A joke really only has two parts – the set-up (I’m on the new whiskey diet…) and the punchline (I’ve lost three days already). The punchline is of course the funny bit and comes at the end, though for a longer joke, smaller humorous parts, known as jab lines, can be sprinkled in. If you’ve ever heard an unfunny joke, however, you know a good joke is not just 1 + 1.
What Makes a Joke Funny?
The answer is a million different things for a million different people, but the big thing is surprise — a new way of looking at things, subverted expectations, or something bizarre or unexpected. There are a number of other factors that also contribute to a joke landing or bombing – timing, subject matter, delivery, context, body language, etc. Some people have this naturally and can make anything funny. Others are awful at it. Luckily, being funny is a skill that can be developed.
Live comedians are masters of their craft and have not only an in-depth understanding of the mechanics of a good joke, but also a good sense of the culture and tastes of the audience. A joke that’s a hit in a sordid NY nightclub might not go over so well at a corporation’s awards dinner ceremony. And if you’re crossing borders and languages with your joke, you’re going to need to plan your moves even more strategically.
Four Ways to Translate a Joke
Everyone loves to laugh, but if you’ve ever watched a poorly translated/dubbed movie, you know that a lot of jokes get lost in translation. Something that’s a riot in Greek may be completely nonsensical (and not in a funny way) in French. Given how hard the task of conveying humor in another language is, translators are usually given a bit of leeway and creativity to try to make things work. Below are four options for how to translate a joke.
1. Translate it literally
Let’s say there’s a joke in a screenplay in Spanish –
“¿Que hace el pez?” (What does the fish do?)
“Nada.” (nothing/swims)
In Spanish, the joke works because the words for “nothing” and “swims” sound and are spelled the same. After a split second, the dual meaning will click for listeners and they’ll get why it’s a joke. But if it’s translated literally into the English version, you get:
“What does the fish do?”
“Nothing.”
Ha-ha? No. It just flat-out doesn’t work. Very, very rarely will a direct translation work for a language pair, and that’s why a literal translation is usually the worst way to go.
2. Change it slightly
This would mean using a joke with a similar play on words and theme, if possible. An example into English could be –
“Why don’t fish play basketball?”
“Because they’re afraid of the net!”
With this option, you keep the fish theme and also rely on the double meaning of a word, “net” in this case.
3. Change it completely
Sometimes the theme can’t be replicated well, especially if it’s a reference to a celebrity or topic that foreign audiences wouldn’t grasp easily. A joke about the Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut scandal may kill with Bollywood fans, but for a wider audience, it would likely be best to go for a complete revision. To get a laugh, you may need to go with something more culture-specific, like:
“How did the hipster burn his tongue?”
“He drank his coffee before it was cool.”
Depending on the context of the original, this is probably the easiest way to go for a story or movie script, and one you’ll often see in translations of comedy movies.
4. Skip it
Honestly, if it’s not a major plot point in a story or movie, it can be better off to just avoid it entirely rather than calling attention to an out-of-place and unfunny clunker.
One Japanese interpreter found a novel way to go about this. In 1991 former US President Jimmy Carter decided to start his speech at a college in Japan with a joke. To his pleasant surprise, the joke – translated into Japanese – drew uproarious laughter. After the speech, former President Carter thanked the interpreter and asked him how he’d done so well translating the joke. The interpreter confessed that he’d said, “President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh.”
