Bible in Na'vi

[mrklingon]

Translating the Bible, even roughly to a new language, even a conlang, can have spiritually beneficial results.

Someone recently told me that someone reading the KLV gave their life to the Lord. That right there makes all the work worth it. This same person told me that if the Na`vi bible changes just one life, all the effort will have been worth it.
   ...

Wow.  That's remarkable - not something I'd heard before.. I'd be interested in knowing more.  My assumption has always been that the KLV was a "loss leader" - the grammar is way off and simply vocabulary based.  Folk might look at it with interest, but (since I always have the WEB version available) their REAL reading/spiritual benefit would come from the real English translation.

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

Ma MrKlingon, I will see if I can find out more. I think it was a friend of mine who has been encouraging me to pursue learning Na`vi (and himself a Russian linguist) who told me about the person finding the Lord through the Klingon Bible.

In the meantime, I am trying to find an 'unbusy day' to do (among other things) a translation of a few verses of Scriture.

[Eltu Lefngap Makto]

I had a total nerd-party at church today.  Our church is very liturgical, and apart from the sermon, every word said is printed in the bulletin.  I had tons of fun in my own mind attempting to think about the grammar and diction of what we were saying.  "What if there is no word for 'savior' in Na'vi?  How else could you express it?" and things like that.  Far from being distracting, it was encouraging to be more aware of what we are confessing and what it all means.

[Tirea Aean]

I use Zongyu. I believe this is legal as -yu is productive on verbs as far as i remember.\

XD oh and the other day I translated How Great Thou Art into Na'vi

[Eltu Lefngap Makto]

Thanks!  Do you have any thoughts on "lord", "god", "grace", "annointed" or "servant".  ... maybe kìte'esiyu

[Tirea Aean]

Thanks!  Do you have any thoughts on "lord", "god", "grace", "annointed" or "servant".  ... maybe kìte'esiyu

when writing for @naviversedaily on Twitter, I just go to the verse. If it is in the old testament, I go to the original Hebrew and then look for the Lord or God reference word, and use Na'vi phonetics on it. I use Eloa as God in old testament books, and Teo, from the Greek as new testament God and Yehova(from Hebrew) as Lord, and Yesu as Jesus, which is actually a canon na'vi loan. The people on this board have been using Yawey, I think for God.

Grace is a very tough one...as is annointed. servant I would say that kìte'esiyu would work..

[Tsuksìm atsawl (KaPTan)]

i've searched high (maybe not so low) for the our father in na'vi... does anyone have it or can point the way for me?

[Tirea Aean]

what?

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

i've searched high (maybe not so low) for the our father in na'vi... does anyone have it or can point the way for me?

Our Father? As in "Our Father which art in Heaven?" I just say Ayoeyä Sempul (a Hevenit tok)"

-Txonä Rolyu

[Tsuksìm atsawl (KaPTan)]

i meant the entire prayer.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

i meant the entire prayer.

Ohhh! Ok hang on, I translated that once, I think I have it in a note on my Facebook let me check.

-Txonä Rolyu

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

Kìräp. It wasn't there. I KNOW I have translated that prayer. Tirea helped me with it. Blarg. I can't remember what exactly I wrote. It was last summer that I translated it, so naturally I have no idea what I did with the sheet I wrote it on. Sorry

-Txonä Rolyu

BIG EDIT:

I found it!

Ayoeyä Sempul a tawit tok
Nawm lu ngeyä tstxo
Ngeyä olo' ziva'u
Ngari etrìpa hem hasey livu
'Rrtamì tengfya Hevenmì
Ayoeru tivìng fìtrr syuve letrr
Ulte ayoeru txoa livu ayoeyä aysìkawngìri
Tengfya ayoel txoati tìng aylaheru
Ulte ayoeru rä'ä fyawivìntxu nemfa tìnusew
Slä ayoeti zamunge neto ftu tìkawng
Talun pum Ngeyä lu olo' sì tìtxur sì meuia tì'i'avay krrä fìfya livu!

[Tsuksìm atsawl (KaPTan)]

Irayo!!!

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

I remember seeing that a long time ago, but had pretty much forgotten about it.

This is something that is worth memorizing.

The only 'weakness' that really stands out is I think there is a better word for 'heaven' than 'heaven'.  How about taw io saw or taw sawio or even taw asawio

A lot of people here use yäwä for YHWH. This, I think is the convention that a lot of folks agreed on. I came up with yawey as this is how it is used in every dialect of English I have heard it in. I have no idea which is actually closet to the Hebrew, but wide usage suggests the latter is more correct. This is an excellent K.Pawl question and I keep forgetting to ask.

[Eltu Lefngap Makto]

Why are we looking to translate heaven with something beyond taw?  Primitive cultures, such as the Greeks and the Hebrews, used the one word for where the clouds are and where the stars are.  Places such as Dt 10:14, Ps 68:33, Ps 115:16 use the phrase "Heaven of heaven" which is what we mean by 'heaven' when contrasted with 'sky'.  But consider how many places say "stars of heaven" and then read Judges 5:4

"LORD, when you went out from Seir,when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembledand the heavens dropped,yes, the clouds dropped water.

Here you can see (by Hebrew parallelism) that the clouds are in 'heaven'.

[Tirea Aean]

yeah. that's why I used to say Ma oeyä Nawma Sempul a kelku si mì saw.... etc.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

yeah. that's why I used to say Ma oeyä Nawma Sempul a kelku si mì saw.... etc.

But....you're the one who helped me with my translation. Is that what I should I've said?

-Txonä Rolyu

[Tirea Aean]

I dont know. it depends if you want to loan "Heaven" or just use the word for sky, taw.

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

Hmm. I actually kinda like "taw" better. I could say something like a tawit tok right?

-Txonä Rolyu

[Tirea Aean]

srane.