tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 24 07:45:43 2007
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Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for January 23, 2007
Voragh:
> > In addition to {wIgh} "genius", also consider {leSSov} "foresight" and
> > {Sov} "knowledge, wisdom [cf. the "Frasier" bar mitzvah speech]".
pm5:
>nuq 'oH <the "Frasier" bar mitzvah speech>'e'?
Here's what I have in my notes:
FRASIER "Star Mitzvah" (11/05/2002 [NBC])
Frasier wants to say the blessing at his son's bar mitzvah in Hebrew. Noel
Shempsky (a Klingon-speaking Trekker at the radio station) finds out and
offers to teach him the Hebrew if Frasier did him a favor: There was a
STcon in the area and he wanted Scott Bakula's signature to make his set
complete. (Shempsky couldn't go himself because he had a restraining order
against him from William Shatner!) Frasier tried, but failed due to
traffic. Because Frasier didn't keep his word, Shempsky substituted the
Klingon words and, of course, Frasier didn't realize this and gives the
blessing anyway. The rabbi, confused, says it was gibberish but a boy in
the audience (named Berman!) called out that it was actually Klingon! Later
Berman translated it for Frasier's son, revealing that it was a real
blessing, just in the wrong language:
puqloDwI' le'qu' - Hoch jaj choquvmoH. lenglIj lutebjaj
lengwIjvaD bel rap, Sov [rap, ngoQ rap je] Danobpu'bogh.
My dearest son, each day you redeem me. May your journey be
filled with the same joy, wisdom, and purpose you have given mine.
Holtej reported that a friend of Marc Okrand told him that Okrand did
indeed translate the lines for the show. He also offered to coach the
actors with pronunciation, but they declined. Marc Okrand writes about
this scene in HolQeD 11.4 (Dec. 2002) p. 11:
The main difference between what aired and what I submitted, however,
has nothing to do with transcription, but rather the absence of "purpose."
Somehow, somewhere in the process, four words got dropped. Had the four
words remained, Berman's translation would have matched what Frasier said,
and Maltz would not have been so awed by Berman's skill.
DloraH has the audio on his website:
<http://www.frontiernet.net/~rhcheesbro/frasier.mp3>http://www.frontiernet.net/~rhcheesbro/frasier.mp3
http://www2.rpa.net/~cheesbro/frasier.mp3 (old address)
> > I'm not sure I understand your choice of {peghHa'moH} "cause
> > to not keep a secret". Perhaps a simple {nob} "give" is best.
>
>I was trying to use "publicize" to see if it fits. But it seems more
>reasonable used on secrets instead of knowledge.
Ah. I understood *{peghHa'moH} as meaning "de-classify". For "publicize"
how about {maq} "proclaim"? *{SovmoH} might also work.
> >>a'Soq: {'e' vIHech je. 'ach naDev 'e' lupar.}
> >>Asok: "Me too. But they don't like that sort of thing here."
> >
> > Two {'e'}s in a row feels a little funny (I don't know why). How about
> > substituting a simple {jIH je} for the first?
>
>I can do that? That's great!
It's not canonical and some may quibble, but I have seen it widely used on
this List. If you get too much flak, you could say something like
ngoQwIj 'oH je.
It is also my purpose.
> >>nov: {<quagmire> 'oH Daqvam 'e'.}
> >>alien: "It's a quagmire."
> >>
> >>I just don't know how to translate "quagmire"... {puH lo'laHbe'}
> >>"worthless land"?
> >
> > Yes, but it's being used metaphorically here:
> >
> > * A quagmire (from "quake" + "mire") is, literally, shaky, miry ground;
> > as a political term used to describe a foreign military campaign in which
> > there is either no foreseeable possibility of victory or the objectives are
> > unclearly defined, and at the same time no clear exit strategy has been
> > formulated in the absence of victory. The military campaign is likened to a
> > kind of swamp or marsh in which the warring nation is unable to remove
> > itself.
>
>There is an example for troubles, but my copy of TKW is on the way so
There's an example for the noun {Seng} "trouble":
tlhIngan quv DatIchDI' Seng yIghuH
When you insult a Klingon's honor, prepare for trouble. TKW
>I don't know if this refers to the same situation:
>
> bIQongtaHvIS nItlhejchugh targhmey bIvemDI' nItlhej ghIlab ghewmey.
> "If you sleep with targs, you'll wake up with glob flies." [TKW]
Here's Okrand's comment on this proverb:
"The tiny Klingon glob flies typically swarm about targs, undoubtedly
making them that much more appealing? The result is waking up with,
perhaps being taken over by, glob flies, or insignificant thoughts."
(TKW 173)
>So how about
>
> naDev mutlhej ghIlab ghewmey.
> "I'm with glob flies here."
I'm not sure glob flies are the image you want here:
"A glob fly is a tiny Klingon insect that makes a loud buzzing sound,
but has no stinger." (TKW 171)
ghIlab ghewmey tIbuSQo'
Pay no heed to glob flies.
(i.e. "Don't pay attention to insignificant things.") TKW
ram; ghIlab ghew rur
trivial as a glob fly (KGT)
But if you like the proverb, it's better to just quote it in full. I
imagine Klingons, coming from a very tradition-oriented society, do this
quite frequently.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons