atw: Re: Censoring humour in translation

I'm still waiting to hear or think of an example of humour that could
be successfully translated and would apply to the sort of tech
writing I and most of us do. The discussion is roaming further and
further from its starting point. Right now we're talking about
physics (which is technical), and televised spoken lectures (a type
of communication), and fun and enjoyment (not the same as humour, but
it does overlap). It's a long stretch from the original brief of
guidance for technical writers who need to produce text that will be
translated.

Peter, I can agree with you that it's not impossible to think of some
form of humour that might work in translation, just as it's possible
to stagger with eyes closed through a minefield without getting blown
up. But if I were trying to set down for my imaginary TW protege how
to pull it off, it would be so hedged in by ifs and buts that it
would run over the page. If I then had to pare it down to an
aphorism, as in Robert's guide, these would all be quite close:

"Be very careful when including humour in text for translation."
"Avoid using humour in text for translation."
"When including humour in text for translation, follow the principles
of good technical communication."

... but IMO the best fifteen-words-or-less advice would be:

"Don't include humour in text for translation."

Stuart (who once saw a comedian do a stand-up routine in English,
French and German)

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