tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Aug 16 04:00:41 1996
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: PK opening scene question
- From: "Mark J. Reed" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: PK opening scene question
- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 07:00:19 -0400
- Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company
- References: <[email protected]>
<Glen Proechel>vo' <Kenneth Taft> lo'taHvIS:
> Bartender: nuqneH!
>
> Terran: 'IH jaj, qar'a'?
> majatlhchuqjaj.
>
> Bartender: jISaHbe'.
>
> Terran: bISaHbe'!
> qatlh jatlh?
> ja', SoHvo' vay' vIje' vIneH.
Have him listen again. It's clearly "maja'chuqjaj" in the Terran's
first line,
and "chaq" before the "SoHvo'" in the last line. Also, there's a
definite
prefix {moHaqna'} on {jatlh} in the Terran's second bit; it's just not
clear
what that prefix is.
Oh, and the Klingon is not a bartender - he's a trader in dilithium.
> bIyIntaH 'e' Dachoqbe'!
Aah! Now {Dachoqbe'} makes sense! It's hard to say a {qb} without
inserting
a small unstressed vowel, and the juxtaposition of a voiced and a
voiceless
consonant would explain why the {b} sounded like a {p}. It doesn't
explain
why the {ch} sounded like a {Q}, but this is the closest I've seen to
something
that both makes sense and almost fits the pronunciation on the tape -
I'll
listen to it again with this in mind.
>
> Terran: yIja'choH!
{jot}, not {ja'}.
> Dochvetlh...HIja'...
No way is that {HIja'}. Probably {vItlhap} or {yItlhap}.
> ******* Translation ******
>
> Bartender: Whaddaya want?
>
> Terran: Beautiful (nice) day isn't it?
! Let's talk!
The "may" implied by the {jaj} in {maja'chuqjaj} does not correspond to
the
English "may" of permission; "let's" is a better translation - although
the
Terran inflected it as a question, indicating that he perhaps *thought*
of it
as the English "may" of permission. Which is why I commented on this in
my original post.
>
> Bartender: I don't care.
>
> Terran: You don't care!
> Why do you say that?
! Perhaps I want to buy something from you.
>
> Bartender: Hurry up! Buy or die! You have insulted my honor, Terran;
> you won't preserve your life.
Given that we have {bIjeghbe'chugh vaj bIHegh} for "Surrender or die!",
"Buy or die!" is a valid translation here. But I think it comes off
sloganish, whereas the intent of the Klingon on the tape is quite
literal and personally directed at the Terran. I think a literal "If
you don't buy, then you will die." conveys the feeling better.
! Terran: Calm down!
! I'll take that! (or "Take that!")
> aaargh!
>