# Are there puns that can still work after translation to a different language?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-puns-that-can-still-work-after-translation-to-a-different-language/999024>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 19, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-puns-that-can-still-work-after-translation-to-a-different-language/999024 "2024-03-19T10:29:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 31

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-puns-that-can-still-work-after-translation-to-a-different-language/999024/31 "2024-04-22T23:11:06Z")

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OK, searching the forum for “rostig top secret pun” found the [original reference](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-puns-and-wordplay-translated/926560/8):

> [@How are puns and wordplay translated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-puns-and-wordplay-translated/926560/8):
>
> Pun to pun. In this strategy, you find a pun in the target language that (ideally) matches the meaning of the pun in the source language, or if this is not possible, you find a new pun in the target language that still makes sense in the context of the document you’re translating. Needless to say, this strategy can be extremely difficult to apply, and in many cases it’s simply not possible to use at all. An example of a successful application of this strategy can be found in the film _Top Secret_: in the original English version, the main characters encounter a coughing horse and ask its driver if he’s OK. The diver replies, “Oh, he caught a cold the other day and he’s just a little hoarse.” One subtitler rendered the driver’s reply instead that the horse’s voice was just a little “_rostig_”, meaning “rusty” in English. But in German one of the words for “horse” is _Ross_, so pronouncing “_rostig_” with a slightly overstressed first syllable makes it easy for German speakers to spot the pun. Now, of course, “rusty” isn’t exactly the same meaning as “hoarse”, but it’s close enough that the joke makes sense in the context of the scene.

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