tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 27 05:56:55 1994
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Re: sayings, and Klingon Translation Ideology
- From: "SuvwI' Ka' Rul" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: sayings, and Klingon Translation Ideology
- Date: Wed, 27 Jul 1994 17:48:43 -0400 (EDT)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
> this case, "it" really means "today", so using "it" is rather
> idomatic to English and we are not sure it works in Klingon.
> jIHeghmeH QaQ DaHjaj.
> "For the purpose that I die, today is good."
>
> charghwI'
Sorry, man, I gotta use my first post to disagree. Here's why.
It seems to me that the concention is to back off from a decisive
translation, based on the concept that Klingon culture could convey such
a message or saying in an infinite number of ways, and we have no way to
guess.
Well, here's my postulation to solve part of the problem. When a Klingon
translates a phrase and uses it in Fed Standard, he or she's not likely
to bend it to fit Feddies' ears..."we're" gonna say it just as it was
originally formed, as close to the original Klingon idiom (the Idiom
problem can work for us as well as against {{:>). So when Worf says "It
is a good day to die", I think we can assume the original Klingon is
pretty close to that.
Besides, it would be a better phrase if "today" was the real subject,
rather than another day, or merely the time frame of the deed of dying.
I think that's the essential gist of the idiom, that now's as good a time
as any, so fear me, baby {{:)
am I making any sense?