Translation, Humour and Literature

Reviews / Votes

This book significantly advances both translation studies and humour scholarship. Delia Chiaro has assembled a unique array of experts to reflect on the challenges of translating humour. Volume one is replete with examples and practical advice from masterly translators but it is also that rare thing - a scholarly book about humour that is itself humorous. It instructs while it entertains. From Michael Ewans' recapturing of Aristophanic satire's original shock-value and Marguerite Wells' lively account of matching the Japanese tally of 27 synonyms for "prostitute", to the insights afforded by Christie Davies' "translations" of Scottish religious jokes into other varieties of English and Walter Redfern's self-discoveries in the process of creating French and Spanish versions of a poem to his father, this book illuminates both the nature of translation and of humour. The second volume will be eagerly awaited. -- Jessica Milner Davis, Honorary Associate, School of Letters, Art and Media, University of Sydney, Australia ... demonstrates how pervasive humour is in everyday life and how important its translation has always been in different literary traditions... Chiaro, a renowned scholar in humour translation, edits this volume and in the introduction, she provides an overview of the book but also offers some insights into humour and translation. * Applied Linguistics, vol 33, no 4, September 2012 *