tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Dec 30 15:59:27 2002
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Re: KLBC Translation needed
> Hi there
Welcome to the list, Marc!
My name is Quvar, I am the current Beginners' Grammarian. My job here is
to help out newcomers and beginners in learning Klingon, which means the
people who
did it before me have decided you can trust me to evaluate your work.
Include the letters "KLBC" in the subject line of a message, it marks it
as a beginner level topic. This may be a question for me, or just
conversation with other
beginners in general.
> This is the first time I write to this list so please excuse my english,
> but my klingon is even worse.
You're here to learn klingon, and besides, your english is quite good! What
is your native language?
> I'm not sure if I have to introduce myself or if it's common to do it.
You don't have to, but of course we all want to know who you are ;-)
You could read the list's FAQ, it will answer many of your questions:
http://higbee.cots.net/~holtej/klingon/faq.htm
> So, my first question is this: Is it possible to translate the following
> sentence into klingon (it doesn't need to be translated literally, perhaps
> it's possible to give more than one possible translations):
Thats right, like any other language, klingon cannot always be translated
literally, and there are usually more than one possible translations.
> "To forgive and to forget means to be free"
>
> I know there is no "to be" in klingon.
Yes, there is no *verb* for "to be", but many klingon words include the idea
of to be in their translation: "be big" = {tIn}, "be free" = {tlhab}
> Maybe "Freedom means to forgive and
> to forget" is also possible?
Yes, but that's kind of the opposite...
If we cannot translate something literally, we try to say the sentence in a
different way. This is called "to recast". Don't just translate the words,
translate the "idea".
You could also say
"If you forgive and forget, then you are free."
"If you want to be free, you must forgive and forget."
"To aquire freedom, one must be able to forgive and forget."
and so on...
I hope I could help you with that.
Don't hesitate to ask more questions!
Quvar
Beginners' Grammarian
ghojwI'pu'wI' vISaH
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