Derek Hockridge was a British translator, teacher, lecturer, and occasional actor, who was perhaps best known for his translations of the Asterix comic book series. Born in Wales and brought up in Birmingham, he completed a degree in French at the University of Wales, Cardiff, which was followed by teacher training at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Subsequently, he was a French teacher at Manchester Grammar School, then a lecturer at Leicester Polytechnic. During this time, with Anthea Bell, he translated the Asterix comic books, which were written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. An Equity member for many years, he appeared in the television series Crown Court, in which he played the clerk of the court, and also featured in minor parts in Brideshead Revisited and The Jewel in the Crown. He retired to Swanage, Dorset, and died on 8 August 2013.

René Goscinny (1926 - 1977) was a French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic book Asterix , which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris (considered the series' golden age).

Anthea Bell OBE (born 1936) was an English translator who has translated numerous literary works, especially children's literature, from French, German and Danish to English. She was known for her numerous translations, including Austerlitz, one of the most significant German language works of fiction for the period since World War II, and of the French Asterix comics along with co-translator Derek Hockridge .