tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Aug 06 10:02:25 1994
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Re: Translation, please?
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Translation, please?
- Date: Sat, 6 Aug 94 21:58:44 EDT
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>; from "Heidi Wessman" at Aug 5, 94 3:05 pm
According to Heidi Wessman:
>
> On alt.startrek.klingon, the Sweetie of Dr. Nancy wanted to know if he
> translated a phrase correctly, and poetically. What do you all think?
>
> --------------
> chuQun
>
> --Forwarded Article--
>
> In article <[email protected]> ghItlhpu' Dr. Nancy's Sweetie:
>
> : In _The Art of War_, by Sun Tzu, there is a phrase whose literal meaning
> : is "No money no move", and which translates to English as "Take no action
> : unless there is advantage to it."
>
> : In one sense, this is a conditional: "If there is no advantage, then do not
> : take the action". But it's phrased without use of conditional constructs,
> : in both languages. Following that pattern, one way to render it in Klingon
> : might be this:
>
> : DuDuvbe' Davangbe'
>
> : ("it/you-advance-not you/it-act-not")
I tend to wonder why it is of value to avoid the conditional,
since, in meaning, it is conditional. Still, if you so insist,
I would recommend at least three changes. If the first verb is
not conditional, then you have two complete and separate
sentences. Recognize it. Second, the second verb has no object,
and it is imperitive, so {yI-} is preferable to {Da-}. Third,
{-Qo'} does a better job of conveying refusal, rather than the
simple negation of {-be'}, and with an imperitive verb, it is
the ONLY acceptable negative. The result:
DuDuvbe'. yIvangQo'.
That's the least-change offer I make. As for how *I* would say
it, well:
wej yInlIj Dubchugh wanI' vaj yIvangQo'.
"If the situation does not yet improve your life, then don't act."
> : Darren F Provine / [email protected]
charghwI'