Translation Corrections: Part Two
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tadji |
NOTE: This is part two of a two part series. Read part 1.
{lo do ckiku ma zvati} uses {tadji} (techniques) to systematize methods for learning Lojban. In "Where are your Keys?", these techniques are transmitted by signing "technology" followed by the sign for the technique. This is accompanied by saying "technique: [name of technique]."
For example, "Craig's List" ({valsi porsi}) is the name of the technique for teaching words in sequence, and never teaching a single word in isolation. It is introduced in play by saying "Technique: Craig's List."
By prefixing every technique with the word "technique" you aurally draw attention to it. I wanted to preserve this pattern when translating techniques to Lojban, meaning I wanted to start every technique with the word {tadji}. Lojban's grammar is flexible enough to support this, but my first attempt at doing this (on the tadji page) I made a mistake.
{tadji}'s English translation is:
x1 [process] is a method/technique/approach/means for doing x2 (event)
under conditions x3.
The x1 place, the process, is the specific technique description or technique name.
The first technique in "Where are your Keys?" is "technique: technique," the act of marking and pointing out techniques. My first attempt to translate this was {tadji lo tadji}, which is wrong.
I had meant to say "{lo tadji ku tadji}," and was not aware that omitting the sumti before the selbri caused the sumti after the selbri to default to the x2 place.
In order to say what I originally intended to say, I would need to say "{tadji fa lo tadji}."
That detail aside, this phrase still doesn't quite translate to what I would like to say. "technique: technique" is the "technique of using techniques," and {tadji fa lo tadji} translates to "the technique of technique," which isn't quite the same thing.
Lindar provided several suggestions to fix this, but none of them had the succintness provided in the English. After researching the examples he provided me, I settled on the relatively short {tadji fa lo pu'u tadji} (technique: the process of technique).
Lindar has been kind enough to point out variations of these phrases that are sumti rather that bridi. I suspect the sumti form of these phrases will be easier to use conversationally, so I'm going to use the sumti form in naming techniques. My final translation is therefor:
{lo tadji be fa lo pu'u tadji}
A fair bit longer that my original translation, but significantly clearer.
As a final note, all "Where are your Keys?" technique names are metaphors. In Lojban, I translate these names into literal descriptions of the technique, so "Craig's List" becomes "valsi porsi" ({word list}). This has the effect of changing the sign used to mark a technique, but literally naming techniques is more appropriate for Lojban, and is one example of how "Where are you Keys?" is localized to the language it is being used with.