AustLit

Author's abstract: Although it is usually inevitable that some loss occurs in the translation of humorous passages, particularly where the humour involves a pun or wordplay, small and enjoyable victories are also achievable. Australian humour has some distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other English-language cultural settings. I argue that, for a reliable Spanish translation (or any other language for that matter) of Australian humour to occur, the translator needs to be deeply familiar with Australian society and language. If a translator is unfamiliar with Australian colloquialisms, there is a risk that the humour is misunderstood or not perceived at all, so it may be advisable to analyse the text carefully in order to avoid serious pitfalls. In this article I use examples from two novels by Australian novelist Tim Winton, and Spanish translations of them: my own unpublished translation of Cloudstreet and Música de la tierra (2008), Núria Llonch Seguí's translation of Dirt Music.