Thread: Translating jokes

Hi there

I've just published a post on how to translate jokes amazingly well. Actually, no, no really.

But sometimes for some kind of jokes the funny side is not completely lost in translation: Fully translatable humor

Enjoy.
P.

Amazing article, pabloa! Congratulations!
It is true, it is very difficult to translate humor, like puns for example. I have been working with subtitles for comedy series and I can tell you that trying to tackle both humor and space restrictions at the same time is almost impossible! But that's what makes it a challenge, and that is why I love it so much!
PS: I absolutely love Les Luthiers!

Hi pabloa and danielad! I also agree, pabloa's article is very interesting. I added some thoughts on the subject as well:

La traducción de chistes

Hope you like it!

Wow! Both articles are great, la traducción de chistes by elenaarguedas is also pretty amazing!
Congrats both!

"Localizing" (more than merely "translating") jokes is puzzling not only because of language/idiomatic nuances but also because of cultural differences. Great job with both posts!

An employee accidentally ignited his office and his boss says, "You're Fired"

This is a joke that loses its fun if we translate it into Spanish, I suppose that there are other cases.

I think I mentioned before an occasion when I met a friend. I had just bought a new tyre for my bicycle, and I was carrying it across my body (if you ever carried a bike tyre around you know what I mean). He quickly said "you look tired (tyred)". Typical puns that get lost in translation.

Jaja...I would translate it "¡Te ves engomado!"