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Poll: Can you make jokes in your second language?
Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
PERSONAL DEL SITIO
Jan 19, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Can you make jokes in your second language?".

This poll was originally submitted by Julian Holmes. View the poll results »



 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japón
Local time: 23:33
Miembro 2011
japonés al inglés
You tampered with my poll! Jan 19, 2014

It was originally:

Can you make jokes in your second language?

Yes, people love them
Yes, to a certain extent
Yes, but they don't go across well
No, they fall flat
Other N/A

This is no joke!

Added the following:

The notification to me states, "!Note that your Quick Poll may have been edited. Slight or substantial modifications are sometimes ma
... See more
It was originally:

Can you make jokes in your second language?

Yes, people love them
Yes, to a certain extent
Yes, but they don't go across well
No, they fall flat
Other N/A

This is no joke!

Added the following:

The notification to me states, "!Note that your Quick Poll may have been edited. Slight or substantial modifications are sometimes made by site staff members for purposes of simplification, clarification, or to prevent overlap with other Quick Polls that have or will be run."

Ahem. You botched it and butchered it.



[Edited at 2014-01-19 08:20 GMT]
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Mary Worby
Mary Worby  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 14:33
alemán al inglés
+ ...
Telling jokes Jan 19, 2014

I'm not that good at telling jokes in my first language! But I can make (what I hope are) amusing comments in either!

 
William Murphy
William Murphy  Identity Verified
Italia
Local time: 15:33
Miembro 2009
italiano al inglés
+ ...
Yes, but they don't (always) go across well Jan 19, 2014

Maybe it's just my particular sense of humor but I seem to notice that what amuses one culture may be simply offensive or too far outside of the contextual norm to generate an automatic response. And, of course, when you have to explain something....

 
LilianNekipelov
LilianNekipelov  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 09:33
ruso al inglés
+ ...
People that speak many languages Jan 19, 2014

fluently like translators, I assume, don't have a second language.

 
LilianNekipelov
LilianNekipelov  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 09:33
ruso al inglés
+ ...
Can you tell jokes Jan 19, 2014

dasein_wm wrote:

Maybe it's just my particular sense of humor but I seem to notice that what amuses one culture may be simply offensive or too far outside of the contextual norm to generate an automatic response. And, of course, when you have to explain something....


in Italian or German? I thought the poll was about what you do, not what people do.
That some don't understand jokes in told by a person from a different culture is not a sign that there is anything wrong with the teller's language, but rather that the audience cannot appreciate different cultures. A large percentage of the society does not get jokes in any language.


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 06:33
Miembro 2003
español al inglés
+ ...
Yes Jan 19, 2014

My husband used to love my jokes in Portuguese. I even impressed him by making some good puns.

But that was a while ago. My spoken fluency has declined over the years.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:33
Miembro 2007
inglés al portugués
+ ...
Yes, I can Jan 19, 2014

but, like Mary, I'm not very good at it, not even in my first language...

 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 14:33
hebreo al inglés
Erm.... Jan 19, 2014

LilianBNekipelo wrote:

fluently like translators, I assume, don't have a second language.


Of course they do. We all have an L1, many of us went on to learn an L2. Not every translator is a "true" bilingual, nor do they need to be. (I would actually guestimate that the majority of translators aren't true bilinguals, but learnt a second language in childhood/early adulthood).

Sorry - off topic.


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 14:33
hebreo al inglés
On topic Jan 19, 2014

I'm sure I can be funny in my second language (L2 - for the avoidance of doubt), whether intentionally or not. When it comes to jokes, that's a bit more tricky....

I always shy away from making jokes in Hebrew because humour is a bit of a minefield, not only (and not so much) in a foreign language but more so in a foreign culture. e.g. I've told jokes in English that have SERIOUSLY fallen flat with an American/Canadian audience.

So I would answer that ling
... See more
I'm sure I can be funny in my second language (L2 - for the avoidance of doubt), whether intentionally or not. When it comes to jokes, that's a bit more tricky....

I always shy away from making jokes in Hebrew because humour is a bit of a minefield, not only (and not so much) in a foreign language but more so in a foreign culture. e.g. I've told jokes in English that have SERIOUSLY fallen flat with an American/Canadian audience.

So I would answer that linguistically/technically, I can make jokes in my second language (and also appreciate jokes which can be just as difficult), but I tend to tread carefully before I attempt cracking one.
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neilmac
neilmac
España
Local time: 15:33
español al inglés
+ ...
Yes Jan 19, 2014

But not everybody gets them. A lot of humour, I'm thinking of jokes in particular, relies on shared cultural knowledge and assumptions, which can be an obstacle.

 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Alemania
Local time: 15:33
Miembro 2009
inglés al alemán
+ ...
Absolutely. Jan 19, 2014

Since my "second" language has become my "second first" language some four decades ago, people in both cultural environments laugh at my jokes...provided they're funny.

 
Sophie Dzhygir
Sophie Dzhygir  Identity Verified
Francia
Local time: 15:33
alemán al francés
+ ...
Yes but Jan 19, 2014

not in all my second languages: only in Russian and only to a certain extent. And probably only in the family or close friends circle.
I'm not very good at it in my mother tongue anyway!


 
Erzsébet Czopyk
Erzsébet Czopyk  Identity Verified
Hungría
Local time: 15:33
Miembro 2006
ruso al húngaro
+ ...
LOCALIZADOR DEL SITIO
collection Jan 19, 2014

I have a nice collection of jokes in different languages very useful when you discuss with the client a quote. Laughing is always good

 
Laura Pascual
Laura Pascual  Identity Verified
Finlandia
Local time: 16:33
finlandés al español
+ ...
Yes, I can Jan 19, 2014

My favourite jokes are the ones only understandable by people with a similar language combination. For example, a joke in Finnish which only other Finnish-speaking Spaniards or Spanish-speaking Finns can get. They sound quite pretentious though, but actually they use to be really bad jokes. I love bad jokes.

 
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Poll: Can you make jokes in your second language?






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