tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Nov 14 19:42:39 2000
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Re: Grammar Highlight Each Day: purpose clause
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Grammar Highlight Each Day: purpose clause
- Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 22:42:23 EST
In a message dated 11/14/2000 2:29:04 PM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< be' luqIpmeH puqpu', naQmey lo'.
: The child uses a stick to hit the woman. [sic!]
Literally: "In order for the children to hit the woman, they use sticks."
be' luqIpmeH naQmey lo' puqpu'.
The children use sticks to hit the woman.
>>
A comment: Translation to/from any language must always avoid "forced"
literal translations. Klingon is a language which often, very often,
requires re-casting instead of word-for-word translation in order to convey a
concept.
If I translate {be' luqIpmeH puqpu', naQmey lo' [chaH].} as "The children hit
the woman WITH sticks, we immediately observe that the word "with" is nowhere
in the Klingon rendition. Still, to translate the English concept "with,"
the Klingon sentence is perfect. We are getting the "feel" of Klingon,
instead of just translating English into Klingon.
peHruS