Reproduced or replaced? Translation strategies in selected canned jokes across two English versions of Jin Ping Mei 金瓶梅

This study investigates how canned jokes are rendered in two English translations of Jin Ping Mei 金瓶梅, a foundational work of Chinese vernacular fiction. Rather than providing a general overview of humour in the novel, this paper narrows its scope to examine a specific category: canned jokes, defined following Attardo’s tripartite model as rehearsed, narratively framed, and context-independent forms of humour. Drawing on a parallel corpus created from the Xiuxiang and Cihua editions of the novel, we identified 17 jokes in the Xiuxiang text and 12 jokes in the Cihua text, most of which were rendered into English. For the purposes of comparative analysis, we selected the jokes that appear in both editions, a subset of which will be examined in this paper. By focusing on how punchlines are preserved, altered, or omitted, this study highlights the differing translation strategies employed by the two translators. These findings shed light on the practical and theoretical implications of translating humour between Chinese and English, revealing not only the linguistic and cultural challenges involved but also the interpretative decisions that shape the reception of literary comedy across languages.