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Shakespeare In Klingon?

stevegee58 writes "As if the Klingon opera described recently here at Slashdot weren't enough, here's an interesting offering for Shakespeare buffs. The Washington Shakespeare Company (based in Arlington VA) will soon be performing selections from Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing in Klingon."

80 comments

  1. Awesome! by multipartmixed · · Score: 4, Funny

    I heard a rumour that BOTH people who speak Klingon are going!

    --

    Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
    1. Re:Awesome! by halfaperson · · Score: 1

      Yeah, and they'll probably end up in a duel for life or death (Hay'chu') over that "to be or not to be?" question..

      --
      Jesus had a UNIX beard.
    2. Re:Awesome! by ElectricBuddha · · Score: 2, Funny

      You'd think that the two people who speak Klingon would be the ones performing in the play.

    3. Re:Awesome! by Abcd1234 · · Score: 4, Funny

      As opposed to all the North American opera-goers who speak Italian? :)

    4. Re:Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and they'll probably end up in a duel for life or death (Hay'chu') over that "to be or not to be?" question..

      Gesundheit!

    5. Re:Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

        Klingon has a larger vocabulary and real grammar
      Big Deal.
      Can they recite him in Ebonics ?

    6. Re:Awesome! by Exitar · · Score: 1

      I heard that Klingon is a very musical language, can you confirm that?

    7. Re:Awesome! by Abstrackt · · Score: 1

      You'd think that the two people who speak Klingon would be the ones performing in the play.

      That's why they're going!

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
    8. Re:Awesome! by GigG · · Score: 1

      It sounds like very large cats be raped with very large baseball bats.

      --
      Is buying a Harley Davidson as your first motorcycle since you were 16 at age 49 a midlife crisis issue?
    9. Re:Awesome! by yyxx · · Score: 1

      Klingon is supposedly the most frequently spoken artificial language. Never underestimate the power of nerddom.

    10. Re:Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's MUCH better in the original Gallifreyan.

    11. Re:Awesome! by fgodfrey · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You know, that's kinda what I thought would happen but.... I've done "The Klingon Christmas Carol" (http://cbtheatre.org/Klingon-Xmas-Carol.html) as a sound/light designer for 3 years (and I'm about to do a 4th) and we've basically sold out every year. Plus, we got a gig for Paramount doing a few excerpts from Klingon Hamlet that are on the Star Trek VI BluRay.

      --
      Go Badgers! -- #include "std/disclaimer.h"
    12. Re:Awesome! by Abcd1234 · · Score: 1

      It sounds like very large cats be raped with very large baseball bats.

      No no, you're thinking of German!

    13. Re:Awesome! by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      Chi non capisce l'italiano?

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    14. Re:Awesome! by camperdave · · Score: 1

      It has a long way to go before it reaches the levels that Esperanto and Lojban have. It is estimated that there are over a million people who use Esperanto casually, and tens of thousands who are fluent in it. There are some thousand people for whom Esperanto is their mother tongue. Esperanto is also recognized by UNESCO and there are regular television and radio broadcasts done in the language.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    15. Re:Awesome! by Pentium100 · · Score: 1

      Really, how does that sound? Maybe you have a recording of your experiment? It would be interesting to hear, but I do not have a baseball bat or a cat.

    16. Re:Awesome! by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      The most used artificial language (as opposed to the most spoken) is arguably the Morse abbreviation sublanguage.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  2. Fantastic! by MarkRose · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ahh! This is great! I've always wanted to see Hamlet in the original Klingon!

    --
    Be relentless!
    1. Re:Fantastic! by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      Ahh! This is great! I've always wanted to see Hamlet in the original Klingon!

      Pfft! All ripped off from the original Romulan sources.

  3. Cat got your tongue? (something important seems t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Erm...
    Yay?
    Hasn't this been done before?

  4. Obligatory... by mishehu · · Score: 1

    "You haven't heard Shakespeare until you've heard it in the original Klingon."

    Takh bakh o takh bekh? (Apologies to those who actually do know Klingon...)

    1. Re:Obligatory... by mackil · · Score: 1

      Takh bakh o takh bekh? (Apologies to those who actually do know Klingon...)

      For audio reference...

    2. Re:Obligatory... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Yes a little joke put into Star Trek VI, Just to give the audience a chuckle, during the movie to break up a politically tense moment. Has gone out of hand and gone overboard.

      I am surprised that they didn't redo mythology to make Hobgoblins actually Vulcans to have visited earth in the middle ages.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:Obligatory... by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 1

      I am surprised that they didn't redo mythology to make Hobgoblins actually Vulcans to have visited earth in the middle ages.

      Don't be absurd. Those were clearly agents of the Shadows.

  5. As you well know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You've not experienced Hamlet until you have read it in its original Klingon...

  6. taH pagh taHbe'. by ElectricBuddha · · Score: 1, Interesting

    DaH mu'tlheghvam vIqelnIS. quv'a', yabDaq San vaQ cha, pu' je SIQDI'? pagh, Seng bIQ'a'Hey SuvmeH nuHmey SuqDI','ej, Suvmo', rInmoHDI'? Hegh. Qong --- Qong neH --- 'ej QongDI', tIq 'oy', wa'SanID Daw''e' je cho'nISbogh porghDaj rInmoHlaH net Har.

    1. Re:taH pagh taHbe'. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I heard a rumour that BOTH people who speak Klingon are going!"

      Who are you taking to see the play?

    2. Re:taH pagh taHbe'. by webmistressrachel · · Score: 1

      Unless you can translate this to English, mods, how do you even know if it's offtopic? It COULD be questions about the venue, followed by an enthusiastic statement of intentions to attend... would that be "Offtopic" ?

      --
      This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
    3. Re:taH pagh taHbe'. by ElectricBuddha · · Score: 1

      C'mon, it's Hamlet's soliloquy in Klingon. Did nobody watch Star Trek VI?

    4. Re:taH pagh taHbe'. by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      FYI, if you paste this text on Google translator and use the "detect idiom", it will say that this is Swedish.

  7. He who brings a date to the play by muyla · · Score: 3, Funny

    will be proclaimed their king!

  8. What? by mgichoga · · Score: 1

    What?! I thought the only reason I could not understand Shakespeare was because it was written in Klingon.

  9. Not all parts translate well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "To kill or not to kill, that is the question".

    "Alas poor Yorrik, he died without honor".

    "All the world's a battlefield, and all the men and women merely warriors".

    "As he was valiant, I honour him. But as he was a Romulan, I slew him."

    "Cowards die many times before their deaths; a Klingon never taste of death but once."

    "Life every man holds dear; but the Klingon holds honor far more precious dear than life."

    1. Re:Not all parts translate well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Error 404: Funny not found

  10. And now for something completely different... by StuartHankins · · Score: 2, Funny

    I am just waiting for someone to come out and say "All right, that's enough! This is just silly. Silly, silly, silly!"

    Mad props to the Monty Python gang for many laughs over the years.

    1. Re:And now for something completely different... by qurgh · · Score: 1

      How about saying it in Klingon?

      toH, mevyap! Dogh 'oH. Dogh, Dogh, Dogh!

  11. Spamalot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tell me when Spamalot is being performed. I don't think anyone could outnerd them after that.

  12. Honest question by line-bundle · · Score: 1

    Why does every invented/imaginary language have so many apostrophies?

    1. Re:Honest question by OctaviusIII · · Score: 1

      I believe it's because Klingon uses a lot of glottal stops, (the blank spot, for example, in "uh oh!") and represents those by apostrophes. Many languages that have very new and contrived writing systems (like St'at'imcets) use Latin characters in different ways than we might normally be used to.

      --
      What's this? Another weblog? On transit?
    2. Re:Honest question by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Yeah Klingon is worse than Ada in that regard, but easier to debug I reckon.

  13. I just can't believe that people have that .... by scosco62 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    much free time. The time necessary for these "fantasy languages" -- Elvish, Klingon, French.....is better spent on Spanish, Chinese, Japanese or something even quasi legitimate, like Esparanto....

    1. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by digitalsushi · · Score: 1

      Ouch, there's a hook in the roof of my mouth!

      Some folks have free time because they design their lives such that they do.

      Further, I disagree that any structured language is less valuable if you focus on improving the health of the brain.

      If you want to get all statistical about it, anyone who can't speak Chinese is doing it wrong.

      --
      slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
    2. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by Nemyst · · Score: 1

      Says a /. commenter.

    3. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by JWW · · Score: 1

      I agree with you to a point. All those other lanugages would be more beneficial to learn than Klingon. Well, execpt Esparanto, I'd have to take exception at that.

      If I had a choice between learning Klingon and Esperanto, it'd be Klingon all the way.

    4. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by somaTh · · Score: 1

      Obligatory xkcd: http://xkcd.com/191/

      That being said, what's wrong with learning fictional languages? It's almost a given that you'll have something in common with other people who learn it beyond the fact that you know the same language. If you enjoy doing something, you'll find time to do it. Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

      --
      Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
    5. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by ZankerH · · Score: 1

      Elvish

      The adjective form of the noun "Elf" is "Elven". However, there are many different languages spoken by Elves, Quenya being the most prominent. There is no such thing as an "Elvish" language.

    6. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by Kiaser+Zohsay · · Score: 1

      Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

      Best. Episode. Ever.

      --
      I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
    7. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      Funny how that alien can speak English words when it's convenient to describe the various situations that his metaphors describe. :-)

      'Shaka, when the walls fell'

      WTF now you can speak enough English to talk about walls falling? Haha.

    8. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Danish being another one.

      My mothers side of the family have the surname Elven. She's from England, but the ancestors with the surname Elven were from the Netherlands and Denmark.

      I mean, technically all the Elven people I know speak either English, Dutch, Danish or Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese) [The Chinese is because my Mothers Cousin left the UK and works and lives in China and is married with kids ... so there are Elven people in China too] :-)
      My Grandfather (Jack Elven) was also fluent in French.

    9. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IIRC, the show explains it as the universal translator being able to figure out the words, but failing to make sense of the phrase, which makes sense in this case.
      Example: "Leeroy Jenkins, with the exuberance."
      Meaning: "Mobs don't cause party wipes, people do"

    10. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by neminem · · Score: 1

      Then I suppose there's no such thing as Chinese, either? After all, there are multiple dialects of the language spoken by people in China, which differ quite dramatically.

    11. Re:I just can't believe that people have that .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did anyone even think to catch the French bundled with Elvish....

  14. Old news is old by Starfleet+Command · · Score: 1, Informative

    Hamlet has been out for about 10 years., Klingon has been spoken by thousands for a long time. They even have Klingon language camp and activities like that that one may attend

    1. Re:Old news is old by ZosX · · Score: 1

      Man, and I thought I had no life!

    2. Re:Old news is old by Zak3056 · · Score: 1

      Hamlet has been out for about 10 years

      By my count, it's more like 400.

      --
      What part of "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand?
    3. Re:Old news is old by Chowderbags · · Score: 1

      They even have Klingon language camp

      The first camp entirely situated in parents' basements!

  15. Vogon Poetry in Klingon? by RevWaldo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Time for someone to really get their geek on and translate "Ode To A Small Lump Of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning". I'd imagine it's military applications would greatly interest the Klingons, although they'd probably consider it a dishonorable method of combat.

    .

    1. Re:Vogon Poetry in Klingon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Time for someone to really get their geek on and translate "Ode To A Small Lump Of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning". I'd imagine it's military applications would greatly interest the Klingons, although they'd probably consider it a dishonorable method of combat. .

      Here's a start...

      "[Ode] Daq [A] mach [Lump] vo' SuD [Putty] jIH tu'ta' Daq wIj [Armpit] wa' [Midsummer] po"

    2. Re:Vogon Poetry in Klingon? by kahless62003 · · Score: 1

      After much thought and consulting the experts I came up with:
      tujbogh pem nI' po 'I'wIjDaq SuDqu'bogh DochHom'e' tlher vItu'bogh gha'tlhIq
      the ode of respect of a small green lumpy thing which I found in my armpit on the morning of a long, hot day.

    3. Re:Vogon Poetry in Klingon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Time for someone to really get their geek on and translate "Ode To A Small Lump Of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning". I'd imagine it's military applications would greatly interest the Klingons, although they'd probably consider it a dishonorable method of combat. .

      I'll translate your facetious challenge into Klingon, as soon as you translate the line of the poem back into the language of Grunthos the Flatulent, assuming you can determine what species it came from, and assuming that you can survive having your own small intestines leap up through your throat to strangle you in a desperate attempt to save civilisation from having to hear such awful poetry.

  16. Re: Cat got your tongue? (something important seem by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

    That was an opera.

    Enough is enough. I have had it with all this motherfucking Klingon shit on this motherfucking site.

    Now I bet that sounds better in Klingon.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  17. The books are published by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

    Hamlet in Klingon was published about 10 years ago.
    ISBN-13 - 978-0671035785 (Amazon

    Much Ado about Nothing was published in 2003
    ISBN-13: 978-1587155017 (Amazon).

    There's also Gilgamesh, also published in 2003.
    ISBN-13: 978-1587153389 (Amazon).

    As for why - well, why not? It's an activity they're interested in, and if people can communicate meaningful information, is it less a language than the artificial ones we use to program our computers with? C/C++/Java/PHP/Perl/Python/Ruby/Assembly/Machine Code/etc are all just artificial languages as well

    1. Re:The books are published by AdamThor · · Score: 1

      "A Christmas Carol" has also been translated into Klingon.

      Commedia Beauregard - translated works is their shtick - performs it every year. This year they're doing it in Chicago, in addition to the regular Minneapolis.

      http://www.cbtheatre.org/CHI-works/KCC2010-CHI/KCC-CHI-2010.htm

      Props on their effort, they do a good job with it.

      --
      -- "Oh. This guy again."
    2. Re:The books are published by sorak · · Score: 1

      I think the novel part about the Klingon language is that it is an unnecessary language invented by people who intentionally decided to learn a language that it unlikely to ever be useful.

      The programming languages exist because compilers cannot speak English, and computer programmers cannot agree on one perfect means of communicating one's wishes to the compiler. A better programming language analogy would be with the non-mainstream languages, such as LOLCode and Brainfuck. Those languages are not meant to serve any practical purpose, and are usually designed in such a way as to make the programmer's job more difficult.

      The novel part about the performance is that some group of actors got together and decided to learn to speak Klingon to practice their art on an audience who would mostly not understand it. This could be an interesting exercise, considering that, if you can learn Klingon, playing a doctor, lawyer, or anyone fluent in technobabble should be easy in comparison.

  18. Meh... by EricTheGreen · · Score: 1

    Wake me when someone performs it in Vogon...

  19. Other Non-Languages? by interval1066 · · Score: 1

    I rather think Hamlet in Sindarin might be quite nice.

    --
    Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
  20. Impossible by skywire · · Score: 1

    It's hard enough to translate Shakespeare into another natural language without losing a great deal (see Doug Hofstadter). Given the limited vocabulary of Klingon (see your Klingon dictionary), you will get a lengthy, tedious baby-talk retelling.

    --
    Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    1. Re:Impossible by Abstrackt · · Score: 1

      It's hard enough to translate Shakespeare into another natural language without losing a great deal (see Doug Hofstadter). Given the limited vocabulary of Klingon (see your Klingon dictionary), you will get a lengthy, tedious baby-talk retelling.

      Since it's Klingon, you're more likely to get a lengthy, tedious baby-talk reyelling.

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
    2. Re:Impossible by DrNoNo · · Score: 1

      But Shakespeare has well defined meaning to a considerable level of sophistication. The way to do it is to extend the language logically from what is already available and where this is not enough, invent more Klingon to express the concepts. Done well, this project has great potential to develop the Klingon language into something fully functional. Not that there is much point, of course.

  21. Really don't want to have an Us vs. Them post by Fibe-Piper · · Score: 1
    ...but what is it about Klingon language fan things that right away make me laugh?

    Don't get me wrong - I like Star Trek and consider myself a fan, but damn this just screams "I am a dork, give me an atomic wedgie!"

    Conversely, if someone were to say redo Ride of the Valkyries featuring costumes that were all inspired by Mandalorian Armor, I would consider that "mighty" and "badass".

    --
    I went to battle M.C. Escher, but drew a blank.
  22. I've heard it said that by bjk002 · · Score: 1

    The act of constructing the Klingon language was itself an aid in understanding how other languages were constructed, and perhaps even contributed to understanding "dead" languages?

    While I have no evidence to support the claim, it certainly made sense to me when I heard it.

    --
    Opinion:=TMyOpinion.Create(Me);
    1. Re:I've heard it said that by Phrogman · · Score: 1

      The act of constructing Klingon was based on our understanding of how many other languages work, or have worked in the past - i.e. Linguistics as a study - I highly doubt it contributed anything to Linguistics as a whole. Its a clever language in and of itself, but not revolutionary. I highly doubt there is very much in Klingon that hasn't occurred elsewhere in another human language. The sheer variety of ways that humans have chosen to develop their languages is just staggering, and almost anything you can think of (and a lot that would never occur to anyone) is likely present somewhere. Most people more or less assume that their language is the right way to express everything, and are unable to really comprehend that there is no right way per se. Thus the reason that so few people have much sympathy when they hear this or that language is dying out - they don't see the problem with that because obviously it wasn't any good (in comparison to their language). Most of those people are English speakers of course, and English is in no way threatened with extinction (despite what you might think when you see the deplorable level of a lot of its users ability to spell or even communicate) :P

      As for the popularity and persistence of Klingon, I can only guess that because it was invented for geeks, some of them have seized it and adopted it fanatically as a result. Of course, as complex as it is, its relatively simple in comparison to most human languages, since its highly consistent. Usually one of the biggest obstacles in learning a new language is not learning the conventions of the language, but the exceptions. Most languages, having not been created from scratch, are highly inconsistent in their vocabulary and structure - not to mention dialectal differences at all - and as a result, truly mastering them to the point of fluency is extremely difficult.

      --
      "The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
  23. Having Shakespeare in your own language by DrNoNo · · Score: 1

    So it is now only the modern English who do not have Shakespeare in their own language.

    1. Re:Having Shakespeare in your own language by skywire · · Score: 1

      But Shakespeare wrote in Modern English...

      --
      Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    2. Re:Having Shakespeare in your own language by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but we speak Post-Modern English today. Or "American" for the less educated.

  24. So what? by satan666 · · Score: 1

    Seriously, so what? As a Shakespeare lover this does not interest me in the least.

    Is there something magical about Klingon that adds a new dimension to Shakespeare? I doubt it.

    I think Shakespeare used the proper language (of the time) to present us with a view and a philosophy of life.
    It is not something that can be translated.

    How will Klingon add to this and therefore, why bother?

    Ok, I have another idea. How about we re-write the Odyssey as a rap song.

    Novel? Yes. Odd? Definitely! Adding new meaning to Homer's magnum opus? Err... No!

  25. Re: Cat got your tongue? (something important seem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Brett: What?
    Jules: What planet you from?
    Brett: What? What? Wh--?
    Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of. They speak Klingon on What?
    Brett: What?
    Jules: Klingon, verengan Ha'DIbaH, do you speak it?

  26. Yes by Frankie70 · · Score: 1

    Yes, this is true.

  27. Do you watch sports on TV? by futurescence · · Score: 1

    I've been into Klingon and Esperanto and Tolkien's languages and linguistics generally since I was about 10 years old. I think jokes about the nerdiness of Klingon speakers are funny too, but having met at least a dozen of the best Klingon speakers in the world, I can attest that most of them are highly accredited professionals who are married and have kids. A disproportionate number also seem to be colorblind Jewish programmers, for some odd reason, but my point is these guys are intelligent, productive members of society from all over the world who happen to really like something unpopular. There seems to be a double standard in our culture w/r/t investing time in hobbies. If someone self-publishes a book full of intricate analysis of sports statistics, or spends hundreds of dollars a year on game tickets, we don't bat an eye. If you blog every day about trends in high fashion or video games, hardly anybody will complain about how you're wasting your excessive free time. But doing something equally engaging that happens to be associated with science fiction? Now THAT'S silly.

  28. Re: Cat got your tongue? (something important seem by qurgh · · Score: 1

    Let's see:

    DaqDaq mupuQmoH Hoch tlhIngan Hol Dochmey jay'!

    Yeah, that sounds better :D