tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 25 14:22:32 1999
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Re: English to Klingon Translation Question
Donald Slaunwhite wrote:
: I'm trying to translate the name "4Runner" as in a Toyota 4Runner into
Klingon.
: From what I can tell the verb run is "qet" and with the suffix "-wI" to make
the noun "qetwl"
: for runner. The number 4 is "los" and so the whole word would be
"losqetwl".
Capitalization is important in Klingon: the number 4 is {loS}. The verb
suffix {-wI'} "one who does something" has a carefully enunciated
apostrophe at
the end. All together this becomes {loSqetwI'}.
: Does this sound right? What I'm wondering is that the number 4 is not really
meant in the
: counting sense and so I'm not sure if the "los" should precede or follow the
noun.
I agree that "4Runner" is probably a clever spelling for English "fore-runner"
(cf. Klingon {leSSov} "foresight"), which we can translate literally as
{'etDaq
qetwI'} "one who runs in the fore(ward part of a ship)" -- i.e. {'et} "fore"
vs. {'o'] "aft" in the nautical sense -- or even better as {tlhopDaq qetwI'}
"one who runs (in the area) in front" using the noun {tlhop} "area in front
of"
from Klingon for the Galactic Traveller. Another option might be to
substitute
{qetbogh loD} "a running man" for {qetwI'} as an allusion to the well-known
Klingon proverb:
qaStaHvIS wa' ram loS SaD Hugh SIjlaH qetbogh loD
4,000 throats may be cut in one night by a running man. (TKD)
... but since we're talking about a vehicle here, not a person, this doesn't
really work. Another Klingon saying about running is:
ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj
May your enemies run with fear!
Which is the ancient, traditional {no' Hol} acceptance upon being asked to
serve as someone's {cha'DIch} in a duel (TNG "Sins of the Father"). In
"modern" Klingon, this becomes:
jaghmeylI' DaghIjjaj, qetjaj jaghmeylI'
May you scare your enemies, may your enemies run. (TKW)
As all of these are somewhat clumsy as a name, I'd just stick with {4qetwI'}
using the Arabic numeral, which you could pronounce as {loSqetwI'} -- or even
{'etqetwI'} or {tlhopqetwI'} -- as a sort of bilingual pun. Come to think of
it, {4qetwI'} would make a clever licence plate for your Toyota.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons