tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Aug 01 20:53:13 1998
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Re: KLBC - attempt at translation, v 1.1
Alan Anderson wrote:
> ja' Qermaq:
> >The rule of thumb I've followed that seems to have been successful is this -
> >if you can leave a word out or rephrase more concisely, and the sentence is
> >still clear, yIruch! Economy of words is not a prerequisite for good
> >Klingon, but it is a trait I see in the writing of the best Klingon-users on
> >the list.
> >
Well. generally speaking, the task of any good translator is distilling a mixture
of syntax and ideas. The translator is generally honor bound by the ethics of his
office to render between languages the *Concept and or idea in the phase*
regardless of any "Word count"
I speak eight Terran languages and six non-Terran tongues, and simultanious
translation of equivelent language versions of documents is something I do,
sometimes ten hours a day. Linguistics and syntax are only a part of what is
needed, particularly when translation of ideas between cultures is involved. If
you can do it in ten words, ten words is what you use, if you need five, you use
five. That is the only time any sort of "word count" enters into it, at times
because you are often billing a client by the number of words in the target
language.
So, in my book, the first thing you look at is the idea, and then use words to
craft the equivalent phrase, not only linguisticly, but in line with the meaning
and mood intended by the author of the originating language. In this aspect,
translation work is a great trust, because you are custodian of both langage and
ideas, and a good translation must respect both to be considered good work in
itself.
Based on what I have seen here in a few days time, and almost 100 messages, there
are some here whose translation work pays all attenton to lingustics, which is
very fine for the beginner, but at length, one must ask oneself if such rigidity
is common to the language used by native speakers. This is not a criticism. It is
a well known fact for example, that someone who learns say French in a language
lab will have a different quality to their speech and deportment of the language
than someone who has learned their French on the streets of Paris, or Lyons.
Roci