爱华网参考：Wryness,Dryness andIrony: What Is British Humour? By MatthewStedman
英式幽默面面观，闻雪译。《英语学习》E.L.L.·May2006)
（注：黑体字为闻雪译文）
Considering its uneven history, one of the mostintriguing aspects of British humour is itsinstitutionalisation. Many outsiders marvel at theimportance attached to wit in London's Parliament. Jokes are notyet welcom in Britain's low-courts, but they arecommon in church sermons, acdemic articles andadvertisements.A "good sense of humour" isfrequently requested in lonely-hearts columns andjobs listings alike. And headlines in the mostserious of newspapers (though not for the most serious of articles)often feature "puns". References, for the puns, are to songs andfilms, to literature, speeches and "classic" comedy. Oftenuntranslatable, such puns cause great trouble for non-Britishreaders. And it would be an exaggeration to suggest that they causea laugh, a smile, even the attention of native readers.
虽然英国幽默历史上并非一成不变，但它却深入英国人骨髓，这一特点最不易为人忽略/虽然英式幽默的历史并非一路规则有致，它最有趣的一个方面却是它的深入人心。许多（局）外人惊讶于伦敦/英国议会中人们对于机智的推崇/重视程度。虽然在英国法庭上，笑话并不受欢迎，/在英国，玩笑固然在法庭上还不受欢迎，但是在教堂布道，学术文章和（各种）广告中/大行其道。，他们却随处可见。“良好的幽默感”，无论是在心理专栏，还是招聘启事中，经常成为要求的标准之一。/“良好的幽默感”是征婚广告和招聘启事一类东西中的常见要求。而且就是最严肃的报纸标题中经常可见“双关语”，尽管不用于那些十分严肃的文章。/最严肃的报纸（尽管不一定登最严肃的文章）上的文章标题常常带有“双关语”。这些双关语往往指涉歌曲，电影，文学，演说和“经典”喜剧。因为通常难以翻译，这些双关语，英国以外的读者理解起来很是困难。/它们往往无法译出，给英国以外的读者在理解上造成了很大困难。而要说它们会让本国读者大笑，微笑，甚至注意，这会是种夸大其辞/也是有些言过其实。
They are part of what I will call "soft humour",an insistent reminder of one's education, adulthood andBritishness, a sphere in which jokes, bad and old included, arereceived with the same comfy, cozygroan.
我把这样的幽默称为“轻柔的幽默”，它总在提醒人们一个人的教育程度，成人意识和英国特性，在这一范围内，无论是坏笑话还是老笑话，人们总会报之以同样惬意舒适的咕哝声。
我把这样的幽默称作“温和的幽默”，它是对一个人受的教育，成人意识和英国本色的不断提醒，在这个范围里，各种笑话，包括坏笑话和老笑话，都会得到同样温和而适意的咕哝声作为回应。
Thank heavens, then, for the stream of irreverent, dangerous,hard(if quiet) humour that flows outside it.
谢天谢地，在此之外，总还有不敬，危险，冷酷（如果安静的话）的这样一股幽默之流在流淌。
谢天谢地，总算还有那么一脉不恭，危险和冷酷（如果是平静的话）的幽默之流淌在温和的幽默之外。
British humour has certain distinctive aspects. Unexplored here,British humour also incorporates many commoner aspects, such asanthropomorphism, sarcasm,slapstick, and laughing at those above, below angforeign to, one's situation. But ultimately, I suggest, it isBritish humour's sense of its own identity that identifies it most.Understatement
