tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 03 04:54:37 1998
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Re: KLBC No deposit, no return...
[I'm not *quite* ignoring the KLBC in the header...]
ja' [email protected]:
>choyajHa' 'e' vIHar. I do not state that the use of the word "return" is
>important..I ask how one would convey the concept, not the word.
I think the concept is conveyed adequately by my suggestion.
>e.g. You telephone me, and I am not home. When I get the message, I call you
>back, in order to find out what you wanted. Terran/Enlish idiom is "I am
>returning your call", not to a place.
The idiom is irrelevant. You have described the situation well without it:
{jIDachtaHvIS chorI'ta'. QInlIj vIHevDI', Doch DaneHbogh vISovmeH, qarI'.}
>The salute...well, I was on the issuing end of the salutes, as a 6-year
>veteran enlisted man in the same Navy. By tradition, I am not allowed to lower
>my salute until you "return" it. This concept is the translation I was
>seeking. Whether or not the term "return" is used is irrelevant.
Neither the term nor the idea "return" is relevant. The *action* is
relevant, and perhaps the justification for the action. You're talking
about a specific tradition here. To "return a salute" is to acknowledge
the person saluting by saluting him, right?
{vanwIj DalajmeH chovan.}
>Granted that we were actually *saying* "I salute you.", and "I return your
>salute." Normally this would be a physical action. But the question remains.
The question is answered by focusing on the physical action itself and
maybe giving a little bit of explanation for why the action occurred.
Give up the entire English idiom of "returning" an action; it's leading
you to ask questions that don't matter.
>If you would all be so kind, I'd like several suggestions for translating the
>following:
[I believe the "all" in this request justifies my entire response. :)]
> " Upon seeing the Commander enter the room, Kurg struck his left shoulder
>with his right fist, and bowed his head slightly. He held his head down until,
>at last, the Commander returned his salute."
pa' 'el la' 'e' tu'DI' *qurgh, poSDaj volchaHDaq nIHDaj ro mupmoH 'ej
loQ nachDaj pepHa'. vanDaj lajpu'pa' la', nach pepqa'be'lI' *qurgh.
-- ghunchu'wI'