Translation of humorous content
Translation of humorous content is primarily about finding a balance. Even when there is no balance and you have to sacrifice something. A joke is a subjective concept and does not coexist out of context.
The context can be cultural, linguistic, or even social. But more often, good jokes work by attacking the listener in all directions. The translator must decide for himself whether to translate the joke verbatim, passing its semantic content or find an analogue of the "untranslatable word game" in their language. Sometimes this analog simply does not exist, sometimes it sounds like a mockery of the language.
Suffice it to recall the multi-page argument about whether to translate proper names that complement the characters' images. But if there are only 2 opinions about the translation of names (either to translate or not), then there can be no common opinion about the translation of jokes. "The main thing is to be funny," the readers may say and they will be right. The question is how funny it will be.
Translation problems and life
Everyone must have heard the short rhymes from the USSR about the "little boy". Which
- are rhymed;
- can be described as international black humor;
- sometimes contain puns and play on words;
- are full of social, historical and cultural features.
It is difficult to translate a banal children's quatrain to the foreigner who is not aware of the context of the poem, is not aware of the historical events of the 20th century, which our people are aware of, and does not speak Russian. A rhymed translation close to the text will not have the desired effect, since the subtext will be lost.
"Linguojokes"
Sometimes it is impossible to translate play on words at all, since this linguistic phenomenon may not have close analogues in another language. There are words that have 2-3 meanings. For example, how can you translate English jokes into Russian or Ukrainian without losing the humorous subtext? The only one possible variant is to choose an appropriate equivalent in target language.
As in any language, there are ambiguous constructions that are sometimes often distorted to create a humorous effect. For the canonical Russian zeugmas, you can found equivalents in another language, but for many constructions this is impossible.
In addition, there are common language distortions of words in favor of words that are similar in sound. The humorous effect of the phrase "working days" is well known. The same words and phrases exist in any language.
As for the cultural context, it is generally accepted that a joke that takes longer to explain than to tell does not need to be explained. Internet memes can be an example of such jokes. This is a unit of information that does not need explanations. And those who are "not in the subject" are unlikely to laugh even if you explain the meaning.
However, given the speed at which borders are erased, it will soon be a little easier for translators to translate humor that has a semantic subtext. For example, almost everyone is laughing at purely English jokes about the Irish.
Or it won't, because people of different nationalities live in different information spaces. And if the reference to "Star Wars" will be understood by the majority, to a sports event - many, then to a popular TV host or singer - not all.
To translate humor, you need to understand what humor about is
In order to translate humor well, you must at least understand it by yourself. This means that knowledge of the language is not enough. It is necessary to know in general the features of culture, the features of the genre, the features of this particular work.
References in translation are not always appropriate, they can be banal in different ways perceived in different countries. Furthermore, it should be noted that in addition to language, there are also cultural traditions. Even jokes in different countries are told on different topics and about someone who lives nearby or in the neighborhood.
When translating jokes, we should not forget about the preferences of those for whom they are translated. For some, an adapted expletive translated in time can cause laughter. And for some - dislike. The translator can only determine the relevance "by eye". See, it's just another word-play.