tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jul 05 23:25:11 1994
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KLBC: Re: Translation help
- From: d'Armond Speers <[email protected]>
- Subject: KLBC: Re: Translation help
- Date: Wed, 06 Jul 1994 11:21:26 -0400 (EDT)
****KLBC****
>From: [email protected]
>Subject: Translation help
>
>Hello. This is my first post here. So hi everyone.
naDev bIpawmo' juquv
>Would the sentence, "Set course for sector 001", be translated as:
>HevaD yIcher mIch pagh pagh wa'
This comes out, *"For the course, sector 001 you set." Doesn't
make much sense in English, because you have two subjects: the
sector, and you.
>mIch pagh pagh wa' yIcher HevaD
*"Set sector 001 for the course." Again, not quite what you want,
I think. You might have to recast to get the appropriate
meaning here. How about:
mIch pagh pagh wa' yIghoS
>Also I saw the translation of 'Bohemion Rhapsody'. I decided to try
>and translate some songs.
>
>I decided to start with "I want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles.
>I have only done two and half verses (Not in order).
>Please tell me what you think. And don't spare ANY comments. I want to
>learn, and if it is wrong, I need to know. :)
>
>ghoplI' jIghas vIneH
I want to possess your hand? (I assume you meant {jIghaj}). Well,
in English, to have someone's hand is a marriage vow, but I don't
have a clue as to what that might mean in Klingon. How about
(and this is only a suggestion, of course!):
ghopmaj tay' vIneH
>OH, Hija' Dochmey qaja'
>yajjaj qaQub
Why {Dochmey} and not {vay'}? Meter?
Second line should be {bIyaj 'e' vIQub}. I took out the {-jaj},
because it would mean, "May you understand," not "you might...."
Although "may" has many meanings in English, {-jaj} has only
one interpretation in Klingon, that that's to express a wish
on the part of the speaker, as in a toast.
>Dochvetlh jIjatlhDI'
>ghoplI' ghaj vIneH
Last I checked, my hand was not sentient. {ghoplIj}.
You also need a prefix on "possess," {vIghaj}.
>Hija Dochvetlh bighaj
*"Yes that thing, you have"?? If you want {Dochvetlh} to be possessed
by the subject of the verb {bIghaj}, then you need a prefix with an
object: {Daghaj}.
>OH chojatlh bibel
{HIja'} might work here ("you tell me," not "yes"!). Or even
{HIvIt}. What you have means *"You are pleased, you say me." What?
Remember, this is Klingon you're translating into; the notion
"please" as we use it won't translate straightforwardly.
>chomajjaj loDli'
^
Should be {chomojjaj}? Anyway, let's start over with this line.
You have *"your man you may become me." Try {loDlI' vImoj 'e' Dachaw'}.
>'ej bibel chojatlh
This is more unweildy, but try: {HIja'chugh vaj jIbel}.
>choghajjaj ghoplI'
*"your hand may you have me."
And you want "you may let me hold your hand." Not addressing the
{ghaj} issue, this could be {ghoplIj vIghaj 'e' Dachaw'}. There's
probably a better way.
Now some general comments. A+ for effort! It takes a lot of
time and effort to translate into a foreign language, not to
mention an alien one. Your enthusiasm should be a model to other
newcomers. You need to take greater care with complex sentences.
Remember, single sentences in English are often recast into
two sentences in Klingon. And, be careful with prefixes, these
are really playing games with your sentence meanings.
Watch our for your orthography; a few {i}s and {h}s slipped in.
The most important thing, though, is that you have to think about
the language you're translating into. It's Klingon, the warrior's
tongue. Klingon's don't say "please," and I doubt they'd hold
hands! More generally, though, think about how a Klingon would
render your sentence, and then work on the translation.
By all means, keep up the good work!
>BRETT
>
>[email protected]
--Holtej, Beginner's Grammarian