tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sat Feb 19 11:25:20 2000
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Re: RE: KLBC -- How would you translate this?
- From: "William H. Martin" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: RE: KLBC -- How would you translate this?
- Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 14:32:16 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
- Priority: NORMAL
On Sat, 19 Feb 2000 09:26:45 -0800 (PST) B K
<[email protected]> wrote:
> jatlh pagh:
> >> I read this as "Give me a warship; I intend to
> enter the path of danger", or something similar, but
> with a few grammatical problems. ... Overall a nice
> first attempt. Keep trying, and let me know if I
> didn't quite figure out what you meant. <<
>
> Actually, you're rather close; I'm not surprised that
> there were "a few grammatical problems" <g>.
>
> I was quoting John Paul Jones (attempting to, anyway):
> "Give me a fast ship, for I intend to go in Harm's
> way"
>
> I'd considered adding "Duj nom HInob", but "nom" is an
> adverb, and I didn't know how to create the verb "be
> fast" from it. So I went with "great ship" instead,
> seeking more to capture the flavor rather than the
> literal meaning. After all, Admiral Jones needed more
> than speed <g>.
Just to offer another casting:
Qobbejmo' HewIj, nom ghoSlaHbogh Duj HInob.
The English that you are translating is very stylized by
today's standards, so you have to work all the harder to
get back to the ideas behind the text before you can
translate it.
I personally (and perhaps singularly) tend to promote
choosing word order that provides context first before
presenting ambiguous material. In this case {nom
ghoSlaHbogh Duch HInob} is ambiguous because it can mean
"Give me a ship that can travel quickly along a path" or it
can mean "Quickly give me a ship that can go." If you
explain first that your path is dangerous, then the need
for a speedy ship makes more sense to be the preferred
meaning.
Also, while you can't talk about a fast ship, you can talk
about a ship that moves quickly. You don't have to abandon
the concept of speed.
Another, perhaps more controversial option is:
Qobqu'mo' HewIj, Do''a' Duj HInob.
"Because my path is DANGEROUS, give me a ship of great
speed." I absolutely cannot predict whether others will
like this or hate it.
> "Qob He 'el" was my attempt at the infinitive verb
> phrase "to go in Harm's way"; "the path of danger" was
> the closest I could get given the vocabulary in TKD.
>
> I was thinking in English and transliterating, wasn't
> I <g>.
>
> One thing strikes me about your suggestion "Qob He
> vI'el 'e' vIHech". Given the concept being expressed,
> isn't "'e' vIHech" a bit redundant? Or is that
> something that is added for emphasis?
It makes sense to me, though I think it is much more to the
point to say {Qob HewIj}. If it is my path, then obviously
it is the place I intend to go. And it is not really
danger's path. It is my path. If it were danger's path,
that would say nothing of my intent to travel it, so if you
are committed to referring to it as danger's path, I do
believe that the {'e' vIHech} is recommended.
Another option I'm not wild about, but might work:
rap HewIj Qob He je.
As an aside, I wonder of Okrand thinks that all rap music
sounds the same?
charghwI' 'utlh
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