Re: Alien Conlang

Hmm.  Thinking about it, in my particular case, I think I'd have to
translate it as it was originally meant.  For the breehah (nonhumans)
It's fairly idiomatic, but fun because they've adopted the words for
'human' and 'Earth' (the planet) from their conquerers.

If the translation of the Bible was considered simply a document, not
Scripture, they probably would use the word specificaly for the planet
'Earth,' since obviously (according to the Babel story) humans weren't
spread all over THEIR world, just OURS....

Dave

Mark J. Reed wrote:
> What's "best" depends entirely on the cultural context.  If I recall
> correctly, the Klingon Bible Translation Project assumes human
> missionaries - in that case, there was also established contact
> between the aliens and the humans, and the language already has words
> for "Earth", "human", etc.   Nevertheless, if the intent is to win
> alien converts to a religion, it might be best not to translate things
> in a human-biased way. :)
>
> Then again, despite the pains early Christians went to in order to
> downplay the Jewish basis of their faith, they still translated the
> original Jewish scriptures faithfully, complete with the references to
> the Jews as the Chosen People.  They relied on additional explanatory
> material (e.g. the epistles of Paul) to clarify the universality they
> now read into those passages.  Perhaps extraterrestrial ministry calls
> for a third Testament, or some new extrascriptural material, similar
> in concept to the Talmud.
>
> On 2/27/07, Dave Rutan <rutan3@...> wrote:
>> If you want to translate, say bits of the Bible into a conlang which
>> belongs to a non-human alien specie, how is it best to translate terms
>> such as 'earth', 'man', etc.
>>
>> I did one, not the one below, and I used a translation of 'world' for
>> 'earth'  For 'people' I used 'sentient beings'.  Is it best to translate
>> it as if it were their own, or as if a missionary showed up on their
>> world and gave them the Bible?
>>
>> Dave
--
Pu Poetor jai'her hi'nar dai Par bin Pard Groemark'muluin'mig, bah dai
nah boeke bahgarp'Par'ku moif'foi, hu mef'regreeg. (Jn 3:16 in Breehah)