Translation Exercise: A Navajo Coyote Tale in Na'vi

[wm.annis]

I recently translated a short, Navajo version of a Coyote tale into Na'vi.  I wanted to give a slightly longer run of continuous Na'vi.  I was also very lucky to have Karyu Pawl take a look at it, and give some suggestions as well as a few words and idioms (some of which have posted already).

The PDF: Trro Lamu Krr a Terìran Nantang: A Coyote Tale in Na'vi.  In it I give the English original (a children's version of a Navajo original), the Na'vi translation along with notes about how some translation decisions got made.

[NeotrekkerZ]

I noticed on page 5:  "after some time" krr-o-sre

That's before sometime, after sometime is krromaw.

Nice exercise.  A good example of translating meaning, not words.

[wm.annis]

I noticed on page 5:  "after some time" krr-o-sre

That's before sometime, after sometime is krromaw.

D'oh!  Fixed.  Irayo.

[Kì'eyawn]

This is really cool, thank you for sharing!

[Plumps]

Very interesting and great work!
That contributes to our literature/narrative in Na'vi

[Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn]

After reading this story I feel the urge to go out and shoot Bambi.

Some of the things I probably wouldn't have figured out if the original story wasn't there. But anyways it was a really nice job, must have taken you quite a while.

[Na'rìghawnu]

Great! When I have a bit more time, I'll look through your Na'vi-text with all the concentration it deserves.

Although ... I must confess, that I don't like the story itself. I suppose it was written/told to explain, why coyotes hunt deers, wasn't it? So, they didn't seem to do so before this episode. So what was the motivation of the deer to cause such horrible pain to the coyote? Was she just malicious? Then it's justified, that deers get hunted!

But if the story wasn't told to the named purpose, it's just so sad and evoces nothing more than "the urge to go out and shoot Bambi." Doesn't seem to fit to the "excuse me, my brother, I killed you just because the People need something to eat"-attitude.

I think, that the story likely had a different effect to the Navajo, didn't it?

[wm.annis]

I think, that the story likely had a different effect to the Navajo, didn't it?

"Why does Coyote do these things?!"

"Because he's Coyote."

The Navajo generally don't speculate about or comment upon other people's motivations (at least the older ones; those exposed to too much Oprah probably do).  They are similarly uninterested in explaining why Coyote does such stupid so often — that's just the way he is.  Often it's Coyote himself that ends up dead, if anyone does.

A lot of these stories have a sharp edge to them, more like the original Grimm's fairy tales than Disney.  And I confess I sometimes find these stories baffling.

[Na'rìghawnu]

"Why does Coyote do these things?!"

"Because he's Coyote."

Well, but here's the deer, who acts very cruely. The coyote is something stupid, of course, but he just wanted "nice stars" for his children. If the Navajo don't ask for motivations a lot, that would mean, that the deer does act with such an insidiousness, because it is a deer. I didn't know, that deers are so malicious.

more like the original Grimm's fairy tales than Disney.

Yes, indeed. Since I was raised with Grimm's fairy tales (and saw my first Disney movie at the age of 14 or so), I know that very well. And as a child you don't question even the "cruel" aspects of the fairy tales. Psychologists say, that there have to be sharp edges to teach the difference between good and bad behaviour. And that's the point: If you look into Grimm's tales, there are of course quite cruel scenes (like Hensel and Gretel pushing the witch into the oven), but the violence is never "just for fun" or because "they are coyotes, so they act like coyotes". The violence is always a tool to teach moral and the right way to act. It has a purpose. To me it seems that the violence in the coyote story is completely unmotivated. All what I can feel after reading it is: "Poor stupid coyote! Damn malicious deer!" I don't know, whether there is anything to learn out of this story ...

[wm.annis]

Psychologists say,

The Navajo and all the other peoples who tell Coyote tales did not consult psychologists before creating these stories.  Stories have their own rules, and operate according to their own dream-time logic.  I feel very, very strongly that psychologists have no special insight into stories like these.

Stories might impart a moral, but they don't have to.  That's a very Victorian view of things, and probably inappropriate when applied to non-Western cultures.

[Na'rìghawnu]

That's a very Victorian view of things, and probably inappropriate when applied to non-Western cultures.

Of course. That's exactly why I said "To me it seems ..." and "I think, that the story likely had a different effect to the Navajo, didn't it?"

I wanted to learn about the function of such stories to the Navajo. If the stories don't have the purpose to teach things or to explain the world, what *is* their function? Just entertainment without any deeper background? And if that's true, I still have a strange feeling about the entertainment value of such a cruel story.

[omängum fra'uti]

This actually made a great little story to go over.  I copied down the Na'vi only, marked stress, and used a printed copy at this week's meetup.  Having something to go over and try to understand was a more interesting and engaging way to learn Na'vi than straight memorization or exercises.

And for fun, I thought I'd also try recording a reading of it, so here is what I was able to come up with.  The pronunciation isn't perfect, but I gave it a good try.  I did change a -ur to a -ru because it was MUCH easier to pronounce.

Tìng mikyun!

[Ftiafpi]

I can has Navajo translation?

(Wanting to make a printable/frame-able PDF of this with all three languages)

[omängum fra'uti]

Well I did a little search to see if google would help there, but alas it did not.  However I did find a different version of the story that gave the deer more understandable motives.  (The coyote did not believe her answer that her children were born that way, and kept bugging her.)  However it was also a bit more gruesome in the description of the result of coyote's attempt to make his own children spotted.

[wm.annis]

I can has Navajo translation?

Not of this version, sorry.  The only collection of the tales I have in Navajo are Navajo Coyote Tales: The Curly Tó Aheedlíinii Version, and there the Deer story is longer and ends differently.  The version I translated is from what I trust was intended to be a children's book for bilagáana.