tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jul 30 08:54:37 1996

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qep'a' highlights (Hey let us in on it, guys)

Sayeth ghunchu'wI':

>While you're waiting, why don't you try translating the reports that were
posted in tlhIngan Hol?  
>If you're *really* interested, you should try to read everything you can! :-)
If you run into >difficulties, you can post the problem sentence and your
attempts to translate it, and I'll help you >work through it.
>
>But I won't translate for you.  Much of my enjoyment of tlhIngan Hol is (or
used to be...  :-/) in >reading things "directly" without translating the ideas
into english first.  I also believe I might be >doing a post's author a
disservice if I were to restate the ideas in english using my words.
>
>--ghunchu'wI'

Nor would I argue with you on your point of translating the posts that already
have appeared.  

I'm a graphic designer.  Being part of this field, I have to concentrate on
being a communicator.  I have to understand the audience to which a particular
design is intended for and then do my best to create one that's effective.  I
also have to know the intentions that my clients have for the designs I'm
creating. 

This works for this organization as well.  I'm not sure you have a full grasp of
your "audience" -- in this case, those interested in learning tlhIngan Hol.
You're assumption that we can all translate tlhIngan Hol successfully merely by
pouring over TKD and flipping pages to and fro may be misguided.  In this way,
communicating about such an important event as the qep'a' strictly in tlhIngan
Hol, though it makes sense on the surface, erects a wall that many KLIers --
and, perhaps more importantly, *potential* KLIers -- may not be able to climb
over (depending on their level of learning).  You have to ask yourself:  What is
the most effective way to communicate to my audience concerning this matter?
Speaking in tlhIngan Hol to those who most likely attended the event, or in
English for the benefit of those who didn't?

Also, you might want to review the mission statement of the KLI.  One of the
reasons it exists is to promote the Klingon language.  What better way to
promote tlhIngan Hol than to promote the qep'a'?  But you need to promote this
event (and, yes, telling of events after they've occured *is* considered
promotion) in a more universal form.  By conversing only in tlhIngan Hol, it
appears that you're selling to those who have already bought your product, when
you need to also include those who haven't.  You're trying to sell a subcription
to Wired to someone who already has one.  And through that you're excluding a
large portion of your intended audience.



Dave S.
HarwI'na'

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