tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jan 06 21:55:57 2000
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language vs. culture (was Re: Teaching Klingon)
ja' "Michael Kaplan" <[email protected]>:
>Anyway, back to my point.... is there anyone who wonders about what impact
>it has on the efforts to translate items to use a technique that is so
>clearly and obviously foreign to the very (admittedly fictional) culture
>into which the translation is being done?
I don't quite understand your concern. There are things that are easily
expressed in the Klingon language, and there are things that are not. The
(fictional) culture can be assumed to have influenced the structure of the
language, but it's the (real) language that imposes the constraints on what
can be expressed well.
>In other words, does anyone worry about not being able to separate the very
>un-Klingon process from the Klingon language?
Not me. I'm using a language, not immersing myself in a culture. I do
try to make appropriate use of idiom, including Star Trek references when
they help to get my point across. But I'm not doing it in order to enjoy
a fictional culture. I'm doing it in order to enjoy the company of many
people who speak the language.
-- ghunchu'wI' 'utlh