Subject: Re: [lojban] How would you translate this?

From: Edward Cherlin <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 19:31:34 -0400

On Tuesday 10 September 2002 03:51 pm, Alex Gontmakher wrote:
> Remember the Lord of the Rings, when the party wants to enter
> Moria, it is written there "Speak, friend, and enter" (which, as it
> turns out, means: speak "friend" and then enter).
>
> How could that be translated to lojban? Or should we make comments
> describing the ambiguity of the sentence in the natural language.

It's really quite simple. Gandalf mistranslates the inscription. You 
can mistranslate from any ambiguous language into any language, 
including Lojban. There is no need for ambiguous Lojban.

> Well, in English it looks like deliberately wrong (the "say friend
> and enter" would not be that much ambiguous). Probably in Elvish it
> is cleaner. In other languages I know, the difference also exists,
> though not as definite as in Lojban. But, can Lojban play this
> trick at all?
>
> mi'e sacas.
>
> p.s. Not that I would miss such ambiguities in the language. But if
> the language cannot translate Tolkien... oops ;-)
>
>
>
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-- 
Edward Cherlin
Generalist
"A knot! Oh, do let me help to undo it!"
--Alice in Wonderland