tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jul 27 10:27:57 1994

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Re: sayings, and Klingon Translation Ideology




> > 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'

[ deletia...]

> 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.

I followed you up to here.  Worf is a pretty poor model for tlhIngan 
Hol, and pretty much Klingon things in general.  He was raised by 
humans, and although he speaks Klingon (well, he claims to), he's also 
more fluent in English, having lived among feds all his life.
(Ensign expendable: "qqlkjzid."  Worf: "You speak Klingon!")

As for working with idioms, in order for your argument to hold, you 
have to know what the original idiom was, information we are not privy 
to, unless you know Maltz.

--Holtej



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