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 Sun May 28, 2006 15:10 pm Translating humor |
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Here is an interesting article about the problems of translating humor from English into German.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,,1781004,00.html
The thing that interested me when I read the article is that even though my family has been here for 150 years, we still have that German style of humor, added on to the American style.
Someone should write an article about translating English humor into English. For example, British comedy does not travel well across the Atlantic. Americans say British humor is "dry", which is a nice way of saying not funny.
There's one episode of the cartoon show "King of the Hill" in which a mother sits her 12-year-old son down and forces a British sitcom on him, as if it were some disgusting food that's good for him. The boy says, "That man's wearing a dress," and getting no response from his mom, makes a disturbed face.
This is the key to how Americans deal with British comedy. A typical American thinks that since the British have British accents, they must be more intelligent than we are, and so if they don't like some British comedy show, or they think it's idiotic, they blame it on themselves and not on the show. Their attitude is, "I will watch this show, and I will force myself to like it!" Similarly, you can show Americans the stupidest movie the French nation has ever produced, and they will think it is art, just because it was made in France.
I began to understand some British humor a little better when a Scotsman explained to me how some of it centers on strained attempts by the English to be calm and polite at difficult moments. This was a huge revelation, because in those same situations, no American would feel any need to be courteous, so there would be no joke. |
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Jamie (K)
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| Mon May 29, 2006 11:35 am Translating humor (British accent a sign of intelligence?) |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | | This is the key to how Americans deal with British comedy. A typical American thinks that since the British have British accents, they must be more intelligent than we are, and so if they don't like some British comedy show, or they think it's idiotic, they blame it on themselves and not on the show. Their attitude is, "I will watch this show, and I will force myself to like it!" |
Hi Jamie, why does a typical American think that is somebody has a British accent, they must be more intelligent? Is there a particular accent the Americans classify as intelligent or is it just RP? I mean, what if a person has a Cockney accent, does the typical American interpret this a sign of high intelligence? What about an Australian or Irish accent? What is the American's perceptions of those?
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Torsten
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| Mon May 29, 2006 13:01 pm Translating humor (British accent a sign of intelligence |
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[quote="Torsten"] | Jamie (K) wrote: | | Why does a typical American think that is somebody has a British accent, they must be more intelligent? |
Well, this is a big mystery. I think it's because in the old days people who went to elite schools and universities had to talk that way, and that British nobility talk that way now. Even the "evil geniuses" in American thrillers talk that way. Add to this general ignorance about dialects, and you get this strange belief.
It's interesting to see the whole thing in action. I once had a boss from Australia. When I was in her office alone with her, she'd speak very colloquial Australian English that at times would even sound "uneducated". However, when she was in a meeting with people from other departments and wanted to make a point, she would proclaim her opinion in a very heavy, throaty RP. This would bowl the Americans right over, and nobody contradicted anything she said with that accent. It was as if she were the Voice of God. In fact, the voice of God in American films usually speaks RP, although in recent years God seems to have taken on a very courtly black accent.
| Torsten wrote: | | Is there a particular accent the Americans classify as intelligent or is it just RP? I mean, what if a person has a Cockney accent, does the typical American interpret this a sign of high intelligence? |
Most Americans can't distinguish one accent from another, where England is concerned. So many of them don't distinguish between Cockney and RP, believe it or not. To most people both are "English accents", probably reflective of high education and culture.
In fact, a study was once done in which people in England and the UK were given various accents to listen to and to rate according to their beauty. The British put RP at the top, as the "most beautiful", and rated Cockney among the ugliest. Americans given the same task rated RP as the "most beautiful" and Cockney as the number two "most beautiful" accent. I'm sure some of those Americans thought they were the same accent!
| Torsten wrote: | | What about an Australian or Irish accent? What is the American's perceptions of those? |
Americans can distinguish those accents, and they just attach their stereotypes of each nation to them. The Australian is supposed to be an alligator-wrestling good ol' boy. The Irishman is supposed to be a good ol' boy who drinks a lot, and the Irish woman is expected to be very pious and proper. You'll also notice that in old American movies and cartoons, many of the policemen have Irish accents. (If the films had been made in my area, they'd have given the police Belgian accents.)
However, there is no one Irish accent. American TV has to run subtitles when some people from Ireland speak, while there are other Irish who speak almost exactly like Canadians. |
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Jamie (K)
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| Mon May 29, 2006 15:25 pm Accents |
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If you want to copy an English accent of the Hooray-Henry type and mind you there's no earthly reason why you should but if you do, try speaking with your upper lip totally rigid. It don't half sound funny. Or you could listen to the current heir to the throne - repression with a capital R. Oh dear now I've blown my chances of a knighthood.
Alan
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Alan
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Yankee
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| Mon May 29, 2006 23:54 pm Accents |
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| Alan wrote: | | If you want to copy an English accent of the Hooray-Henry type and mind you there's no earthly reason why you should but if you do, try speaking with your upper lip totally rigid. It don't half sound funny. Or you could listen to the current heir to the throne - repression with a capital R. |
Maybe this comes from having to attend all those boring royal (and unroyal) events that must be a royal pain. You must end up developing the art of speaking without hardly any lip movement while keeping a fixed smile and a rigid posture. I bet those sotto voce comments are often far from protocolary.
| Alan wrote: | | Oh dear now I've blown my chances of a knighthood. |
Don’t worry, Alan. We can always apply for a Prince of Asturias literary Prize!
| Amy wrote: | | You'll never guess what you've got me doing... |
I tried doing it too!! Can you imagine all of Alan's readers doing the same facial gymnastics upon reading his suggestion?! |
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Conchita
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| Tue May 30, 2006 11:41 am Accents |
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Hi Conchita,
I'll settle for that prize any day. Thanks for that - I am beginning to feel regal already.
Alan
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