tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Oct 26 11:36:11 2006

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Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for 2006/10/23

Terrence Donnelly ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

--- pm5 <[email protected]> wrote:

> Greetings Warriors:
> 
> Here are the dialogues in [comic for October 23][1],
> followed by my
> translation.  Corrections and advises are
> appreciated.
> 
>      DIlbot: {chay' qa'vIn law'qu' vItlhutlh 'e'
> vISov?} (1)
>     Dilbert: "How can I tell if I'm drinking too
> much coffee?"
> 

Use the adjective {'Iq} 'too much' instead of 
{law'qu'}. We also have a verb {ghov} 'realize",
which I like better than {Sov} for this usage.
Also, I know there's some controversy
about this, but I think you have {chay'} in the
wrong place.  I read your current sentence as "How
do I drink a lot of coffee; I know this." So I
would make it: {qa'vIn 'Iq vItlhutlh chay' 'e'
vIghov}. 

>         Qel: {qa'vIn Datlhutlh 'e' yImev qaja'chugh
> nuq Duruch?} (2)
>      doctor: "What would you do if I told you to
> quit?"
> 
This is a toughie. You've got an indirect quotation
in a conditional clause introduced by a question.

Let's break it down into pieces, the indirect
quotation "I told you to quit drinking."
Verbs of speaking are weird in Klingon.  There is no
way to make an indirect quotation. Also, there are
very few words that can precede a direct quotation,
and the quotation is _not_ the object of the verb.
So the Klingon version of "I told you to quit
drinking" will be {SoHvaD jIjatlh. qa'vIn Datlhutlh
'e'
yImev.} "I speak to you:'Quit drinking!'".  If
we want to emphasize the command, we could add the
verb {ra'} 'to command', whose direct object is the
person commanded, which will allow us to drop the
{SoHvaD}. This doesn't replace {jatlh},
just adds an emphasis on a command: {qara', jIjatlh.
qa'vIn Datlhuth e' yImev.} "I command you; I speak:
Stop drinking coffee!".

As for the conditional ("if") part, the standard
way is to add {-chugh} to the verb, but I don't
think we've ever seen this used with a quotation
before, so I'd avoid the issue and use a different
formation.  Finally, I think we have canon that
{ruch} is intransitive and can't take {nuq} as an
object.

So, combining all the above, I'd write {chaq qara'.
jIjatlh. qa'vIn Datlhutlh 'e' yImev. chay' bIvang?}
"Maybe (=supposing) I order you to stop drinking
coffee. How will you (re)act?"

>      DIlbot: {taj qaDuQ.} (3)
>     Dilbert: "I'd jab you with a used needle."
> 

This means "I stab you. A knife" In other words,
the word "knife" has no grammatical connection to
the verb.  The only way we know to show instrumental
clauses is by the phrase {taj lo'taHvIS} (conjugated
for the proper subject, of course). I'd also add
the adjective {lam} 'dirty', since what makes a used
needle so undesirable is that it is contaminated.
{taj lam vIlo'taHvIS loQ qaDuQ} I qualified the verb
with "a little" because a jab is not a full stab,
IMHO.

>         Qel: {vaj bIQaQ.} (4)
>      doctor: "In that case, you're fine."
> 

Since this is a doctor commenting on health, I'd use
the more specific {vaj bIpIv} "Thus, you are well."

-- ter'eS BG

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