tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 28 07:25:23 2007
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Re: Dilbert Comic in Klingon for August 20, 2007
po'mIn:
> pIn: {'alIS, boplIj law' Hoch 'ay' bop puS, 'ach pegh De'vetlh.}
> Boss: "Alice, you have the highest salary in the department, but
> don't tell anyone what it is."
QeS:
>Also, ter'eS has already corrected the spelling, but even with that
>correction I wouldn't say that {pop} "reward" is particularly appropriate;
>to me it sounds more like a one-off bonus awarded for exceptional work,
>rather than a regular payment for services rendered. Other opinions may
>differ, and that's just my take on it.
FYI: {pop} "reward" (n.):
jonlu'meH wo'maj pop tIn law' Hoch tIn puS
Our Empire's highest bounty has been placed on his head. (ST5 notes)
pop 'oH ghob'e'
Virtue is the reward. (TKW 47)
The Klingon word {pop} ("reward") could refer to compensation or a prize
of some sort, but it also means "honor" in the sense of recognition for a
particular achievement or set of achievements. This proverb does not mean
"Virtue is honor." The use of the word {pop} suggests that virtue is the
honor bestowed as a result of acting in a manner respectful of society's
values, not simply advocating them. (TKW 47)
[Maltz] did add, however, that neither {quv} nor {batlh} was the same as
{pop}, usually translated "reward" but sometimes translated "honor" in the
sense of "token of esteem", that is, formal recognition of an accomplishment
or accomplishments." (HQ 12.3:9)
Cf. also {van} "salute, tribute", {van'a'} "award" and {tev} "prize".
>With that said, "your salary is the highest in the department" may be better
>recast to something along the lines of {malja' 'ay'Daq Huch qaDIltaHbogh tIn
>law' Hoch tIn puS} "the money that I continuously pay you is the highest in
>the department",
Using {-taH} in *{Huch qaDIltaHbogh} "money that I continuously pay (keep
paying) you" makes it sound like an annuity of some kind or even an
open-ended blackmail payment! How about just *{vummeH Huch} "money (for
the purpose of) working"?
> with the relative clause {Huch qaDIltaHbogh} "money that I
>keep paying you" standing in for the English "salary". I'm not happy with
>using {tIn} for describing the quantity of one's salary - clearly {law'}
>would be better - but I'm thinking it would sound too repetitive even to
>Klingon ears. {Huch qaDIlbogh law' law' Hoch law' puS}?? Grammatical, but a
>little odd to my ear. Or you could do as KGT describes (I forget the exact
>reference), using a different pair of antonyms as replacements for the {law'
>- puS}. I'd suggest {tIn - mach} "big - small".
Okrand used {tIn} as the quality with {pop} in the example cited above:
jonlu'meH wo'maj pop tIn law' Hoch tIn puS
Our Empire's highest bounty has been placed on his head. (ST5 notes)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons