How Humor Gets Lost in Translation
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain.
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
Comments (17)
Anonymous
04 Jun 2015I teach University students in South Korea. One of my lessons is about telling lies, which I always start with this joke. I act it out in the retelling and have the script up on a PowerPoint slide, but it’s rare for any students to laugh. It always makes me chuckle though:
A man tried to sell his neighbor a new dog.
“This is a talking dog,” he said. “And you can have him for five dollars.”
The neighbor said, “Who do you think you’re kidding with this talking dog stuff? There’s no such animal.”
Suddenly the dog looked up with tears in his eyes. “Please buy me, Sir,” he pleaded. “This man is cruel. He never feeds me, never washes me, never takes me for a walk. And I used to be a famous dog. I performed before kings. I was in the army and was awarded medals for bravery ten times. The CIA had me flying from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, cause no one figured a dog would be listening. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years. “
“Hey!” said the neighbor. “He can talk. Why do you want to sell him for just five dollars?”
“Because,” said the seller, “I’m getting tired of all his lies.”
Nicolette
04 Jun 2015That’s a great story! 🙂 I appreciated the humor! Good joke!! But, I can see why/how it might get lost in translation? Hah. Thanks for sharing that!!
#CultureTravChat Update & Thank you! | Cultural Reflections
21 Nov 2014[…] I’ve explored body language and culture, how to step out of comfort zones while traveling, how humor gets lost in translation, and […]
The Savvy Senorita
01 Jul 2014This post is so true! We have often spoken of this, and more so since living in Madrid. I’m lucky, mostly my humour has been taken as that and been laughed at. However, I have experienced times when sarcasm has been mistaken for ‘deadly’ serious – and it takes some explaining to bridge the understanding gap! I did have one guy from Switzerland go a little crazy with me for something I said, in sarcastic jest, he was a little anal retentive in general though! I did get myself out of that situation though, and was excused by everyone else, who got my humour – but not the Swiss guy (oh well)!
Nicolette
01 Jul 2014Hi Savvy Senorita/Bex! Thanks for commenting and sharing your story! Glad to hear that most people take your humor at face value (as they should). I can relate as sarcasm doesn’t always translate (and even in my own language it’s sometimes mistaken for seriousness…oops). Interesting that it was just the Swiss guy who didn’t understand the situation, but the rest did! Can’t win them all 😉 Subscribed to your blog, and look forward to reading your posts!
The Savvy Senorita
01 Jul 2014You are most welcome, I enjoyed reading your post!!
Yes, I think I have been lucky, so far!
Oh, I know, I hate it when that happens, but sarcasm has a way of doing that – oops indeed, hehe!!
Yep, that was weird, he over-reacted completely too, so melodramatic! No idea why (perplexed expression).
Unfortunately, no you can’t win everyone all the time; much to my dismay!!
Thanks, and I you (your blog). Look forward to reading more of your work.
Bex 🙂
Vira
30 Jun 2014“each time I would say anything sarcastic, he would interpret it completely seriously” –> Oh this has happened to me too several times! Then I had to “neutralize” it so conversation wouldn’t continue too seriously, sometimes by simply explaining that it was a joke or bring the conversation to a lighter topic.
Nicolette
30 Jun 2014Hi Vira, thanks a lot for sharing your take! That’s too funny that that’s happened to you as well. Great approach to neutralize it by explaining the joke and switching topics 🙂
Aggy (@dewtraveller)
30 Jun 2014Great post! I’ve come across this issue several times,because when travelling or living in a new country, sometimes all you want to do is make some new friends, and humour seems like the perfect way to start. But of course, I’ve made jokes that was only to be exchanged by stares of confusion. So I tend to start with “lighter humour” sth that people will understand universally and just try to understand the person better before dropping sth more “heavy”. I don’t know if that makes sense haha
Nicolette
30 Jun 2014Hey Aggy! Thanks for sharing your experience! I definitely understand what you mean. It’s a good approach to try lighter humor and then see how things progress naturally 🙂 the confusion can be so awkward, hah, but once past that, it’s fine!
diversityatworkinlondon
30 Jun 2014In North America it is quite common for us to make jokes about ourselves and our friends but in some other parts of the world we would could “lose face”. Sometimes I will also explain a joke to a new immigrant so that they know that we are not laughing at them but give them the opportunity to learn about Canadian culture as well.
Nicolette
30 Jun 2014Thanks for commenting! I’ve noticed this as well in North America, especially. It happens in Europe, too. I think it’s great that you explain the joke, because that gives it new context. People often react quickly when they’re annoyed, so offering a new perspective allows them to reflect on it differently.
Hamilton
30 Jun 2014It’s definitely important to read up on humor in different cultures when traveling. Great post!
Nicolette
30 Jun 2014Thanks for commenting, Hamilton! Have you ever experienced a situation where humor just didn’t translate at all? I’m following your blog and looking forward to future posts! 🙂
Hamilton
30 Jun 2014I have a tendency to tell jokes with a straight face, and I have to remind myself that it doesn’t translate everywhere. Thanks! I look forward to yours as well!
Nicolette
30 Jun 2014I do that, too! Sometimes it can be confusing to people (and they ask, “wait…are you serious or joking?”). I have a feeling we’d get along just fine!
Hamilton
30 Jun 2014Haha! Absolutely! You know my pain. 🙂