It’s true that you can go far in life if you have a good sense of humor and you can go even further if you are also a conversationalist. But what is humorous? Certainly to some throwing pies at others is not.Joke-telling and public speaking in a cross-cultural setting has its challenges. Other nationalities often do not realize that even just among the different English-speaking nationalities, the average British and American humor is very different. British humor can be quite dry.
British humor is noticeably different from American humor. You can probably think of a few examples yourself. If so, send a comment and share with us.
Being a Westerner living in Turkey provides the opportunity to observe the difference between Turkish humor and your own. You probably have been on the receiving end of humor here a few times. Just turn on the television!
Having watched several half-hour comedy skits when I was in my early stages of learning Turkish, I found it’s possible to enjoy the humor even when you really don’t understand the content. It can be quite a cultural experience just watching the body language and facial expressions of the actors.
Understanding a culture’s sense of humor takes some observation and asking the right questions.
Here are a few tips to remember when speaking or telling a joke cross-culturally:
There needs to be some common ground. If the recipients or audience have the background knowledge to understand the point(s) or punch line, they will get the joke.
There need to be people who speak the same language. Believe it or not, an American and a British person can even have some challenges in understanding what the other means to say if colloquialisms are used.
My business colleague is British and was chatting on Skype with two Americans the other day. I could not help but overhear her having to repeat things a few times, as they were not used to her pronunciation and some expressions she used. If you are planning on giving a talk or telling a joke, think before speaking outside the comfort zone.
There needs to be some cultural understanding. Your point-of-contact for the speech should be able to fill you in on some of the local do’s and don’ts and some variations in the meanings of words.
If in a speech you plan to use some humor, examine your humorous lines with an eye for possible cultural/language issues and check it with your host.
If you’re working with a translator, spend time before your talk to discuss the content of your speech, especially the humor segments. The interpreter may have some excellent advice on what will work and what won’t work for that specific audience. If you don’t take time to do this, your joke may flop, as humor doesn’t translate well. In English, we often say, when that happens, “That went down like a lead balloon!”
I love to read quotes from the Internet and found the following on the ThinkExist Web site. Running the risk of being misunderstood, here are a few of my favorite humorous quotes:
“Everybody laughs in the same language. Just listen.” -- Unknown
“Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.” -- Mark Twain
“Never mistake motion for action.” -- Ernest Hemingway
“Money is always there, but the pockets change.” -- Gertrude Stein
A person who is nice to you and rude to the waiter is not a nice person. -- Dave Barry
“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else” -- J.M. Barrie
One of my favorites humorists is Kara Walker, who uses silhouette images to portray folklore and raise identity and gender issues for African-American women. You can read more in my piece printed in March 2007 at this link: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=105114
I’ll end with this quote by her:
“I have a funny problem with humor, I guess, because I don’t consider it fun.” --Kara Walker, 1996
Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
