dehumour1-5, Exercise 1: Three methods and why they do not translate

Model answer (check the details):

1. Literal-mindedness. A character takes a phrase at its word and follows it to a ridiculous end. Hard to translate because the effect depends on the exact wording and the double meaning of words, and the English phrase for the same idea may have a different double meaning, or none.
2. Misunderstanding and misheard words. A sentence is confused with a similar-sounding one, so the dialogue runs on two tracks. Hard to translate because the confusion depends on German sounds. A translator has to invent a different confusion in English.
3. Dialect. The characters speak Munich dialect, which adds humour, status and warmth. Hard to translate because English has no neutral equivalent: rendering it in Scots or a London accent changes the character and the setting.

Not hard to translate: the visual comedy (the thin figure, the props, the timing), which is why films and live performance carry across more easily than texts.

Point: much of Valentin's comedy lives in the language, and so a foreigner meeting him in translation meets only part of it.