Jokes and a language: how does it work?

[wrobel]

I've noticed many times how jokes translated from one language to another lose their humor. Has anyone actually looked into this? Has anyone tried researching this question? Why does this happen?
I had a classmate from Bulgaria. Back then, our cultures were especially close. Before he picked up on Russian humor, he would translate Bulgarian jokes into Russian whenever we hung out—and they always fell flat.

 

[sbrothy]

Obviously, there are some jokes that survive translation. I'd imagine those that don't rely on cultural or language quirks. I'd also expect that the closer the culture and language the easier they would translate but you're saying that isn't the case?

EDIT: I'm not a cultural or geographical expert but are Russia and Bulgaria close in those regards, or have they been?

EDIT: Darn it. I'm gonna have to take my keyboard apart and clean it (or buy a new one)

 

[wrobel]

I'm not a cultural or geograhical expert but are Russia and Bulgaria close in those regards, or have they been?

I am referring to the eighties. You understand.

Now, let me tell you a joke, and you will truly laugh. Except it is not actually a joke, but the truth. I was close friends with that guy from Bulgaria. After school, I would walk him home; he lived with his parents in a building for diplomatic personnel. Upon reaching his place, he would invite me inside, and we would taste red wine from his refrigerator. Afterwards, he would walk me home, where we would go up to my apartment and drink our wine. Neither my parents nor his were at home, as they were working. Then we would head back to his place and drink wine again. This continued until one of us was simply unable to leave the house. On several occasions, his mother phoned mine to let her know I was with them so she would not worry. My mother had to do the same several times as well.

 

[sbrothy]

I can appreciate that one!

I figure you're referring to the cold war era. I was under the impression that Bulgaria was on the outskirts of the CCCP, and as such less subjected to suzerainty (to "parahrase" another thread I recently started). I take it from context that you and your friend weren't that far apart though.

 

[sbrothy]

Q: What's brown and green and will it kill you if it falls on you from a tree?
A: A billiard table.

 

[pinball1970]

Q: What's brown and green and will it kill you if it falls on you from a tree?
A: A billicard table.

That is a good example, I have no idea what a billicard table is, it is lost in translation.
If you would have said snooker table that would make sense.

 

[pinball1970]

So there are words that do not translate, rhymes that don't rhyme once translated and ways of describing a scenario that are just not familiar.
You will know, "stag do," and "hen party" as other things as an example. @wrobel

Even your wine story, yeah we get it but in the UK kids drank cider to get drunk because it was sweet. (1980s)
Usually with friends when the parents were out, the transition to beer around 14 or so was painful but Brit kids power through because grown ups do it, so we had to do it.

A Brit kid from that era would relate and smile a little maybe, not if your parents drank wine though!

 

[martinbn]

As a Bulgarian myself, I am curious if you remember any of those jokes?

 

[sbrothy]

That is a good example, I have no idea what a billicard table is, it is lost in translation.
If you would have said snooker table that would make sense.

Yes, I also wrestled with snooker table. my keyboard is whack tho,and I managed to edit it fairly quickly. Not fast enough obviously.

Du I mean ofcourse pool table!

So the example might not be so apt from your point of view.

 

[sbrothy]

In fact, comically, right now I'm using 2 keyboards because those keys not working on one works on the other. It'll get old very very quickly tho.

EDIT: Oh and even though I'm on Windoze I don't want to learn a ton of ALT-codes (again).

 

[sbrothy]

So there are words that do not translate, rhymes that don't rhyme once translated and ways of describing a scenario that are just not familiar.
You will know, "stag do," and "hen party" as other things as an example. @wrobel

Even your wine story, yeah we get it but in the UK kids drank cider to get drunk because it was sweet. (1980s)
Usually with friends when the parents were out, the transition to beer around 14 or so was painful but Brit kids power through because grown ups do it, so we had to do it.

A Brit kid from that era would relate and smile a little maybe, not if your parents drank though!

And in those days they *did* drink (and smoke), and men probably wielded a belt or women a hairbrush.

 

[Ibix]

Sometimes it's local language variation.

A colleague broke his wrist. As we wandered into the office we all said some variant on "are you ok, what happened, let me know if you need help". Except the last guy to come in who, without missing a beat, said "Mate! What's the crack?"

You'll probably have to be British or Irish to understand why that's funny.

 

[sbrothy]

Sometimes it's local language variation.

A colleague broke his wrist. As we wandered into the office we all said some variant on "are you ok, what happened, let me know if you need help". Except the last guy to come in who, without missing a beat, said "Mate! What's the crack?"

You'll probably have to be British or Irish to understand why that's funny.

Nah, it got through here!

It sure cracked *me* up

 

[sbrothy]

[...] rhymes that don't rhyme once translated and ways of describing a scenario that are just not familiar. [...]

I'll take a translation that doesn't rhyme over one that does anyday, if the meaning is preserved. One of my favorite poems is Still Falls The Rain.

Translate that so it rhymes.

 

[mjc123]

In the 1980s the British left-wing miners' union leader Arthur Scargill visited the Soviet Union and made a speech in which he referred to "Ronald Ray-gun" and Margaret Thatcher as "the plutonium blonde". The apparatchiks were bemused because of course the puns didn't translate into Russian.

Differences are often more subtle than that, and involve different cultural factors or styles of humour - even within the same language, as it is often observed that British humour is very different from American, as witness e.g. the different styles of the British and American versions of The Office.

 

[sbrothy]

In the 1980s the British left-wing miners' union leader Arthur Scargill visited the Soviet Union and made a speech in which he referred to "Ronald Ray-gun" and Margaret Thatcher as "the plutonium blonde". The apparatchiks were bemused because of course the puns didn't translate into Russian.

Differences are often more subtle than that, and involve different cultural factors or styles of humour - even within the same language, as it is often observed that British humour is very different from American, as witness e.g. the different styles of the British and American versions of The Office.

That sounds almost too funny to be true. You sure it isn't an apochryphal story?

 

[mjc123]

https://www.unz.com/PDF/PERIODICAL/Encounter-1983nov/97-98/

 

[pinball1970]

British and American versions of The Office

The UK version is understated by comparison. When I first saw it I thought it was an actual documentary and turned it off, I was so embarrassed for Brent.
It is still cringe even though I know it is not real, I don't think the US version went for that as much.

 

[sbrothy]

Funny I also cringe. It's just too smack middle in the ADD spectrum

 

[WWGD]

In fact, comically, right now I'm using 2 keyboards because those keys not working on one works on the other. It'll get old very very quickly tho.

EDIT: Oh and even though I'm on Windoze I don't want to learn a ton of ALT-codes (again).

How about an OSK, On- Screen Keyboard?

 

[DaveC426913]

I am referring to the eighties. You understand.

Now, let me tell you a joke, and you will truly laugh. Except it is not actually a joke, but the truth.

Right. So, not a joke at all but a humorous anecdote.

 

[DaveC426913]

he referred to "Ronald Ray-gun" and Margaret Thatcher as "the plutonium blonde".

That sounds almost too funny to be true.

Ronald "Ray-gun" is fairly well known to us Boomers in the West, even north of the border. He was, after all, well known for his proposed space-based missile defense system, nicknamed "Star Wars".

Never heard of Plutonium Blonde though.

 

[WWGD]

Ronald "Ray-gun" is fairly well known to us Boomers in the West, even north of the border. He was, after all, well known for his proposed space-based missile defense system, nicknamed "Star Wars".

Never heard of Plutonium Blonde though.

I assume a play on " Platinum Blonde".