[Tlhingan-hol] Indie Movie translation

[Steven Boozer]

Chelsea Knauf:
> The context:"The scene as it happens is the climax of the film. The young
> woman, Ivy, has just had her eye gouged out by a three hundred year old
> warlock/mountain man. She breaks free screaming and retreats to a far side
> of the room. It’s dark and she pulls out a green amulet. Then she utters
> the spell you’re going to translate, the amulet glows green and fills the
> room with green light. The Warlock is pulled between our dimension and
> another. In that space between the two dimensions, a spirit attacks him
> and Ivy has her revenge."
>
> The phrase is "Green light, green light.  Dweller on the threshold come reap my vengeance".
> My beginner attempt at translation: {wovwI' SuD, wovwI' SuD.  bortaSwIj yItIv lojmitDaq DabwI'}

My version:

  SuDwI', SuDwI'. lojmIt DabwI',  bortaSwIj yIHev (or: yIlaj)!
  "Green thing, green thing.  Inhabiter of the door, receive
   (or: accept) my vengeance!"

{wovwI' SuD, wovwI' SuD} is a bit wordy for a quickly chanted spell.  But if you like {wovwI'} "thing that is light/bright" another option is {wewwI'} "thing that glows".  Since the "amulet glows green and fills the room with green light" you could also go with {wovmoHwI'} "light (device)" which was used in the Bird of Prey Poster:  {telDaq wovmoHwI'mey} "Wing Lights".  Whichever one you choose, I would only say it once as Ivy is in a bit of a hurry.

"Dweller on the threshold" is not the subject of the sentence, but the person/being she is addressing.  Eg. "John, close the door!" not "John closes the door."  Also, when using {Dab} "reside in/at, dwell in/at" don't tag the place with {-Daq}: eg.

  Daqvam vIDab 
  "I live at this place" (st.k 7/99)

  qachvetlh vIDab
  "I live in/at that building" (st.k 7/99)

  Qo'noS vIDab 
  "I live on Kronos" (st.k 7/99)

Thus {lojmIt DabwI'} "thing/person that dwells in/at the door/gateway".

In addition to the noun {bortaS} we have the verb {noD} "retaliate, seek revenge":

  batlh Heghlu'chugh noDnISbe' vay' 
  An honorable death requires no vengeance. TKW

  cheQIHchugh manoDbe''a' 
  Wrong us, shall we not seek revenge? TKW

  nurraj nIHlu'ta'mo' manoD 
  We will avenge your stolen pride (PB draft?)

  le'yo'raj nIHlu'ta'mo' penoD jatlh qeylIS 
  And Kahless spoke to them... about avenging their stolen pride PB

All the known examples do not take an object, so we could say:

  lojmIt DabwI', [SoHvaD] jInoD.
  "Dweller in/at the door/gateway, I will be avenged [on you]."

I'm not sure about adding {SoHvaD}, but I'm sure others will share their opinions


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons