とこりさんのペンギンジョーク読んでぼくも最初わかんなくて意地になってインタネ検索して調べていたんですが、ジョークのネタばらしをやっているサイトがあるはずもなく、イライラ。でも、下のバージョンを読んでようやくわかりますた。
http://www.funny.co.uk/jokes/art_0-22-Penguin-in-Arizona.html
A penguin is driving through Arizona (as they do) on a hot summer's day when he notices his oil light is on. He gets out of the car and, sure enough, it's leaking oil all over the road. The penguin drives around the corner to a service station and asks the mechanic to take a look at it.
The mechanic says he has a few others to look at first but if he comes back in an hour he can tell the penguin what is wrong with his car. The penguin agrees and goes for a walk.
He finds an ice cream shop and thinks a big bowl of vanilla ice cream will really hit the spot since he's a penguin and it's Arizona in the summer, after all. He sits down at the counter and starts in on his ice cream.
Of course he has no hands so it is rather messy. By the time he is done he has ice cream all over his flippers and his mouth-a total mess.
He walks back to the service station and says to the mechanic, "Did you find out what is wrong with my car?"
The mechanic replies, "It looks like you've blown a seal."
"No no," says the penguin. "It's just ice cream!"
まあ、とこりさん/る。さんのバージョンと大差ないんですが、こっちのバージョンがわかりやすいのは、まず第一に、車の故障がオイル漏れだと最初からわかっていることです。これが「seal」にはっきりつながる。第二に、メカニックが「It looks like you've blown a seal」と言ったのが「Did you find out what is wrong with my car?」に対する答えのつもりだったこということが明記されていることです。だから、メカニックはふつうに「（運転している最中に）オイルの封印をふっとばしてしまったみたいだねえ」と言ったと。で、それに対して、ペンギンがとんでもない誤解をしたと。
まあ、はっきり言って「ド下ネタ」なわけですが。
「ペンギンジョーク」の基本は言語表現の多義性にあることが多いようですね。翻訳ソフトではわからないのはあたりまえです。一通りにしか訳してくれないんだから…。
調べていて今度はあらたにわからないペンギンジョークに遭遇。
http://www.kith.org/journals/jed/2003/08/26/1396.html
There are two penguins on an ice floe, drifting north into warmer waters. These penguins are very fond of each other, but they don’t speak English very well. Suddenly, with a terrific crack, the ice floe splits in half, right between the penguins. As they begin drifting apart, one penguin sadly waves a flipper and calls out, “Chocolate milk!”
ううっ、わからない…。
