tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Aug 13 03:56:10 1994
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back-translation revisited
- From: [email protected] (EuGene epetai-Tramaglino)
- Subject: back-translation revisited
- Date: Sat, 13 Aug 1994 12:52:25 -0700
- Organization: House Tramaglino
Here's the fallout from that translation request...
---------
"William H. Martin" <[email protected]> said:
> tIqwIj luwav qo'mey law'
"Many worlds divide my heart." Well said, if that's what you were
trying to say.
Thank you. That is exactly what I was trying to say.
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"d'Armond Speers" <[email protected]> said:
> ... see if chaH ("y'all" :-)) can help me ...
Um, {tlhIH} is "you (plural)" and {chaH} is "they/them."
HIvqa' veqlargh! I read my margin note about "language capable", and
somehow confused language capable/incapable with singular/plural!
> tIqwIj luwav qo'mey law'
"Many worlds divide my heart."
---------
Having gotten the same translation from two reliable sources, and no
objections, I'll consider that part done.
Originally, I wanted to say simply "divided heart". That looks good (or
short, anyway) in English with the verb as adjective concept (a "gerund"
or "participle", I think, but I always forget), but is not so elegant in
Klingon. I'm re-reading TKD now, in preparation for a larger translation
project, but I'm sure I'm missing something. Is there something more
direct than the "someone/something divides a heart" construction for
"divided heart"? This gerund/participle/whatever-noun usage is common
enough that's it's frustrating when the Dictionary has "divide" and not
"divided, be divided".
To be honest, the Klingon I finished with is more expressive; the
translation forced me to enrich the very concept. The Hol version has
grown on me, and the quick sketch of the tattoo I'm designing looks
*great* with the glyphs! It seems that the limitations the Dictionary
gives us are exactly what make Klingon powerful. You *have* to describe
the picture in your head. All of the shortcuts in a language with more
bells and whistles often let you get away from the *picture*!
Geno
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