tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Dec 21 09:01:20 2000

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re: VOCAB question: to be busy, to retire

> Hi,

> I need help with two concepts.  How would I say "to be 
> busy" and "to retire"?

I could really use more context to better understand what 
you mean. Being busy can mean so many things:

"I'm busy."
Qu'wIjmo' jIghIQlaHbe'.
Qu'wIj vIta'nISmo' SoHvaD poHwIj vInatlhqangbe'.
jIQujtaH. yIloj!
yIqay'Qo'. 
DaH jIvumnIS.
qay'wI'HomlIj vISaHbe'. yIngab.
butlhwIj potlh law' Qu'qoqlIj potlh puS.
SaHwI' vIrur'a'?
choDuQHa'. 
[Definitely not to be confused with: {choDuQ. Ha'!}
jIbwIj vISay'moHnIS.
bIrchoH SuvwI' 'Iw.

"I'm retired."
Hoch ra'wI'wI'pu' vIHoHta' 'ej jIDevqangbe'. jItlhab.
I don't know of any other Klingon retirement plans.

The main point here is, don't translate a phrase. Say what 
you mean. There is a difference. When you say "I'm busy," 
without any context, there is a HUGE variety of ideas you 
may be expressing. Most likely, you have a specific context 
in mind, so in your mind, you have decided a lot about 
exactly what you mean by "I'm busy." It is better to start 
translating from that specific meaning rather than 
translate from the more generic phrase.

> For "I'm busy", I think something like {Qu' vIvumlI'} 
> might work. Any other ideas?

If that's what you mean, then it works fine.

> Also, how would I say "to retire"?  I'm using {batlh bup} 
> "to quit honorably", and {'utlh moj} "to become an 
> officer emeritus" (someone who served the Klingon Defense 
> Force and lived to retire). 

I prefer to think of it as the way I stated it above. There 
is no age at which a Klingon retires. He fights until he 
either dies or proves he can lead and then leads (and 
likely continues to fight) until he dies or chooses to no 
longer lead or fight. Then he is retired, unless he still 
has a commander above him, in which case, he needs to 
succeed that commander before he can retire. That implies 
that said commander needs to either retire or die or 
perhaps simply grant him his freedom out of respect for the 
work the would-be retiree has done for the Empire (and out 
his commander's interest in neither dying nor retiring).

> The context I'm using it in is that of a 
> warrior who has won many battles, and is now giving away 
> his sword so he can devote the rest of his life to 
> contemplation and to declare his love for a woman whom, 
> due to honour, he cannot have while he is a warrior.  

Obviously, you are discussing someone with interest in an 
inter-species romantic relationship, since Klingon men are 
hard pressed to find Klingon women who would accept them if 
they weren't warriors. Why do you think those Klingon 
recruitment drives are so successful? Do you really think 
that honor alone could explain the near-unanimous signups 
for males of all ages? Heck. Most of the FEMALES are in the 
military. Who's left to date if you don't wear a betleH?

I suggest to you that at least half of the wars that 
Klingons have ever fought were started by some guy trying 
to impress his parmaqqay. Hang up his sword for honor? 

There's a difference between the way Klingons use language 
and the way humans use language. Klingons never referred to 
a weapon as a "peacemaker". They don't hang up their swords 
for honor or for women. They TAKE UP their swords for honor 
and for women. They put down their swords when they are 
weary with proving themselves for honor and for women; when 
they have become wise enough to know how shallow these 
victories can be; when they know that victory is so sure as 
to be hollow and that there are other valuable 
relationships besides dominance; when they recognize that 
might is sometimes wrong and it is sometimes a greater 
proof of strength to walk away from conflict than to defeat 
one who does not otherwise need to be an enemy.

Oops. mura'qa'pu' vuDwIj. jItlhIj.

> --
> De'vID

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