TCAS Lecture: The Translatability of Humour

TCAS Online Lecture Series

Speaker: Prof. WU Qingjun
Date: Thursday, 20th November 2025, 12pm - 13:00pm
Venue: Online
Admission Details: Free to all.

Zoom: https://tcd-ie.zoom.us/j/92886176107?pwd=4DRJAF0NFHWujYffPFVqpjptDl9V0M.1
Meeting ID: 928 8617 6107

Passcode: 927138

Humour presents national attributes, and there are notable differences between Chinese and Western humour regarding cultural traditions and linguistic forms. However, Chinese humour emphasizes the interplay between sublimity and irony, which bears a notable resemblance to British humour that relies on deviations in language, style, and rhetoric. This similarity lays the foundation for the translatability of humour across cultures. Lao She’s humorous Beijing local-coloured language can be meaningfully compared to the satirical depictions of the London life in Charles Dickens’ works, illustrating the shared art of humour across linguistic boundaries. In the translation of humour, it is crucial for translators to identify culturally equivalents in the target language, thereby addressing the challenges posed by cultural differences in the reproduction of humorous elements. Furthermore, translators should develop a precise understanding of the stylistic and rhetorical mechanisms of humour in both source and target languages to ensure its effective translatability. Last but not least, translators should cultivate the ability to employ linguistic creativity and deviation to convey the humorous effect accurately arising from stylistic incongruity and rhetorical paradox in the original text.

Wu Qingjun is a professor of literature in the Department of English at China Foreign Affairs University. His current research focuses on the contemporary overseas Chinese novelists and their writings, English translations of Beijing local-colour literature （京味文学）represented by Lao She, and the comparative studies in literature and culture. He has published series of journal articles on the English translation of “Beijingness” and “humour” in Beijing local-colour literature.