((correction)) --- reduces an(y) anxiety between us

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” The confusion begins – as one language partner explained to me – that although in western culture the “dragon” from this passage is a symbol or metaphor of “fear”, in Chinese culture it has a completely different representation – more neutral in fact, and has nothing at all to do with something that should be feared. It was another lesson for me in recognising the potential barriers between cross-cultural transference, and hopefully it will also be for them; and now back to the subject of jokes. There is in fact one I frequently get away with. I’m often asked in chat sessions when an introductory voice call is being planned, not to laugh at the caller’s bad English speaking. My reply is usually something like; “I won’t laugh, but its okay if you want to laugh at my bad attempts at the Chinese language” and guess what, the response is usually something like; “you’re funny”. It helps to break the ice and reduces and anxiety between us. There are of course – as I think your article is alluding to – some jokes that just don’t work, at least not immediately.

Shazam indeed. This idea you present here is very pertinent to this website, and also beyond. I often have to step away from everything that has happened in my life in order to communicate effectively with learners of a second language. The reality is that the exchange will be better served when this “stepping back” becomes a mutual situation. I’m lucky I guess because I have spent some parts of my life interpreting English to distant Italian relatives who have travelled abroad to visit their long-lost English speaking cousins, and this has somehow prepared me for my journey through italki. However it is always important to continue with considerations of the differences that exist in cultures foreign to us when attempting communication, and this applies not only to “jokes”, but also to ordinary matters. I’ll illustrate one example. I recently gave this passage separately to two Chinese speaking language partners in order to give them an exercise in pronunciation: ((continued in next message box))