I think the standard approach to this problem is that good translators come up with jokes that are similar in spirit even if they're not direct translations. I

I think the standard approach to this problem is that good translators come up with jokes that are similar in spirit even if they're not direct translations. If I recall correctly, the works of Edgar Allen Poe are famous for having liberal but high quality translations in German. Song writers also sometimes do this when "translating" a song to another language.