tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Feb 28 11:15:18 2001

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Re: Translation of songs into Klingon?

Arne 'Timwi' Heizmann 

> Have any of you guys ever tried to translate a song into Klingon? I mean
> a popular song which is not originally related to Klingon. And by
> translation I don't just mean translating the sentences so they reflect
> the same meaning; what I mean by a translation of a song is a new set of
> lyrics to the song in this language, which still fits the melody and
> rhyme scheme but still follows the original lyrics in their overall
> sense. (Does this make sense to you?)

Translating songs into Klingon is quite a common pursuit.  It is,
unfortunately, the first thing a lot of bgeginners attempt.  The results
are disasterous, as someone who has not yet grasped the syntax of Klingon
has no hope of fitting it into the meter of a song.  Often the translation
betrays the fact that the beginner doesn't fully understand the meaning of
the sng in the original language.

That caution aside, there are a number of songs in Klingon, enough that we
shuold have a songbook.  Some, such as taHjaj wo' are completely original
lyrics and melody.  The song sung in Klingon on the Star Trek TV series was
originally written in Klingon and then translated by Marc Okrand -- you've
seen the lyrics to that in the FAQ.  I can think of a Klingon children's
counting song, based on an idea that most languages have.  I don't know if
the tune is original or taken from another counting song.  I once dreamed
the first couple lines of Eidleweiss in Klingon, then woke up and
translated the rest while awake.  At qep'a' you need only mention a song,
and you'll have a spontaneous tranaslation, with instrumental
accompaniment.  We've sung Kumbaya on television (the TV crew was filming
at qep'a' and one of the crew thought he was wisecracking when he suggested
Kumbaya -- we simply started singing it).

One of my favourits is:

targh ghajbogh wIjwI' tu'lu'
bIngo' 'oH pongDaj'e'
b-I-ng-o-'
b-I-ng-o-'
b-I-ng-o-'
'ej bIngo' 'oH pongDaj'e'

You repeat the verse, replacing one more letter of the spelled name with a
clap, with each repitition.  It gets pretty funny when everyone is doing:

<clap> <clap> <clap> <clap> "'"

Is that what you mean?

As for your Royal Eagle, how about ta' toQ  -- "Emperor's Eagle" or
"Imperial Eagle" -- assuming toQ is comes out as Eagle.  Who knows, maybe a
Klingon would call it an 'aqa or an 'agh in imitaion of its cries.  

Qov

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