dehumour1-10, Exercise 1: Applying the six-question method

Model answer (check the details), using "Nothing translates":

1. Who says it? Often translators, tourists and fans quoting a cliché, so it is an impression and not a measurement.
2. What is claimed? That German comedy cannot be enjoyed by people who do not speak German.
3. Evidence: the success of German comedy abroad, translated and dubbed shows, joint projects, and comparison of different comedy types.
4. Comparison: with comedy from other languages; every language loses puns, so the claim needs a comparison to mean anything.
5. Period and place: film comedies and visual comedy have crossed borders more easily than wordplay since the silent era.
6. What would change my mind: examples of puns and cultural jokes that do work abroad, and a lack of examples of visual comedy that does not.

Result: the claim is partly true for wordplay (Chapter 2) and weak for visual and absurd comedy (Chapter 8, Monty Python). A careful version: "wordplay translates badly".