Re: CONLANG: Introducing _The Babel Text_

[jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU]

Crossposted from CONLANG to Lojban list. Apologies to those who are in
both lists.

> THE BABEL TEXT
>
> The Babel Text is an evolving database comparing how different languages,
> natural and artificial, can be used to translate the same passage.  The
> current edition (9/24/95) has translations for:
[...]
> 0A.  MODERN ENGLISH
>
> 1A.  Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
> 2A.  As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
> 3A.  They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them
>      thoroughly."  They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
> 4A.  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that
>      reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not
>      be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
> 5A.  But the Lord camedown to see the city and the tower that the men were
>      building.
> 6A.  The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have
>      begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for
 them.
> 7A.  Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not
 understand
>      each other."
> 8A.  So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they
 stopped
>      building the city.
> 9A.  That is why it was called Babel -- because there the Lord confused the
>      language of the whole world.  From there the Lord scattered them over the
>      face of the whole earth.
>
> :A.  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
>      Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society.  Used by
>      permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Here is my translation. Comments, corrections, etc., welcome:

0LB. LOJBAN

1LB. i piro le munje cu se bangu pada gi'e selkau le ka tavla fo makau
2LB. i ca le nu litru fa'a le stuna kei lei remna cu penmi lo foldi
     la cinar i co'a xabju fy
3LB. i ry simsku lu e'u mi'o loi kitybli cu zbasu gi'e mo'u seltokygau li'u
     i ry pilno loi kitybli peseba'i loi rokci i loi tarla peseba'i loi
     rokpu'o
4LB. i ry cusku lu e'u mi'o zmadu lo tcadu e lo galdi'u poi le cpana be
     ke'a cu lamji le tsani ija'ebo mi'o misno gi'enai pulce fi le terdi
     sefta li'u
5LB. i ku'i le nolcei cu dzikla tezu'e le nu catlu le tcadu e le galdi'u
     poi lei remna ke'a ca'o zmadu
6LB. i le nolcei cu cusku lu za'a lei remna noi se bangu pa da cu ba'oco'a
     zmadu ti ija'o no selpla ba nalselka'e ry
7LB. i ai mi dzikla gi'e fi'urgau le bangu ry ja'e le nu na simjmi li'u
8LB. i le nolcei fairgau ry piro le terdi i ry de'a zmadu le tcadu
9LB. i ki'u la'e di'u ty se cmene zo babel i ki'u le nu bu'u ty le nolcei
     pu fi'urgau le bangu be le munje i fe'eco'a ty le nolcei fairgau ry
     le pirosi'e terdi sefta

co'o mi'e xorxes