tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 20 23:38:46 2002

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Re: Hol pIq (was RE: QeD De'wI' ngermey)



On Thu, 21 Nov 2002, Nick Nicholas wrote:
> Grr. This was a cultural translation, not a literal one, and I made
> the judgement call that, in the scene where Hamlet flippantly says
> "and I'll go pray", it would be culturally appropriate to put in
> "I'll go do callisthenics" instead. Hamlet is merely saying the male
> Renaissance equivalent of "I'll go powder my nose". That he actually
> go pray or whatever is not the point of what he's saying; and prayer
> as an activity people casually wander off and do is something that
> doesn't even culturally translate into 20th century English, let
> alone 23rd century Klingon.

Ah, I guess I hadn't sussed the sarcastic tone that was intended in that
scene...  Ne'ermind, then.  :)

> scream out first century Palestine. In fact I deliberately made
> people lie down to eat rather than sit down, for that very reason ---
> something bible translators tend not to bother doing. This was one of
> the disagreements I had with Proechel.)

What source were you working off, anyway?  I wish I was better versed in
Latin and Hebrew that I might be better able to compare the various
translations that have occurred through the centuries...

> judge. But Paul, you cannot passing judgement on Khamlet (let alone
> on how well it reflects on the state of Klingon), until you've
> actually read the Klingon text, and not just the endnotes. Khamlet,
> *as a self-standing piece of Klingon writing* (for that is the
> conceit) cannot be judged on the basis of its proclaimed
> discrepancies from the English text.

I never passed judgment on Hamlet, or if I did, I said it was an amazing
feat.  My point there was that I thought it odd that such a great work
would not qualify for perhaps that one single word Okrand could've
provided -- but then, I was missing the fact that it wasn't because there
was no good word for the action, but rather a conscious effort was being
made to make the story "more Klingon".  I love my copy of the Klingon
Hamlet, dancing and all!  :)

Maybe I should try to translate the Three Musketeers...  Good fights, lots
of honor, a fallen house, swordplay, available via Project Gutenberg.  :)

...Paul

 **        Have a question that reality just can't answer?        **
  ** Visit Project Galactic Guide http://www.galactic-guide.com/ **
            "Do, or do not.  There is no 'try'." -- Yoda



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