atw: Re: Censoring humour in translation (STIR)

Is it only me, but this discussion is becoming as boring as batshit?

Many years ago in the pre-Idiot's Guide days, I wrote a training course
titled "Programming for the real beginner".

Humour was deliberately used because we did not want to scare off people who
were either frightened or confused by computer programming.  We lightened it
up and simplified the explanation of each concept.  At the time, there was a
chap in our team that could draw very good cartoons and we used many in the
same way you might use a key phrase.
One that comes to mind was a drawing of a person trying to jam lots of
letters into a bucket, to make a point about keeping things simple.

I reckon that humour of that style could be used and translated, mainly
because it emphasises a point in a way that everyone can understand, and it
is based on a cartoon.

In another course manual, I used examples of Mr Green, Ms White, Ms Black
and so on.  I guessed that even even people who could hardly use English
could understand that.  This led to a few simple jokes on Mr Light Green,
and Ms Dark Blue.

The diagrams of the paths to access the database were kept very simple.  A
user [smiley face] on one side and a database [oil drum symbol] on the other
side and various bits in the middle.  Some serious professional programmers
didn't like the simplistic diagrams, so as a humourous aside, I would
display the original diagrams from the manufacturer's manual but with my own
commentary.  The proof of my method was that people began to really
understand how to access data efficiently.  I have been told that my
approach and my diagram have been used by other people and that the original
manufacturer in Germany rewrote their manuals in my style.

The trainer who took over the course reckoned that she could not deliver the
introductory half day in my style and so rewrote the presenters notes, but
Mr Grey and the smiley face diagram remained.


Bob Trussler

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