From edward.cherlin.sy.67@aya.yale.edu Thu Sep 12 16:29:41 2002
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Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 19:31:34 -0400
Subject: Re: [lojban] How would you translate this?
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From: Edward Cherlin <edward.cherlin.sy.67@aya.yale.edu>
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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=20
can mistranslate from any ambiguous language into any language,=20
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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--=20
Edward Cherlin
Generalist
"A knot! Oh, do let me help to undo it!"
--Alice in Wonderland