Nothing makes us more nervous than jokes. It takes nothing short of all our tact, wit, and mental capacity, plus a dash of divine intervention to do them right. Maybe that’s why the official policy of interpreters on Earth is:
WE DO NOT INTERPRET JOKES
However, we sometimes don’t have the choice to stand like a piece of furniture and wait for the joke to pass. We are almost expected to bite the bullet for the consistency of experience, for the curiosity of our audience, and sometimes just for everyone to see us squirm😩. It’s alright. We are good-humored people. And here are a few things we do to sail through these jokes (relatively) unscathed.
Do Not Commit
Even if the speaker says so, we never start by saying, “I’m going to tell you a joke.” Jokes don’t translate, so it’s a bad idea to set ourselves up for failure. Instead, we simply say, “I’m going to tell you a story.”
Relax
Believe it or not, interpretation during jokes is usually made easier by the everyday language and coherence of story-telling. Relaxation in our stances, hearts and vocal cords is always helpful. Feel free to smile or laugh along to diffuse the tension.
Punchline
When the punchline is either a pun or a cultural thing that doesn’t translate, we quickly interpret the rough idea and add, “This is meant to be funny but doesn’t translate well. So if you feel like it, laugh along… now.”