dehumour1-1, Exercise 2: German terms and English words

Model answer (check the details):

Witz and "joke": a Witz is a joke or a clever remark, but the German word also covers wit as a quality ("er hat Witz", he is witty), so it is broader than the English "joke". English separates the joke told from the wit of the person.

Schadenfreude and "pleasure at another's misfortune": English borrowed the German word because it has no single equivalent. The German word is a compound of "damage" and "joy", and carries a moral colouring that varies with the context.

Humor and "humour": the German word was borrowed from English in the 18th century, and in German it often has a warm, forgiving tone, a tolerant view of human weakness, while English "humour" is a broader word covering any amusement.

Ironie and "irony": in everyday use similar, but German has a long literary and philosophical use (Romantic irony), which makes the word weightier than the English one.

The point: translation losses show why the same words do not guarantee the same ideas, and why a stereotype built on translated impressions is shaky.