Pssst! Did you hear the one about the American businessman whose often-retold joke suddenly drew a hilarious response from his Taiwanese audience? Curious as to why the audience liked the joke so much, that evening, the American asked his translator about the big laugh. "I did not translate the joke,” the translator flatly replied, “it was not appropriate. I simply said, ''The gentleman has told a joke. Please laugh.’'
It’s well known that you have to be careful about jokes, business and borders, as humor often does not translate from culture to culture. The American and British trademark of starting a speech with a joke can occasionally go terribly awry when away from home. In general, when it comes to humor, jokes and international meetings, the general rule is to play it safe and err on the side of seriousness, even if you think you’re hilarious.
I’ve been thinking about this concept of humor and jokes and culture a lot recently because a colleague from Norway just sent me about the funniest video I have ever seen and it’s caused me to alter my opinion about humor and culture, and do’s and don’ts. Yes, at Rw-3 CultureWizard we still advise when it comes to intercultural meetings, speeches and workplaces, it’s best to err on the side of safety and leave the jokes at home. However, as this video demonstrates, when it comes to hidden camera humor, pass that stuff along! Those videos are hilarious no matter what culture you are from! Enjoy!
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