tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Aug 02 18:58:33 1999
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RE: KLBC : translating posts
: jatlh trIQjoH:
:> Since returning home from qep'a' I've been translating (sometimes
:> deciphering is more fitting a term) posts from the more versed
:> members of the group. Especially BG posts.
:> [snip]
:> I just don't understand what yer tryin' to say,no matter how
:> I juggle the words.(after first going SVO)
:
: Some of the posts by the more advanced speakers can be tough to translate.
: With some practice, you will be able to read the simpler posts more easily,
: and you will be able to start reading the longer, more complex posts as
: well.
When I started, I got some good advice on reading those advanced posts
which I'll pass along: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Pick just
one, or at most two, all-Klingon threads to translate at a time. Don't
worry about not being able to read everything on the list. If you try to
translate everything, you'll only be overwhelmed and get discouraged.
Try to find a new thread, so you can follow it from the beginning. As
people respond, they'll quote excerpts of prior posts--which you have
already laboriously translated--back at each other. Re-reading these
excerpts will reinforce the grammar and vocabulary, plus they'll be easier
to understand the second, third or fourth time you see them which helps to
build your confidence. This also makes the new comments easier to
understand in context. If there is some grammar or vocabulary item you
just can't figure out on your own, ask the BG in a *separate* KLBC thread,
or even off-list if you're shy. (BTW, don't use the same subject line as
the main thread, as this will only confuse people.) When the thread
expires, or you loose interest, pick another new thread to follow. One a
week is a good pace to start out with and is about as long as most threads
last anyway.
It will be slow going at first, looking all those words and affixes up in
TKD and KGT, but it does get easier with practice. In time you may even be
inspired to contribute your own observations to the thread you're
following. If writing in Klingon at this point is still intimidating,
don't worry. Most people won't object if you insert an occasional English
comment into an all-Klingon thread, provided that (1) it's on topic and (2)
it's clear you do, in fact, understand what people are saying in Klingon.
(You may have noticed that I'll often answer a Klingon comment in English,
particularly if someone just has a vocabulary or canon question. Some days
it's just easier.)
:> lu'oy' mInmoQDu'wIj!
:
: Very close. If your eyes were doing something to something else, like "my
: eyes see the table", then the <lu-> prefix would have been correct. Since
: your eyes are just being sore all by themselves, though, you need the no
: object prefix:
:
: 'oy' mInDu'wIj.
We have a related example in CK:
mu'aw' mInDu'wIj.
My eyes sting.
Notice the verb prefix. {'aw'} is transitive: they sting you.
: pagh
: Beginners' Grammarian
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons