You might think the quotes on this website are very funny, but there is a chance that a Chinese student is not amused at all. ‘Why are you laughing about your professors' actions?’
Humor is something we use to make the world a better place, but beware; it can also make life worse if humor is misinterpreted.
Humor can be seen as aggression or dominance in some cultures and it is better to avoid telling jokes. Also, if a joke is translated in another language the meaning can change. The following quote comes from the website of the China Daily: “Pssst! Did you hear about the American businessman whose tame joke drew a hilarious response from his Japanese audience? The American, curious why they liked the joke so much, later asked his official translator, who replied: "The joke was not appropriate, so I did not translate it. I simply said: 'The gentleman has told a joke. Please laugh.'"
Below some insights on differences between countries:
-British use more irony in their humor. They believe it breaks tension, but Americans might mistake this for sarcasm.
-When you have a meeting in the U.S., don’t try to impress the crowd with ethnic or gender-related humor. Keep it clean.
-Europeans like the sexual tinted jokes but be careful with those. Know your audience :)
-While American stand-up comedians tend to work solo, in China the two-person format is the dominant one. This is perhaps reflecting the cultural tendency toward collectivism vs. the American cult of the individual.
Read about John who lives in China and shares his insights on culture differences in humor:
http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2004/04/19/when-humor-runs-agroundFunny Asian jokes?
http://www.asianjoke.com/chinese.htmThe differences between the British, Americans and Aussies:
http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Cultural_Differences_Explained
