------------------------------------------------------------ Klingon translation of the Star Wreck feature film trailer ------------------------------------------------------------ The structure of this document is as follows: #. English text Klingon translation Back translation >> Comments (when necessary) UPDATE: I have corrected an error in entry 48, where I had confused word classes. It was not some kind of neologism, new grammatical feature or invention -- just an ordinary mistake. UPDATE 2: I modified certain lines to comply with the translation of the movie, plus some general improvements and corrections. All lines from the trailer have been numbered; lines spoken by characters are marked by quotes, text with an asterisk and voiceovers are "clean". Underscores are used to mark words in the back translation which require further explanation. Everything in the Klingon texts should appear exactly as-is (case matters and ' is a consonant). All names are transliterated, according to established patterns, to fit into the Klingon phonological system. This includes names which carry a clear meaning in English and could readily be translated into Klingon, because they are derived from English words in the first place; for example, the funniness of "Fukov" would be equally lost to a non-English-speaking Terran and a non-English-speaking Klingon. Acronyms used: § FA = Function/Appearance Denotes a pun or joke where the fun comes from approximating the function and/or appearance of something in a silly manner § WS = Word Structure Denotes a pun where the fun comes from playing around with the shape of the word to produce something which sounds similar to the original, but carries a quite different meaning § FF = Finnish Friend A person which helps me out concerning things that one needs to be Finnish in order to fully appreciate (this is vital to produce an accurate translation) Qapla'! // Lance R. Casey (naQjej) -------------------------- 1. *44 BC loSmaH loS DIS qaSpu'pa' DIS pagh 44 years before year zero occurred >> Christ isn't exactly a central character in Klingon culture, so an extensive sentence like this is required to convey the full meaning. 2. Throughout history have great men sought world domination. qaStaHvIS qun naQ qo' lughatlh loD'a' 'e' lunID. During all of history, great men have attempted to dominate the world. 3. Every one of them has failed. lujpu' chaH Hoch. All of them have failed. >> Note that the word order is reversed in Klingon, so when the sentence is broken up as per the trailer, the verb appears before the subject. 4. Until... 'ach ghIq But then... 5. "Emperor Pirk is here!" pawta' pIrq ta'! Emperor Pirk has arrived! >> There is a distinction here in Klingon which is not carried through into English, namely that "has arrived" is to be construed in the sense that Pirk set out with the intention of arriving and has now achieved that goal -- it's not just a simple perfective (those take the ending {-pu'} instead of {-ta'}). I felt this qualification was warranted in this scene. 6. *One man can change the course of history qun He choHlaH wa' loD One man can change the course of history 7. "We will make this world a better place!" qo'vam wIQaQchoHmoH! We will cause this world to start being good! >> This looks like quite an awkward translation, and indeed it is -- but FROM Klingon, rather than TO it; it would sound quite natural to a Klingon and the English translation I present here is meant to convey all the information that said Klingon would gain from said sentence. 8. "Your proposal is in direct violation of the First Directive!" chutHom wa'DIch'e' wemchu' nab Dachupbogh! The plan which you propose clearly violates the First _Directive_! >> The word I have used for "directive" here is {chut} = "law" which the diminutive suffix {-Hom} applied; the resulting construction would convey something along the lines of "weak(er) law", "not quite a law", "regulation", etc. 9. "We'll ensure the founding of the P-Fleet, by any means necessary!" pIy DIvI' cherlu'bej 'e' wIqaSmeH Hoch nab 'ut DIlo'! We will use all necessary plans in order to make sure that the P league is established! >> There seems to be some precedent regarding the transliteration of initials -– Kirk's "T." has been given as {tIy}, so I have adopted that usage. Also, the Finnish term used is not "P-fleet", but "P-league" (/union/federation/association). 10. Future technology brings the establishment to its knees... loH'a' tormoH pIq cham Future technology causes the great administration to kneel... >> "great administration" here is modelled in the opposite manner as {chutHom} above: the {-'a'} suffix is (conceptually) augmentative, indicating that the noun is more important, more powerful etc. than without it (i.e. not "great" merely referring to physical size). A good example of its usage is {toy'wI'} = "servant" vs. {toy'wI''a'} = "slave". 11. ...and a new world order is instituted. 'ej qo' ghu''a' chu' cherlu'. ...and a new _state of being_ of the world is established. >> This is a tricky one. The word "order" in this context would mean, roughly, "a state of being, and the rules thereof, established by some kind of authority", but that's hardly something you want to see in its full Klingon rendering. Obviously there is no direct counterpart in the 1-2 word category, so I had to improvise: {ghu'} means "situation" and is augmented like above. This term unfortunately does not retain the notion of this "state of being" (my own free translation) having been put in place, but on the other hand, this is in fact independently conveyed by the verb having "order" as object. So, call it an acceptable compromise. 12. "Tactical is still missing a chair!" quS HutlhtaH ya yaH! The duty station of the tactical officer is still without a chair! 13. "Power level at 96.3 percent." HutmaH jav vI' wej vatlhvI' 'oH HoS patlh'e'. Power level is 96.3 percent. 14. "Full twist, now!" 'aqroS ropHa'lob! DaH! Maximum _twist_ factor! Now! >> The change "warp" -> "twist" is obviously FA. Also, FF informed me that the Finnish word used sounds like an intentionally bad translation of "warp" in the first place (when confronted with several possible translations of a word, choose one which is silly under the relevant circumstances). I have tried to mimic these qualities as follows: > "warp factor" is {pIvlob}. > {pIv} is the descriptive verb "be healthy", but the element {pIv-} in the word above clearly does not carry this meaning. > {ropHa'} is a close relative of {pIv}, because {rop} means "be sick" and {-Ha'} is a verb suffix which reverses/inverts the meaning of the head word. Hence, {ropHa'} could be translated as "be un-sick". > Now, replace {pIv} in {pIvlob} with {ropHa'} and you've got a silly enough word which has been produced by intentional misinterpretation. 15. A bold expedition lies ahead... tugh qaS Hoq jaq A bold expedition soon occurs 16. "I assume we have arrived in a mirror dimension of our own world." qo'na'majvaD SIla' 'u'HeyDaq mapawpu' 'e' vIHar. I believe we have arrived in a seeming mirror universe for our specific world. >> My use of the word "specific" here should not be overly analyzed. It is a translation of the qualificative noun suffix {-na'}, used here to retain the emphasis placed upon "world" by the word "own". I should also note that {SIla'} = "mirror" is a word that does not appear in all sources, but comes directly from Marc Okrand, the creator of the Klingon language. 17. *A fateful encounter plunges two worlds into war San ghompu'ghachmo' pay' ghobchoH cha' qo' Due to an encounter of fate two worlds suddenly start to wage war >> The {-pu'ghach} suffix pair signifies "a specific instance of", and is here applied to {ghom} "encounter". 18. "This is captain Sherrypie of the Babel 13." babel wa'maH wejDaq SerIpay HoD jIH. I am captain Sherrypie on the Babel 13. 19. "This is Emperor Pirk, Supreme Commander of the P-Fleet." pIrq ta' pIy DIvI' la'quv jIH. I am Emperor Pirk, Supreme Commander of the P league. 20. "Why don't you bring your crew over for some shore leave?" leSpoH HevmeH beqlI' naDev Daqem 'e' vIchup. I suggest that you bring your crew here in order for them to receive some shore leave. >> The word "some" is inserted in the translation to make the sentence flow more naturally in English, but it has no counterpart in the Klingon rendering. 21. But the Emperor has something else in mind... 'ach latlh Hech ta' But the Emperor intends something else 22. "The ancient prophecies are coming true." teHchoHlI' leSSov tIQ. The ancient foresight is in the process of becoming true. >> "in the process of" is used here to convey the distinction made in the Klingon sentence that the action is proceeding towards a known goal, rather than merely being an ongoing occurrence without further qualification. 23. "A great darkness will come..." HurghchoH Hoch Everything gets dark... 24. "...and we're all going to die." 'ej maHegh maH Hoch. ...and all of us die. 25. When the time for talks is over... juSpu'DI' SutlhmeH poH When the time for negotiating has passed 26. "I sentence you to death for your crimes against humanity." Human SeghvaD HeSmeylIjmo' bIHeghmeH qaqIch. I condemn you to die due to your crimes to the human race. 27. It is time to warm up the twinkler banks weQDaH tujmoHmeH pawpu' poHna' The specific time for heating the _candle_ banks has arrived. >> Tough one. There is no Klingon verb meaning anything close to "twinkle". Also, the word for "phaser" is simply {pu'}, which is not connected to a verb at all. Obviously, the image drawn up by "twinkler" is something which emits light, but is weak and puny (FA, but with a touch of WS). Furthermore, FF could expect "tuikku" to refer to a small candle. So, all things considered, I have replaced {pu'} with {weQ}, which simply means "candle". For the use of "specific", refer to comment #16. 28. "Amigo class destroyers have reached optimal firing range." bachmeH chuq nIvqu' luSIchpu' 'amIgho Segh Qaw'wI'Duj. Amigo class destroyers have reached the best firing range. 29. "Weapons range attained!" nuH chuq chavta'! Weapons range achieved! >> This is Clipped Klingon, a variant form which drops certain grammatical features and retains just the core elements. It is typically used in a state of agitation and/or when the risk of misinterpretation is small when giving orders -- both apply to a battle situation. 30. "Any last words before we blast you to bits?" mu'mey Qav Dajatlh DaneH'a' reQaw'qu'pa'? Do you have any final words before we finish you off? 31. "Let's kick those bastards out of this galaxy!" qIbvamvo' taHqeqvetlh DIpupjaj! May we kick those 'taHqeq's from this galaxy! >> {taHqeq} is an insulting epithet. 32. "Fire!" baH! Fire! >> See comment #29. 33. "And I intend to fulfill my duty to Earth!" 'ej tera'vaD Qu'wIj vIrInmoH 'e' vIHech! And I intend to complete my duty for Earth! 34. *No mercy pagh pung No mercy 35. "Let's roast them!" meQjaj! May it burn! >> The Finnish line is singular, not plural. 36. "Pirk's cunning strikes again." Qapqa' pIrq 'ongwI'. Pirk the cunning one succeeds again. 37. "This is a perfect plan!" nab pup 'oH nabvam'e'! This plan is a perfect plan! 38. "Fukov!" vaq'ov! Fukov! 39. "God damnit!" ghuy'cha'! DAMN! >> An expletive which is far worse than a simple "darn!". 40. "A perfect plan, indeed!" pupbej nab! The plan is definitely perfect! 41. "Info, condensate, do something!" 'Invo, ngaQmoH, vang! Info, _fasten_, act! >> This I view as a WS; the Finnish word used ("kompressoi" = "compress") sounds similar to "kompensoi" = "compensate", but does not translate directly to "condensate" (which is a noun or adjective) -- agreement in structure seems to me to be of more importance than agreement in meaning. Hence I have chosen {ngaQmoH} = "fasten" to take the place of {ngaDmoH} = "stabilize" (~="compensate"). 42. *No retreat HeDlaH pagh No one can retreat 43. The playground of space is too small for two. cha'vaD tlhoy mach logh QujmeH pa' The playground of space is overly small for two. >> Not surprisingly, there is no such thing (at least as far as we know) as a "sandbox" in Klingon culture, so {QujmeH pa'} just means "enclosed area for playing" (="playground" generally). 44. "We will fight till the last!" wej qaSchugh QavwI', maSuvtaH! If that-which-is-final does not yet occur, we continue to fight! >> Modelled after the Klingon proverb {wej Heghchugh vay', SuvtaH SuvwI'} which is said to mean "A warrior fights to the death" (lit. "If someone is not dead yet, a warrior continues to fight"). 45. "Have some light balls." moQ boch tISop Eat shiny spheres. >> From Finnish. 46. "Fire!" yIbach! Fire! 47. "Jonny, you need to relax a bit." yonI' loQ bIleSnIS _Yonny_, you need to relax a bit. >> 'J' in Finnish is not an affricate. 48. Prepare yourself for a momentous fragfest! HarghtaHghach potlh yIghuH! Prepare for significant major battling! >> "fragfest" is of course as such untranslatable, but the base meaning (of the Finnish word too, FF agrees) of "big-ass fightin'!" is retained in the gerund {HarghtaHghach}. Being a warrior culture, Klingons are bound to have many words for "do battle" -- {Hargh} referring to the largest and most ferocious kind. [49. *Star Wreck Hov Seng Star Trouble >> If this title is to be translated as well (I noticed that there are no plans to translate "In The Pirkinning"), I'd propose the above rendering. "Star Trek" is usually translated to {Hov leng} = "star voyage" when it is translated at all; {leng} -> {Seng} here being a distortion of a similar kind, both structurally and semantically, as "trek" -> "wreck".]