Make it funny in English, please

@oristarA,

This one's awkwardly translated. Just in terms of translation (it's again not that funny to me), I'd write it as:

**********

A lady enters a gallery, wanting to buy a painting. But she is not satisfied by any of the paintings she is offered by the gallery owner.

Frowning, the lady asks, "Why are all the women in the paintings naked?"

The gallery owner says, "Well, if they were dressed than their clothes would just go out of style in a couple of years, right? But naked ladies are timeless..."

**********

:-/ Still weak.

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that when I think "gallery" and "naked women" I think more classic odalisques et al anyway... things have to be relatively recent to really "go out of style." (I.e. something from the 1980's can look silly now, but something from the 1880's will just look charming and old-fashioned, not "out of style.")

Re: this part:

Quote:

Feigning that he is unable to do anything with it, the boss replies:"I have no idea about how to improve this. If they dressed, the design of the dress will soon be not in fashion."

I just wasn't able to figure out the intended meaning here. Is it disreputable somehow to have a gallery with images of naked women? And the joke is that the owner is pretending he has nothing to do with the selection of art, when he does?

Definitely one of the weaker ones, probably a cultural element in terms of whether nudity in art is OK or giggle-inducing.

2 Replies

@oristarA,

Quote:

Beijing Quanjude and the roast duck dish [photo]

I'd love to eat there!

I'm sorry, I'm backing up here, by several jokes (how did I miss them?)

To me, what was not funny about the "wings" joke was the apparent stupidity of the father.

When the son asked him to think of something with wings, which could not fly, I immediately thought of both an Ostrich and a Penguin.

Why can't the father think of them, especially when he hasn't had to drink his wine, because he's answered the previous questions correctly?

Because of this, the joke "doesn't fly."

Sorry! Laughing

1 Reply

@jespah,

Quote:

Actually, let's try it without knowing the child's gender.

I agree, this is funnier. Not a real screamer, but still, improved.

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@BorisKitten,

I'm with you Bori. Both of us think alike. We are too quick-minded to get a laugh from the joke, which, however, was published in the most pupular magazine in China.

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@sozobe,

Thank you Sozobe. I know you must have had a hard time to edit the two crappy jokes.

EhBeth has given us the link. I think in most cases I will not need to translate jokes. I'd just say "Gentlemen, please laugh, because we've been given a joke just now."

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@sozobe,

Quote:

Quote:
Feigning that he is unable to do anything with it, the boss replies:"I have no idea about how to improve this. If they dressed, the design of the dress will soon be not in fashion."

I just wasn't able to figure out the intended meaning here. Is it disreputable somehow to have a gallery with images of naked women? And the joke is that the owner is pretending he has nothing to do with the selection of art, when he does?

Definitely one of the weaker ones, probably a cultural element in terms of whether nudity in art is OK or giggle-inducing.

The gallery owner is okay and familiar with what is art. The intention of the Chinese joke is to ridicule the lady who is obviously newly rich and who is trying hard to pretend that she is well-educated and knows something noble like works of arts. That is why she wants to buy some expensive paintings well known in the world. The lady is ingnorant with arts, however. In Chinese tradition, a woman's nudity means something indecent, obscene. With the tranditional view in her mind, she of course frowns at the paintings with naked women, totally unaware of the fact that the world-class paintings with naked women are of noble arts and beyond being indecent.

But the owner cannot show his contempt at his customer, because making money is of top priorities. He makes up some "reason" to persuade the lady to buy his paintings... Smile

1 Reply

@oristarA,

Wow, that is not how I would have read the joke at all. Talk about a cultural difference. I would have read it as the gallery owner was obnoxious and somewhat sleazy. I'm glad you explained it.

1 Reply

@engineer,

engineer wrote:

Talk about a cultural difference

Indeed. I read the joke (mildly amusing) the same way Oristar explained...

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@Francis,

Quote:

I read the joke the same way Oristar explained...

I didn't . But with the explanation, the joke was much deeper than I imagined

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@panzade,

Quote:

the joke was much deeper than I imagined

To me as well!

I suspect this particular joke is based more on cultural differences than some of the others.

I've noted, however, that OristarA has a rather keen and entertaining sense of humor, as shown below:

Quote:

I think in most cases I will not need to translate jokes. I'd just say "Gentlemen, please laugh, because we've been given a joke just now."

I laughed more at this one comment than I did at several of the translated "jokes"!

I don't suppose, OristarA, you've considered being a stand-up comedian? Or making written jokes yourself? You are quite funny all by yourself!

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Oh, and THANK YOU, OristarA, for your very interesting, funny, and entertaining thread.

See, not ALL Americans are rude! (Just most of them, ha ha!).

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Guys, I've travelled to another city and will come back soon.
I'm grateful that together with all of you we've made this thread interesting and robust.

1 Reply

@oristarA,

Take care and come back soon

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Hi I've come back this afternoon and felt a bit of fatigue. Smile

Anyway, nice to see you guys again.
Here goes our thirteenth:

Music and Applause

Translated by OristarA

After musician has performed the last melody, silence follows until two minutes later a storm of applause from audience runs over the hall.

When the crowd begins to exit, reporter interviews a member of the audience:"Would you like to tell me, sir, whether have you been absorbed by the melody so that you forgot to applaud, because the performance has had a kick in it?"

"Not that case," the member shakes his head, and then whispers, "Actually, I didn't get it at all. So I just sat there silent since no one took a lead to applaud..."

1 Reply

@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

Music and Applause

Translated by OristarA

After musician has performed the last melody, silence follows until two minutes later a storm of applause from audience runs over the hall.

When the crowd begins to exit, reporter interviews a member of the audience:"Would you like to tell me, sir, whether have you been absorbed by the melody so that you forgot to applaud, because the performance has had a kick in it?"

"Not that case," the member shakes his head, and then whispers, "Actually, I didn't get it at all. So I just sat there silent since no one took a lead to applaud..."

thus proving that many people are sheep and only follow where others lead.

This joke is unfunny. It could be somewhat philosophical. there seems no way to make this one funny

1 Reply

@dadpad,

Thanks for your opinion, Dadpad.

If we are to make it a story of psychological phenomenon, do you think what to do to improve it grammatically and rhetorically?

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Here goes the fourteenth:

How Have You Come Here?

Translated by OristarA

Mr.Red Bean and Ms.White Sesame get married. Ms.White Sesame is very pretty. Mr.Red Bean worries all day long that his wife would fall into extramarital affairs.

This day, Mr.Red Bean finds a photo in their study, on which his wife was walking with Mr.Green Bean on a beach.

Mr.Red Bean is so angry that his face turns green. At that moment, Ms.White Sesame pushes the door open and enters. Mis-recognising Mr.Red Bean as Mr.Green Bean, she whispers with surprise:"Honey, how have you come here?"

2 Replies

@oristarA,

Oh, darn! I don't think this one is funny no matter how it's translated.

Waiting for other responses...

1 Reply

@BorisKitten,

Good thing it wasn't Mr Cucumber Embarrassed

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@oristarA,

No redeamable features in this one oristar.

The company I work for has an order from Tiawan.
We need a lable for each pack which says "6 bikes" or "6 bike symbols".
The product is meltable plastic symbols that will be fixed (melted) on to the road surface to indicate a cycling lane.
if you would care to assist i would be most greatful. ( I'm guessing that mandarin would be the most suitable.)

1 Reply

Make it funny in English, please

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