4 Ways to Use Humor in Papers # 2 在論文中善用幽默的四大守則第二條
寫學術論文的人常聽說不要用幽默來表達觀點。雖然這個告誡用心良苦，但完全不用幽默又太過頭了。幽默是有效的溝通方法，而寫作學術論文本就該懂得運用各種溝通方法。本系列文章說明如何用適當的方式，在學術論文中有效運用幽默。文章將刊登在 TPS 粉絲頁，最後集結於電子報。
Writers of academic papers are cautioned against employing humor to communicate their points. The caution is well-intentioned, but outright prohibition of lightly humorous material goes too far. Humor is a valid method of communication and authors of academic papers should have every method at their disposal. This series of columns will describe how humor can be effective and acceptable in scholarly writing. Each part in the series will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
2nd Humor Guideline – Use it Seriously
幽默守則第二條－幽默要慎重使用
Have you heard the one about the funnyman who became a surgeon? He left his patients in stitches. This joke might be amusing if the hearer of it is familiar with the colloquial phrase “in stitches,” which means laughing uncontrollably. If the phrase is unfamiliar, the stab at humor is only puzzling—and puzzlement is never a strength in an academic paper. Therefore, any writer making a comic allusion should be sure that the language of the humor is universal, or at least is in the vernacular of a grading professor. Puzzling humor is worse than leaden use of words.
你聽過一個笑話嗎？有個喜劇演員當了外科醫生，結果病人都笑得闔不攏嘴（譯註：這個笑話用了雙關語，原文 He left his patients in stitches，stitches 有縫線的意思，「in stitches」指笑得停不下來）。如果聽的人知道口語詞「in stitches」是讓人爆笑不止的意思，那這個笑話就很好笑。如果聽的人不知道，就會看不懂原本的幽默，而看不懂絕對算不上學術論文的優點。因此，寫作時如果要做幽默的比喻，要確定這種表達一般人都看得懂，或至少用的口語，打分數教授看得懂。看不懂的幽默，比沉悶的表達還糟糕。
More to the point, the insertion of a humorous aside or reflection always should help drive a narrative forward. It should help build momentum and add to a logical string. If it does none of that, it is doing the opposite—it is slowing and frustrating a reader. When a writer senses that his message is not crisp and lively, and chooses to be humorous in an effort to give it some “zip,” he has chosen unwisely. Reworking an entire body of writing to enliven it is always the best choice. Only if resorting to humor genuinely energizes a paper and advances a message is it acceptable.
更重要的是，穿插詼諧的題外話或意見時，一定要能加強敘述、產生動能，並增強邏輯。如果一項都做不到，就會造成反效果，讓人讀得慢且充滿挫折。如果作者發現內容不夠生動有力，決定運用幽默筆法好給文章一點活力，這個決定其實不太明智。最好的選擇應該是重寫整篇文章，讓文章更有生氣。幽默必須能同時讓文章更生動，並且能推展文章要旨。
Because humor has, by definition, a comic side, it must be used purposefully. Scholars are purposeful in their scholarship, all learning being a serious and gratifying undertaking. It is, in a phrase, no joking matter. Consequently, any humor that comes across as levity, or frivolous, is out of character with scholarly writing. Therefore, any writer who uses all proven communication techniques—including humor—indeed runs the risk of failing. However, if he succeeds, his reward is peer and professorial recognition as a disciplined, powerful communicator.
因為幽默本來就有滑稽好笑的一面，所以運用時必須深思熟慮。學者鑽研學問是很慎重的，做學問是件認真且有收穫的工作，簡單來說，不是件開玩笑的事。因此，幽默如果給人隨便或輕浮的印象，就不適合學術著作。寫作時運用幽默等各種有效的溝通技巧，的確有可能失敗。不過如果成功了，就能展現嫻熟有力的溝通能力，受同儕和教授稱道。
Writers of academic papers are cautioned against employing humor to communicate their points. The caution is well-intentioned, but outright prohibition of lightly humorous material goes too far. Humor is a valid method of communication and authors of academic papers should have every method at their disposal. This series of columns will describe how humor can be effective and acceptable in scholarly writing. Each part in the series will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
2nd Humor Guideline – Use it Seriously
幽默守則第二條－幽默要慎重使用
Have you heard the one about the funnyman who became a surgeon? He left his patients in stitches. This joke might be amusing if the hearer of it is familiar with the colloquial phrase “in stitches,” which means laughing uncontrollably. If the phrase is unfamiliar, the stab at humor is only puzzling—and puzzlement is never a strength in an academic paper. Therefore, any writer making a comic allusion should be sure that the language of the humor is universal, or at least is in the vernacular of a grading professor. Puzzling humor is worse than leaden use of words.
你聽過一個笑話嗎？有個喜劇演員當了外科醫生，結果病人都笑得闔不攏嘴（譯註：這個笑話用了雙關語，原文 He left his patients in stitches，stitches 有縫線的意思，「in stitches」指笑得停不下來）。如果聽的人知道口語詞「in stitches」是讓人爆笑不止的意思，那這個笑話就很好笑。如果聽的人不知道，就會看不懂原本的幽默，而看不懂絕對算不上學術論文的優點。因此，寫作時如果要做幽默的比喻，要確定這種表達一般人都看得懂，或至少用的口語，打分數教授看得懂。看不懂的幽默，比沉悶的表達還糟糕。
More to the point, the insertion of a humorous aside or reflection always should help drive a narrative forward. It should help build momentum and add to a logical string. If it does none of that, it is doing the opposite—it is slowing and frustrating a reader. When a writer senses that his message is not crisp and lively, and chooses to be humorous in an effort to give it some “zip,” he has chosen unwisely. Reworking an entire body of writing to enliven it is always the best choice. Only if resorting to humor genuinely energizes a paper and advances a message is it acceptable.
更重要的是，穿插詼諧的題外話或意見時，一定要能加強敘述、產生動能，並增強邏輯。如果一項都做不到，就會造成反效果，讓人讀得慢且充滿挫折。如果作者發現內容不夠生動有力，決定運用幽默筆法好給文章一點活力，這個決定其實不太明智。最好的選擇應該是重寫整篇文章，讓文章更有生氣。幽默必須能同時讓文章更生動，並且能推展文章要旨。
Because humor has, by definition, a comic side, it must be used purposefully. Scholars are purposeful in their scholarship, all learning being a serious and gratifying undertaking. It is, in a phrase, no joking matter. Consequently, any humor that comes across as levity, or frivolous, is out of character with scholarly writing. Therefore, any writer who uses all proven communication techniques—including humor—indeed runs the risk of failing. However, if he succeeds, his reward is peer and professorial recognition as a disciplined, powerful communicator.
因為幽默本來就有滑稽好笑的一面，所以運用時必須深思熟慮。學者鑽研學問是很慎重的，做學問是件認真且有收穫的工作，簡單來說，不是件開玩笑的事。因此，幽默如果給人隨便或輕浮的印象，就不適合學術著作。寫作時運用幽默等各種有效的溝通技巧，的確有可能失敗。不過如果成功了，就能展現嫻熟有力的溝通能力，受同儕和教授稱道。
Posted at 2013-09-17 22:01:03
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