[2441] in tlhIngan-Hol
A translation question
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Jan 3 16:11:47 1994
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
From: "trI'Qal" <DOBELBOWER@opus.mco.edu>
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.East.Sun.COM>
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 1994 16:03:03 -0400 (EDT)
X-Vms-To: IN"tlhIngan-Hol@klingon.east.sun.com"
nuqneH Hoch.
Yes, I am aware that I owe several people some postings (I have not
forgotten, Mr. Nickolas!), but this recently came up between a friend of mine
and myself. He was trying to translate "It is GOOD to be a Klingon!", and
offered it as: tlhIngan maj 'oHtaH. This seemed wrong to me, because I
thought <maj> could not be used this way. I offered an alternative
translation of tlhIngan Segh QaQ law' Hoch Segh QaQ puS, but he was
unsatisifed with this, saying that it did not capture the idea of just good to
*be* a Klingon, rather than my offering that Klingons were a superior race in
general. A rather... interesting... debate followed between myself, my
friend, and one of our pabpo' on whether or not the offered sentence was
acceptible for the translation rendered. Anyone here want to shed some more
light on this? The main questions were:
Can an exclamation (maj) be used in a sentence this way?
Can 'oHtaH be used to mean "it is" in this sense? (The pabpo' invloved
gave a very emphatic "no" to this question.)
QubghachlIjmo' Satlho'.
--HoD trI'Qal
tlhwD lIy So'
