ที่มารูปภาพ : หนังสือ ENGLISH IN CARTOONS โดย Roger Aslin

We must know –

 

1. What an ATM is.
2. What a coke machine is.

           All towns in Thailand now have Automatic Teller Machines so you can get money from a bank. They have become part of our background knowledge here so we know about them.

           Coca Cola has been on sale here for a long time so you know it’s called Coke, and it’s easy to see that a Coke machine is a machine that sells Coke. You and the cartoonist share knowledge aboutfamily relationships so you know that if you have kicked someone’s cousin he is not going to help you, is he? Thus for this cartoon you have all the clues to understanding it. 

           However, think for a moment about people living in less developed countries and even in some remote parts of Thailand. There are no ATM machines and no Coke ― indeed, there maybe no machines at all. I  this case the joke would be meaningless. This cartoon relies on language and modern technology.

an idea (n.) ความนึกคิด

background knowledge (n.) พื้นความรู้

communicating (adj.) การสื่อสาร

cultural setting (n.) พื้นฐานทางประเพณี

family relationships (n.) ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างครอบครัว

less developed (adj.) ด้อยพัฒนา

meaningless (adj.) ไม่มีความหมาย                                    

remote (adj.) ไกล

the clues (n.) ร่องรอย, สิ่งแนะ