Re: to translate or not

On Wed, 2 May 2001, dirk elzinga wrote:

> David Peterson wrote:
> > So, I suppose if someone posts something that would be offensive
> > to the culture of one of your languages, then you don't have
> > translate it--no one's forcing anyone. So, what's the better way
> > to show off a grammar? I guess you could make up your own
> > translation exercize, making a note that the current one is
> > offensive or incomprehensible to the nonexistant speakers of a
> > language only you know. That's fine. Is it necessary to post
> > messages of the like, though?
>
> Well, I have to agree with you there. However, I didn't read
> Irina's message that way. I don't think she intended it that
> way, either.
I never meant that, no. It's not that the Bible, or anything, would
be *offensive* to speakers of Valdyan (well, to some, as it is to
some speakers of English; it's impossible to have a text inoffensive
to *everybody* that still has any meaning at all).

I was just trying to explain why I don't do every translation
exercise, however useful they may be to show off grammar, and more
specifically why I don't do the Babel text, however much of a
yardstick that may be. In short, it would probably change Valdyan
culture beyond recognition and beyond repair, and I don't want to
risk that. As much as I like cilantro, I don't put it in vanilla
ice-cream.

And I don't want to explain every time I talk about Valdyas or the
Valdyan language "of course I know I've made it all up", okay? I
thought it was accepted knowledge on this list that *all* languages
and cultures we talk about are made up.

   Irina

--
           Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
irina@valdyas.org (myself)     http://www.valdyas.org/irina/valdyas

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