tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Jan 15 15:10:13 1997

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RE: Quotable qoutes

January 14, 1997 10:43 PM, jatlh George Morton:

> I'm new at learning Klingon, so I thought that translating a few quotes I 
> found in my Latin II book would give me some practice.

Well, okay, but let me suggest that it might be easier and more fulfilling to 
try to say your *own* thoughts than a translation of something else . . .

If you want help from me, the Beginners' Grammarian, be sure to put "KLBC" in 
the subject header.  I tend to read all list messages, but recently I've been 
short on time, and will have to start prioritizing, so I'll work on KLBC 
messages first.

>  And, as an added 
> bonus, they are in:     1. English  !!!  
>                         2. Latin    !!!

Can't help you there.

>                         3. Klingon  !!!
> Wow! I'm sure you're all hanging on to the edges of your seats now! :)

quSwIj HeHDaq jIba'bej . . .

> Knowledge itself is power.
> Ipsa scientia potestas est.
> woQ 'oH Sov'e'

"Knowledge is political authority."  This is one interpretation of the saying 
(although I've never seen it with the "itself" thrown in).  However, I've also 
heard the saying used in reference to, say, scientific ability, and your 
Klingon sentence doesn't cover something like that.

An idea I rather like:

HoS 'oH Sov'e'
Knowledge is strength.

> Even one hair has a shadow.
> Etiam capillus unus habet umbram.
> QIb ghajtaH wa' jIB chev

Make sure you use a lower-case {b}.

{chev} doesn't mean "be seperate," as in "be a different thing."  It means 
"cause to be in two or more parts."  I don't think there's an easy way to say 
"even" in this sense, without more context.  Perhaps by adding {je} after the 
verb to mean "also."  {QIb ghajtaH je wa' jIb}, "One hair also has a shadow," 
although this may not mean what you want it to in some situations.

> Fools laugh at the Klingon and Latin languages!
> Rident stolidi verba <Klingon> et Latina!
> tlhingan je <Latin> Holmey Hagh qoHpu'

When joining two nouns, the conjunction must come *after* the last noun.  
{tlhIngan Hol "Latin" Hol je}.

But you don't "laugh the language."  This is ungrammatical.  You must add some 
supporting context.  Here's an example:

tlhIngan Hol "Latin" Hol jatlhmo' ghotpu', Hagh qoHpu'.
Fools laugh because people speak Klingon and Latin.

> The appearances of things are deceptive.
> Fallaces sunt rerum species.
> rut nItojtaH narghbogh teH Dochmey.

This is a bit difficult.  Let's see . . . {nargh} is appear, as in "appear 
right in front of me," not "seem like."  {teH}, being an adjectivally acting 
verb, must come after the noun it modifies.

Here's an idea for a complete reworking of this idea.

rut toj Dochmey Hur.
Sometimes the outside of things deceive.

I'm not sure if {Hur} is very good for this, but it should provide a 
springboard for finding a good word.

> What the gods want happens soon.
> Cito fit quod dii volunt.
> vay' luneHchugh _Snapu'_ qas 'oH.

What's "Snapu'"?

If you replace whatever that is with {tugh} "soon," you get a sentence which 
means what you want it to.

vay' luneHchugh "god"-pu', tugh qaS.

I took the last {'oH} off, because pronouns are optional, and it was obvious 
what we were talking about.

> Honor is not everything; it is the only thing.
> Gloria omnia non est; res sola est.
> Hoch oH'be' quv'e' ; neH Doch 'oH quv

{neH} always comes *after* the word it modifies.  And don't forget the {-'e'} 
on the second instance of {quv}!  Actually, you don't need this word.  You 
already know what the subject is.

Hoch 'oHbe' quv'e'; Doch neH 'oH.

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 97041.0

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