Re: Translation challenge: Fiat lingua

On 7/10/06, R A Brown <ray@...> wrote:
> Henrik Theiling wrote:
> > R A Brown writes:
> >>As the Septuagint did still did use the optative to show desideration,
> >>I do think it is important to note that we have _imperative_ in
> >>Genesis 1:3. Of course, this has no _direct_ relevance on translating
> >>"fiat lingua"; it is relevant only if one thinks it echo's the
> >>Judaeo-Christian "Fiat lux."
> >
> > I thought this was the intention!?  Why would I translate 'fiat
> > lingua' instead of 'let a language be made' if not to echo that Bible
> > citation?
>
> Because in a given conworld the Judaeo-Christian scriptures may have no
> relevance at all. Indeed, the conworld may well know nothing of planet
> earth.
>
> That surely is why Sai wrote: "Feel free to use a culturally appropriate
> analogue as you see fit."
*nod* True.

However, I'd like to preserve the "saying this causes it to be true"
aspect. It need not be Deific, nor for that matter Judeo-Christian
(like Ray mentions, your world may not have such a god).

So Ray's right in that it needn't be a biblical translation as such;
but Henrik also in that the biblical sense is still a good basis from
which to start. I'm not concerned which language you "translate from",
since I obviously have no scriptual-holiness criterion, so long as you
get the idea.

Of course, the primary point from a utilitarian perspective is to give
a feel of your language in a small number of words, and to have the
LCC / conlang motto in many languages.

E.g. of what I'd like to do: if you think of the current t-shirt
design, and take a look at the LJ Conlangs logo -
http://conlangs.livejournal.com/info - I'd like to make a related
design for next year's shirt (and perhaps for other things, like
program background etc), but where this year's has just the one /fiat
lingua/, the new one would have the same, against a background of
"fiat lingua" in many conlangs.

Of course, this is visually more impressive with non-roman scripts.
:-) And nobody's likely to check your grammar except for you. But
they'll read it anyway and get some taste of the language, or the
diversity of languages.

 - Sai