Position Available: Interpreter, must be fluent in Klingon

good grief!

Well, I must admit that I don't fit for that job ...
... although I've worked with mentally ill and know this website
The Klingon Dictionary : English/Klingon Klingon/English

What is Klingon ?

Oh dear.

Klingons were an alien race first appearing in Star Trek in the 1960's.

They have appeared in each Star Trek incarnation since - they are a warlike and fierce race, given to conflict and warrior values.

Their "language" has gradually evolved, because of enthuiasm by writers and fans - until a "Dictionary of Klingon" was spawned.

What came first - the madness, or the interest in Klingonese is the obvious question...

Not being a trekkie has its disadvantages - like not being able to apply for this job !!

If anyone's interested in brushing up, I can send them a copy of educational language tapes "How To Learn Klingon".

Great fun while driving a car, but keep some tissues handy!

CodeBorg,

My husband uses audio cassetts all day long in his job. He loves the books on tape ect... that he can check out from the library, however both carson county and washoe county doesn't have the "learn klingon" tapes hes been looking for. I might just take you up on that offer LOL I need to get with him though on it first

A high school friend of mine was a linguistics major at Berkeley. She later went into desktop publishing, but many Berkeley linguistics alums before her went to work for Star Trek, inventing languages. Apparently it's not enough for the writers to just make up some gobbledy-gook: they have to employ linguists to make sure that the languages are syntactically sound.

The apocalypse is near, my friends. Very near.

At Amazon.com, the CD Power Klingon (1996, on cassette too) is more complete than the older cassette Conversational Klingon (1992). I haven't been able to find study guides for the GRE's or the certification tests, so the Klingon-English Dictionary and the essential Klingon for the Galactic Traveler will have to suffice for everyday use.

For more appreciation of the culture and context, try The Klingon Way: A Warrior's Guide. "The proverbs are presented in tlhIngan Hol and DIvI' Hol (Klingon and English), along with a paragraph or two discussing the cultural background, and occasional grammatical tips".

Or try the more fluffy and diplomatic Star Trek Cookbook but understand "qoH vuvbe' SuS" ("The wind does not respect a fool"). They also have more mundane volumes on religion, ethics, computers, physics, star charts, and so on -- some quite good, some not very accurate. The Encyclopedia is about all you need there.

The Klingon Language Institute has recently restored the original version of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark but you can find both English and Klingon side by side in the more versatile The Klingon Hamlet, which has received excellent reviews.

"For too long, readers throughout the Federation have been exposed to The Tragedy of Khamlet, Son of the Emperor of Qo'nos, that classic work of Klingon literature, only through inadequate and misleading English translations. Now at last, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Klingon Language Institute, this powerful drama by the legendary Klingon playwright, Wil'yam Shex'pir, can be appreciated in the elegance and glory of its original tongue."

Any number of ways to appreciate their literature, art and culture, enjoy the journey, and get ahead in your job too. Just some helpful tips!



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"A warrior fights to the death." Qapla'!

CodeBorg - I assume the tissues are needed for the excessive spit produced while speaking the language?

Well, a towel is actually better....

yeah. totally.

The hardest part of learning Klingon is stapling that omlette on your forehead every morning.


What is the medical board gonna do when the nutters start claiming that they will only communicate telepathically or their Borg implants need to be reconnected to the Collective? Patrick Stewart is going to be a VERY busy man.

"I liked the look so much, I bought the company!"

I don't see where the money is going to come from, maybe Mr. Stillwater......er Worf can work for cheap :wink:

I used to work for this agency, during the salad days of the economy.
Didn't have any contact with any earth Klingons, but heard of them.
The Portland mental health system is one of many that has had to cut services drastically. The latest cut has sent border line clients back out into the streets to live without their meds.
There is a election today for a temporary tax increase for residents of Multnomah Co. If it passes it will provide a band-aid for schools and social services. This would allow the county to get back to a minimum amount of service.

Position Available: Interpreter, must be fluent in Klingon
Sorry folks. Too late.



Search for Klingon Interpreter Called Off
Tue May 13, 9:22 AM ET Add AP - Feature Stories to My Yahoo!



PORTLAND, Ore. - Sorry, potential Klingon interpreters.



Officials have said they won't be needing your services, after all.


The office that treats mental health patients in Multnomah County had included Klingon on a list of 55 languages that could be spoken by incoming patients.


But the inclusion of the Star Trek language drew a spate of tongue-in-cheek headlines.


And now the county has rescinded its call, stressing that it hasn't spent a penny of public money on Klingon interpretation.


"It was a mistake, and a result of an overzealous attempt to ensure that our safety net systems can respond to all customers and clients," Multnomah County chair Diane Linn said in a news release.


County officials had previously said that no patient had ever come in speaking only Klingon, but that the county would pay a Klingon interpreter in the unlikely case one was actually needed.


In recent years, Klingon has gone from being a fictional tongue for the Star Trek television and movie series to a complete language, with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary.

Observe that it was effective publicity for their organization ... not exactly a weak and tepid response. And with 55 languages on the list, I'm sure they have yet to confront many others.

Yet, their indecision betrays them. Humans have always been afraid of Klingon! Perhaps they were simply uneasy with their own thoughts. They are not warriors.

It's too bad they didn't simply ask for volunteers, or just collect names of people who would be available, if the need ever arose. Most people would be honored to serve!

They will not succeed.





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Ahem...

If Google supports it, how crazy is that?


"Multilingual Web searchers rejoice: You need suffer no longer the ignominy of having to use an English-language interface in Google. You can modify Google's interface so that its menus, buttons, and advanced search fields are labeled in any of 88 languages or language variations (including a few silly ones, like Pig Latin, Elmer Fudd, and, yes, even Klingon). On the Google home page, click the Preferences link and then choose a language from the Interface Language drop-down menu, located at the top of the page."

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,110323,00.asp