英國留學(xué)生論文如何善用幽默的原則

寫英國留學(xué)生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(xué)術(shù)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(dāng)?shù)姆绞�，在英國留學(xué)生畢業(yè)論文中有效運用幽默。
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.

1st Humor Guideline – Use it Carefully 
幽默原則第一條－幽默要小心運用

One of the rules laid out for writers of serious papers is… don’t try to be funny. There is wisdom in such counsel. It indeed is wise not to try to be funny. Every comedian who has died on stage when his humor falls flat can attest that nothing is more painful than failing to connect with an audience. Academic writers often present their material to an audience of one, who grades the material even more mercilessly than a nightclub crowd. So, yes, if humor is not your forte, don’t try to force it on your professor. But if you do have talent for turning an amusing phrase, use it.
寫作嚴(yán)肅文章有一條清楚的規(guī)定－不要假裝風(fēng)趣。這條忠告是有道理的，假裝風(fēng)趣確實不聰明。喜劇演員如果曾經(jīng)因為幽默失靈在臺上尷尬不已，都可以告訴你，最討厭的莫過于和觀眾失去交流。學(xué)術(shù)論文的觀眾只有一位，而且評論起來比喜劇觀眾更不留情。所以，如果幽默不是你的強項，不要硬塞給教授，但如果你真的擅長寫作幽默風(fēng)趣的文字，就盡管寫吧。

Nearly every person—of course, some don’t have a clue—knows whether he is amusing in his expression. Yet even those who have such talent don’t always employ it effectively. They joke too much, and too much of any good thing usually is bad. They try to amuse people at inappropriate times, when solemnity clearly is preferred. They perhaps get too raw in their jesting or become slapstick in their delivery. Scholarly writers certainly will not impress anyone with any of the above. So, as much thought should be given to the context of humor as to the humor itself.
幾乎每個人都知道自己的表達是否風(fēng)趣（當(dāng)然就是有些人會搞不清楚），但有幽默感的人也不是每次都能運用自如，他們可能開太多玩笑，而任何好事情一旦過頭往往就成了壞事。他們想逗人笑的時機不對，有時顯然嚴(yán)肅正經(jīng)比較好。有時他們也可能把玩笑開得太粗俗或變成一場鬧劇。寫作學(xué)術(shù)文章如果犯了上述毛病，就絕對寫不出優(yōu)秀作品。所以除了幽默本身必須仔細構(gòu)思，運用幽默的場合也要好好思考。

Knowing when to inject an amusing comment is even more delicate in academic writing than in show biz. That’s because the goal is not to amuse per se but to communicate a larger point. If a humorous expression distracts a reader from a thread of thought, it is detracting from the paper rather than contributing to its success. Therefore, in a paper as in every other venue, timing is important. A light comment should slip into the flow of thought as naturally as any other element of the writing and for the same reason: to move the reader toward a desired conclusion.
比起喜劇表演，寫作學(xué)術(shù)文章時更難拿捏下筆詼諧的適當(dāng)時機，因為學(xué)術(shù)文章的宗旨不是討好讀者，而是溝通重要的觀點。如果幽默會分散讀者對文章脈絡(luò)的注意力，那就對論文有害無益。因此，寫論文時如果要運用幽默，一如在其他場合運用幽默一樣，時機最重要。詼諧妙語就像其他的寫作技巧，必須沿著文章理路自然融入，因為它們的目的都是要說服讀者接受文章的結(jié)論。

2nd Humor Guideline – Use it Seriously 
幽默原則第二條－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(dāng)了外科醫(yī)生，結(jié)果病人都笑得闔不攏嘴（譯注：這個笑話用了雙關(guān)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(xué)術(shù)論文的優(yōu)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?jǐn)?shù)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(chǎn)生動能，并增強邏輯。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(fā)現(xiàn)內(nèi)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(yīng)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，并且能推展文章要旨。

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(xué)者鉆研學(xué)問是很慎重的，做學(xué)問是件認(rèn)真且有收獲的工作，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(xué)術(shù)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(xiàn)嫻熟有力的溝通能力，受同儕和教授稱道。

3rd Humor Guideline – Use it Sparingly 
幽默原則第三條－幽默要節(jié)制使用

Humor in an academic paper is rare because it is virtually proscribed. Beginning writers are advised—make that… strictly warned—not to employ humor for the sensible reason that it is a difficult communication technique. Consequently, many beginning writers mature without ever having used an amusing aside or light touch. They simply do not use humor. That’s regrettable. Those willing to employ humor in a paper—in such light sprinklings that they almost honor the prohibition—can earn the respect of professors for communicating clearly and engagingly.
學(xué)術(shù)文章幾乎不許運用幽默，因此很少看到幽默。新手作者都聽過這個建議－應(yīng)該說是嚴(yán)格的告誡－不要運用幽默，因為幽默是個困難的溝通技巧。這個理由很合理。因此許多新手作者在磨練成長中，從來不曾在文章里穿插風(fēng)趣或輕松幽默的文字，完全和幽默保持距離，實在很可惜。至于愿意在論文里運用幽默的人， 盡管只是輕描淡寫，好像也同意不該用幽默一樣，但卻因為表達清晰生動而能獲得教授青睞。

Here’s an example: In describing the reaction of a laboratory rodent, a writer might straight-forwardly observe, “The mouse smelled the tainted sugar, its nose reacting to the injected block, and returned to its cage.” That is a serviceable statement, but this is better: “The mouse sniffed at the sugar cube, sneezed, and turned tail on the treat.” Nothing in this recounting of the lab experience is frivolous, funny as such, or distracting. Yet the reader is given a gently arresting image that has the power to tease out a smile… that of a scampering, sneezing, retreating mouse.
舉例來說，描述實驗室里老鼠的行為時可以平鋪直敘：「老鼠聞了加藥的糖，鼻子對注入藥物的方糖起反應(yīng)，然后回到籠內(nèi)」。這段描述還可以，但不如下面這段：「老鼠嗅了嗅方糖，打個噴嚏，轉(zhuǎn)身離開」。這段描述完全不輕浮、滑稽，也不會分散專注力，但意象能吸引讀者，呈現(xiàn)出一只蹦蹦跳跳、打噴嚏、轉(zhuǎn)身跑掉的老鼠，讓人忍俊不禁。

A less disciplined writer might have gone overboard and written…”The mouse seemed to suspect the sugar contained a mickey, turned, and ran back to Minnie.” While this allusion to Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse is cutely apt—a “mickey” is a secretly drugged drink or food—it tries too hard to incorporate them. The result is a tangent for a reader, a detour rather than continued forward movement of a narrative. Humor should not be used often, and never employed with a heavy hand, because the result is neither funny nor effective.
如果作者不夠嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，可能會寫得太過火：「老鼠似乎懷疑糖里藏了米奇，轉(zhuǎn)身，跑向米妮�！惯@個迪斯尼卡通米奇米妮鼠的譬喻盡管可愛又機智，，因為「米奇」（mickey）也指偷偷下了藥的食物飲料，但用在這里卻斧鑿太深，結(jié)果讓讀者分心，干擾敘述而非讓敘述更流暢。幽默不該用得太頻繁，而且絕不能太過火，否則讀起來既不有趣也發(fā)揮不了作用。

4th Humor Guideline – Use it Surprisingly 
幽默原則第四條－幽默要出人意表

Comedians or naturally humorous people in social conversation are entertaining because they surprise listeners with something they say. When the mind is expecting to hear one thing and unexpectedly hears something else, it reacts. Researchers who explore how the brain reacts to unexpected stimuli affirm what lay observers already know to be true: Surprise stimulates learning by arousing the brain and drawing attention to a stimulus. Because humor surprises, academic writers should not forfeit it as a tool in stimulating and connecting with readers.
喜劇演員或有幽默天分的人平常聊天時很有趣，因為他們說的話讓人意想不到。如果心里原本預(yù)期聽到某件事，但意外地聽到另一件事，便會有反應(yīng)。有些研究人員探索大腦如何對意想不到的刺激反應(yīng)，證實一般人都觀察到的事實：意外能激發(fā)大腦注意刺激，可促進學(xué)習(xí)。幽默讓人意想不到，因此寫作學(xué)術(shù)文章時，不應(yīng)排斥用幽默來刺激讀者、和讀者交流。

On the other hand, people who reach for humor all the time in their communication injure their cause: They they accomplish just the opposite: They become too predictable. Surprise and predictability are communication opposites. When listeners or readers suspect that a punch line or a humorous twist is coming, they wait for it like vultures, ready to devour it if it isn’t lively. In the same way, academic writers who regularly inject humor set up themselves for failure. So, surprise readers. Deftly inject some well-chosen, amusing words at critical moments and win them over.
然而，有些人溝通時無時無刻都想表現(xiàn)幽默，反而會妨礙交流、適得其反，因為他們的行為太容易預(yù)料了。溝通時，「出人意表」和「不出所料」作用剛好相反，聽眾或讀者如果覺得接下來會出現(xiàn)詼諧笑料或風(fēng)趣轉(zhuǎn)折，就會像禿鷹一樣等著，如果幽默不夠活潑就會遭到吞噬。同樣的，寫學(xué)術(shù)文章一再固定表現(xiàn)幽默，那就是在自討苦吃。所以要出其不意，在關(guān)鍵時刻巧妙地加入幾句精心挑選、風(fēng)趣詼諧的話，這樣就能收服讀者的心。

A professor or academic adviser will react appropriately to an amusing aside—that is, he will instantly become more engaged and more comfortable with the writer. This will happen if the surprise gently lifts his spirits, doesn’t detract from the point being made, and merges seamlessly with the sentences immediately preceding and following. The humor should seem to be natural expression and be thoroughly integrated into the serous flow of the paper. When this happens, a reader will be moved by the engaging sentence without pausing to consider just what moved him.
教授或指導(dǎo)教授讀到穿插的笑話會有適當(dāng)?shù)姆磻?yīng)，讀起文章很快會更加投入、更輕松愉快。要有這種效果，幽默必須出乎意料、令人精神一振，也不會轉(zhuǎn)移讀者對觀點的注意力，并和前后文融合得天衣無縫。幽默要表達地自然，并徹底結(jié)合文章的走向脈絡(luò)。如此一來，讀者會受生動的文句打動，但不會停下來思索打動他的是什么。