Humour in Self-Translation Reasons and Rationale

This introduction sets off by reflecting on migration in relation to multilingualism and self-translation. It explores the migration phenomenon over time but focuses in particular on the 21st century and the way migrants seek integration into the hosting country while, at the same time, remaining profoundly connected to their culture and language of origin. This aspect is not only advocated, but it is also praised as a means of encouraging insiders to be more open towards outsiders. It also considered important to help insiders to become more tolerant and reflect on their own identity. The second part of this chapter is instead devoted specifically to humour in self-translation, its characteristics and driving reasons. One important aspect that is also emphasised here is that humour self-translation is a virtually unexplored area in both Humour Studies and Translation Studies, and this volume seeks to contribute to filling this gap. The chapter concludes with an overview of the contributions included herein. It also offers a reflection on the way humour and self-translation can jointly be explored to better understand how these two natural human traits shape and are shaped by reality.