tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 22 13:32:51 1994

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Re: Translating the word vampire



>Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 21:01:38 -0500
>Originator: [email protected]
>From: "R.B Franklin" <[email protected]>

>On Wed, 21 Dec 1994 [email protected] wrote:

>> Hello,
>> This is my first post here, so if I'm doing something, well, not
>> properly, then I'm sorry..

>The best way to learn is to attempt your own translation first rather 
>than asking someone to figure it out for you.

Yes, and better still is to translate a sentence or concept rather than try
to coin words.

>> Does anyone have asuggestion on how to translate the word "vampire" into
>> tlhIngan-Hol? I'm looking for something short, simple and catchy (sorry,
>> I'm a perefectionist.. :)

Let's consider a moment, before we actually try to translate.  You're
trying to translate a word for some particular specied (mythical) of
critter.  Those things don't translate too well.  What's the "real" English
word for the Klingon animal "targh"?  Could there be one?  Is a targh a
pig?  a rhino?  No1  It's a targh, and that's that.  the best we can do is
transliterate.  What's the "true" English word for orangutan?  There isn't
one; the word had to be borrowed and transliterated.

"Vampire" is even worse because it's a culturally loaded word.  It conjures
up a very specific image and what's more some very specific emotions.  Any
attempt to use any translation for it would have to be accompanied by some
serious footnotes so a Klingon reader could understand the things an
English reader is supposed to be thinking when the English word is used.

In short, it's a lousy word to try to translate.  Generally, trying to
translate "a specific word" is almost always a lousy plan to start with;
you attack that kind of thing *ONLY* after you have a handle on the
language.  Before that, either there's a simple answer (a word in the
dictionary that matches what you wanted) or there isn't, and then it
depends on the context... but since you're just looking for an isolated
word you don't have a context, now do you.  Understand: translation is
always context-dependent.  No context, who knows what you'll wind up with?

>Short and catchy?  Hmmm... How about:

>'Iw tlhutlhwI'		blood drinker

Always fun, and a nice palindrome.  But does the concept of drinking blood
have the same meaning to a Klingon as it does to a human?  If not, does
your context require that implication?  If so, you need to make that clear
somehow.

>Heghbe'bogh lom		undead corpse

This one's actually probably one of the most interesting ones, since no
matter how you slice it this is a weird concept... which is what you
probably want.  It's not specific to vampire; could be a zombie... But the
idea of "corpse that isn't dead" is certainly more likely, by its
contradictory meaning, to indicate something outside of nature.

>Heghbe'wI'		the undead

As easily "that which is not dead", or "the living".  By which token it's
nothing really exciting.  I suppose you could try "HeghHa'wI'", which might
have some weird meanings...  Something which is imperfectly dead (didn't do
the death thing right)... maybe somethign which is very, very much
alive... Strange stuff.

>yInqa'bogh lom		the corpse which lives again

Interesting... Pretty hard to misinterpret, though it could be any number
of Undead.

>yInqa'wI'		the reanimated

More or less...  Still not very informative, and likely to confuse the
pants off an uninformed Klingon.  Have the Terrans made some huge progress
in bringing dead people back to life?

>mong chopwI'		neck biter

Not much to say about this.

>yInwI' wambogh HeghwI'  the dead that hunts the living

Absent a flag like "-'e'" it could also be living folks who hunt the dead.
Somewhat less exciting of a concept, and a pretty boring sport.  Only
humans would hunt dead things...

~mark


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