendss]

I think Jaskier would be ok in english, but Dandelion is a much better nickname in english - it implies, quite rightly, that he is a dandy The german and swedish "Rittersporn/Rittarsporra" is also very nice, because "Ritter" (meaning knight) doesen´t have the same implication as in english - In the north we have "Riddaravísur", roughly "knightly songs", which are really about skirtchasing, and since Mr. Dandy is a poet and a skirtchaser... x)

 

[wichat]

In Spanish is Jaskier, and by far, the spanish version is almost good like the original,so, whot ?

Maybe J.M Faraldo himself can give you an answer

 

[Sephira]

Maybe J.M Faraldo himself can give you an answer

Ohi! What an interesting interview.

Oh and also

Spoiler

Prefiero “La Dama del lago”… Sobre personajes o situaciones es difícil decantarse por unos u otras, especialmente cuando estás tan metido dentro, aunque Ciri me parece un personaje alucinante.

La gente, sobre todo aquélla que lee superficialmente la saga, suele quedarse con Geralt (que es un personaje tremendo, no lo vamos a negar), pero que es comparativamente menos interesante por su –matizable- normalidad. Mientras que Ciri, una niña en una novela adulta, es totalmente anómala, y pasa por ser la que más nítidamente evoluciona de todos, pues crece y madura. Es un personaje cuya riqueza le hace merecedor de una tesis doctoral. Lógicamente, será en “La Dama del lago” en donde Ciri brillará con mayor luminosidad.

and

Spoiler

Creo que más bien se debe a que hay poco respeto por la cultura. Me he encontrado aquí unas cosas… Lo que comentabas antes, de que había páginas webs donde no lograban concebir que un traductor no es un creador, por ejemplo, es demencial. La gente se piensa que basta con conocer un idioma para saberlo todo, y no es así: es un trabajo serio, intelectual, duro. Lo que no he sido nunca, a pesar de haberlo hecho alguna vez por obligación, es ser intérprete, porque es de locos, un puro trabajo físico. La gente no lo entiende: se piensan que un idioma te entra por la oreja y te sale por la boca. Y eso es un problema gravísimo que tiene su reflejo en las traducciones que realizan ciertas editoriales. ¡Madre mía!

 

[wichat]

Yes. I came upon The Witcher thanks Victor, I came upon CDPR thanks The Witcher, I came upon Sapkowski thanks CDPR, and I came Faraldo thanks Sapkowski.

Dammit. An unbelieveble chanined events that marked my life.

I definitively love The Witcher.

And Jaskier, too

 

[Senteria]

In Dutch we call him just like in German and the Scandinavian countries: Ridderspoor.

You have of course 'ridder' that means knight. But 'spoor' or plural 'sporen' can mean multiple things:

1. Railway
2. A trail
3. Spores of plants and funghi
4. Spoor in 'aansporen' is to spur your horse. Like: 'Ik spoor mijn paard aan'

But if you go to aansporen, that word means: encourage/incite/urge etc.

 

[KlimV]

I don't see why they felt to change the name that way... :/

I think, Polish name Jaskier (as well Russian name Lyutik) is associated grammatically with men. English name Buttercup appears to be too girlish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_gender#Slavic_languages

 

[GuyNwah]

^ This. In English, "Buttercup" is variously:
Buttercup the bumboat woman, "the rosiest, roundest beauty in all Spithead", in HMS Pinafore
The scrappy green Powerpuff Girl
Or, most often, a common name for a cow.