Translating Humor

TRIP-380T-01

Binghamton University

  • Semester
    Summer 2025
  • Instructor
    Ying Chen (P)
  • Start Date
    05-27-0025
  • Total Credits
    4
  • Call to Register
    607-777-6088

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More than just entertainment or joke-telling, humor is an effective tool for communication that has been used to critique social, cultural, and political practices. Comedians’ humor therefore provides important source for social criticism, satire, and advocacy. This course introduces students to the particular concerns that arise for translators of prominent forms of humor, such as sitcoms, satire, parody, and stand-up comedy. We discuss the central relevance of the humor translator’s knowledge of cultural and historical background and sociocultural context to maintaining the humorous element, as well as the c in the target culture. Jokes can travel especially badly among cultures. The success of a humorous act depends on shared knowledge between comedian and audience and between translator and readership, a factor that determines the translation strategies to be implemented. The challenge for the humor translator further increases identify the basic debates occurring in translating humor with linguistic devices, such as idioms, puns, and cultural references. Scholars in the field of humor translation introduce students to the basic debates occurring in translating humor. We consider the degree to which humorous elements can be adequately translated, and if translated, the degree to which the humorous effect can be preserved in the target text.
Course Area: Linguistics
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Dates: 05-27-0025 - 06-30-0025
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Instructor: Ying Chen (P)
Local Course ID: 25SU_BIN_TRIP380T_01
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