ZombiepirateOct 20

What's your favorite joke that doesn't translate to English very well?

https://lemmy.world/post/37622286

What's your favorite joke that doesn't translate to English very well? - Lemmy.World

Give me your wordplay and obscure culture references, I love them all.

Show threadKennystillalive

Two divers meet. One say “Hi” the other says “where?!”

Two hunters meet. Both of them are dead.

Oct 20 at 6:34pmWeb
Show threadneidu3Oct 20
Which language of origin?
Show threadJASN_DEOct 20
German.
Show threadTotallyNotSpezOct 20
Hai (similar pronunciation as hi) = shark
Show threadKennystillaliveOct 20

German:

  • Joke: “Hi” is spoke like “Hai” German for shark. So when two divers meet and one says hi, the other thinks, where is the shark??

  • Joke: “to meet” is translated in german as treffen. Treffen can also the mean to hit. So the joke goes from a freindly meet up between hunters to both of them hitting eachother while on the hunt and dying.

    • Show threadMBechOct 20
    That is so incredibly german, holy shit.
    Show threadsauerkrautsaulOct 20
    isnt it haifisch? rammstein vocabulary sorry
    Show threadLumidaubOct 20
    Haifisch is also correct but less commonly used. Sounds a bit old-timey, my first association is Mackie Messer (Mac the Knife): “Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne”.
    Show threadsauerkrautsaulOct 21

    that song is actually pretty killer, pun intended…

    the rammstein lyrics are also pretty dope:

    Und der Haifisch, der hat Tränen Und die laufen vom Gesicht, doch der Haifisch lebt im Wasser – so die Tränen sieht man nicht.

    cool little song also

    Show threadsilly goose meekahOct 21
    Im pretty sure a Haifisch is a specific species of fish that looks like a shark, but isn’t an actual shark.
    Show threadP1nkmanOct 20

    It works in Norwegian as well, both of them.

    But for the shark one in Norwegian there’s this one: What did the sand say to the shark? Hihi What did the shark say to the sand? Hi sand

    Show threadptuOct 21
    We also say hai in Finnish for shark
    Show threadTheLeadenSeaOct 20
    hai, lika i svenska?
    Show threaddunzOct 21
    Both of these work in Swedish as well