Re: Translating from a conlang into a conlang

On Mon, 19 Apr 1999, Boudewijn Rempt wrote:

> Xipu! Manxuri penerar
> Sero t'erneno beryakari yashnar
> Yan t'eheranmamen t'imti esero u?
> Galla esero ka chenam ye bangu
> "Sero laya", Yudirza yetashmerzo
> P'a ajir avaneranmamen sero
> Tima lyn sero lodha manve.
>
In Brithenig:

Fflac'!  Llo phryn chaddant.
Eo ai cathorddig gweran.
O! Ki roara per mew ghewdad?
Ill gwallt es n+ir e ddryd.
Eo su coint, lla sur ddig'.
O!  Per alchyn ke fi afara
Perch eo su bel sifil yn fflur ceres.

That was an intresting little exercise, especially since I nearly fell
into a couple of unsuspected traps!  It reads like this:

Fflac'!  Llo     phryn    chaddant.
Splat!   def.pl. (+H)plum (+H)fall.pres.pl.
Note the use of the apostrophe which now marks a final c or g as soft in
email, at least.  Standard orthography under negotiation.

Eo ai           cathorddig gweran.
I  have1.s.pres 14         spring.
Brithenig, like the Charyan languages, says to have X years for to be X
years.  To use a season instead of winter would be quaint, but
comprehensible.  Brithenig uses the singular form of a noun after a
number.  This line makes better sense than: Eo ai cathorddig ffontan!  I
originally made that mistake too!

O! Ki  roara            per mew ghewdad?
Oh who (+soft)ask.fut.s for my  (+soft)heart
Kewdad, a feminine noun, from cavitatem, is the seat of emotions in
Brithenig.  I nearly translated yan as ke, the relative pronoun here.

Ill      gwallt           es n+ir  e   ddryd.
def.m.s. hair_of_the_head is black and (+H)thick

Eo su coint, lla     sur    ddig'.
I  am pretty def.f.s sister (+soft)say.pres.s
Parts of the body and family members do not take possessives.  I have
removed the quotes to make this statement uncertain.

O!  Per alchyn  ke  fi        afara
Oh  for someone REL (+soft)me love.fut.s
Alchyn proved easier than yno, the indefinite pronoun.

Perch   eo su bel       sifil yn fflur  ceres.
Because I  am beautiful like  a  flower cherry.

(+H)    aspirant mutation
(+soft) soft mutaton
1.      first person
def.    definite article
f.      feminine
fut.    future tense
m.      masculine
pl.     plural
pres.   present tense
REL     relative pronoun
s.      singular

Translating from conlang to conlang is harder than translating from
English.  Perhaps we may see more such projects in the future, or
translation projects provided from other natlangs (with gloss please!)

- andrew.

Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@earthlight.co.nz

"Break someone's leg."
                        - Old Orc Saying.