Re: Translating vs. Thinking

[Alan Anderson <aranders@netusa1.net>]

ja' "Sangqar (Sean Healy)" <sangqar@hotmail.com>:
>maj.  I think I have a narrower definition of 'thinking in the language'
>than you or Qov.  For example, for French, Finnish, and Portuguese, I've
>lived with native speakers, and I find that when I'm speaking one of those
>languages with another fluent speaker, I switch into thinking in that
>language, to the point where my brain will actually translate English into
>the other language.  I've actually had experiences where someone will tell a
>joke in English when I'm in that mode, and I won't get it because it's based
>on a pun that doesn't translate, and I'll have to switch back to English
>mode and mentally repeat the joke to myself in order to figure it out.

For a couple of years, I had a bit of trouble at qep'a' because I couldn't
switch back and forth easily between Klingon and English.  If I got my
brain into "Klingon language mode" fully enough to carry on extended
conversations, I couldn't comfortably translate things into English for my
wife...and that wasn't good.

The next level of challenge after conversational fluency is the ability to
do real-time translation.  After seeing in Las Vegas that it was possible
(thanks, Qov!), several of us have occasionally acted as informal
interpreters during storytelling sessions.

>I'm nowhere near that point in Klingon, although I have reached the point
>where, if I'm reading Klingon, I will formulate responses in Klingon in my
>head, whereas I used to formulate responses internally in English and then
>have to translate them into Klingon.

maj.  qaq ghu'vetlh.  bIQubmeH Hol Dalo'chu'...bIlaDtaHvIS.  tugh laH rap
Dachav bIQoy'qu'DI', qar'a'?

-- ghunchu'wI'