"Careless Whispers" in Klingon?

[eldin raigmore]

Can anyone here translate George Michaels's (Wham's) "Careless Whispers" into Klingon?

I'm sorry if this challenge doesn't exactly match the guidelines, but I didn't know where else to put it, and it suddenly became something I was very curious about.

[Lambuzhao]

What a request!

While some of the thematic material seems "un-Klingon" in mindset
(e.g. stating one's unsureness aloud, professing & dwelling on a lost love instead of actively finding a new one), I'm certain most if not all of this song can be translated into Kahless' hallowed tongue.

[Lambuzhao]

other, somewhat ingenuous, questions:

The careless whisper of a good friend

Was the "good friend" the lover with whom George Michael danced, etc.?

Was the "good friend" just a friend who torpedoed George Michael's relationship with the person with whom he danced, etc.?

If the "good friend" is the same as his love interest, I imagine that would be
parmaq.

If the "good friend" was a third party who interloped and torpedoed George Michael's romance with another, then I guess that would make him/her a
maqoch.

[Lambuzhao]

This is extremely rough. All my books and notes are hidden in storage next to the Ark of the Covenant somewheres.

vaj jIbItbej
ADV 1SG-be.nervous-CERTAIN
I am clearly so nervous

ghoplI' vI'uchDI'
hand-2SG 1SG.SUB-3SG.OBJ-hold-WHEN
when I take your hand

mamI'meH qaDev
1PL-dance-PURPOSE 1SG.SUB-2SG.OBJ-lead
and lead you to the dance-floor

Spoiler:

'ej "and" is used to coordinate two simultaneous clauses. Sequential clauses do not use 'ej.

tamchoHDI' QoQ
be.quiet-CHANGE-WHEN music
as the music dies

mInDu'lI'Daq vay' vIlegh
eye-PL.2SG.POS-PRP INDEF 1SG.SUB-3SG.OBJ-see
I see something in your eyes

'ej jIH'a' Qapla' 'IQ je' vIqaw
CNJ screen-AUG farewell sad CNJ 1SG.SUB-3SG.OBJ-remember
and I remember a silver big screen

and a sad goodbye.

Again, very rough draft here.
Suggestions are welcome.

[eldin raigmore]

Thanks so much, Lambuzhao! You got it -- I think it's even tougher to translate from English to Klingon than from Wham to Seether.

[eldin raigmore]

jIH Hot vaj wej be
Hoch ghoplIj vItlhap
'ej SoH Dev mI' pum
QoQ Hegh je
vay' qaStaHvIS mIn
jatlhpu' jIHDaq boch yab
'ej Hoch 'IQ Qapla'


not jeywIj mI' jatlhqa'
pagh moq Suq DIv qamDu'
pagh ngeD ghet
SoH wej vISov.
vaj jISov puS jupDaj ngor
'ej laSvarghDaq jIH 'e' 'eb qar polHa'
vaj not vIjaH mI' jatlhqa'
mIw mI' jIH

laH not tI' poH
yepHa' tlhup jup
tIq 'ej yab
wej qabuQ vISov
tu'lu' pagh vor neH qaStaHvIS vIt
'oy' Hoch tu' SoH


ramvam QoQ law' vaj HoS jachpu'DI'
'e' ghom'a' laH maluj vIneH
chaq Dunmo' mIw
Hoch latlh 'oy' maH 'oH jatlh wIneH
laH vaj QaQ tay'
mI' laH yIn maH reH
'a DaH 'Iv mI' HItlhej
DubelmoHchugh 'emDaq

DaH 'e' QochQo'chuqlaw'
DaH 'e' QochQo'chuqlaw'
DaH 'e' QochQo'chuqlaw'
nuq jIjatlhpu' vaj QIH
vaj QIH 'e' naDevvo' Daghaj

[hr][/hr]

I used Bing translator. (So, of course, corrections are welcome.)
When I went back again to English it was pretty messed up.
I think Bing translator has trouble with the OSV (or is it OVS?) word-order of Klingon.

Edit: It's OVS.

But at least it will try; Google translate won't do anything with Klingon.
(Or any other Conlang.)
Bing won't try to translate to Sindarin or Quenya, though.

[hr][/hr]


I also found a
"Common to Draconic" translator
that gave me this:

si kiwieg zyak unsure
lae si clax dout cha'sid
vur lead wux ekess wer vaeri tomil
lae wer itisko loreatic
creolnali persvek dout saurivic
relgric ekess ricin vi orn screen
vur shio coita molmonsore goodbyes



si mi nurti gethrisjir ekess vaeri tenamalo
guilty uraci tepoha itrewica thric rhythm
though coi ui eschoup ekess wexeag
vucoti wux re ti vi hofiba
si jalla tepoha vucat desta loupon ekess vhis vi thurirl
vur joork vi krehl batobot si tepoha coanwor majaktor
zyak si mi nurti gonna vaeri tenamalo
wer idol si vaeria mrith wux

tairais shilta nurti mend
wer careless whisper di vi bensvelk thurirl
ekess wer kornari vur ricin
ignorance ui cirau
mobi ui thric lapir persvek wer truth
loerchik ui shio wux willl ehtah


tonight wer itisko seems zyak haiyear
si huven batobot yth tiliw hawg nomeno crowd
nomagqe coi ui desta nomeno idol
yth ornla ouith kiq lyrik mrith wer youwei yth tuor ekess yenta
yth tiliw tepoha coanwor zyak bensvelk ulnaus
yth tiliw tepoha wapha nomeno vaeri malrak
shar jaka svaust ui gethrisjir ekess vaeri mrith ve
petranas zexenuma


jaka batobot wux tepoha gethrisja
jaka batobot wux tepoha gethrisja
jaka batobot wux tepoha gethrisja
jahus svabol si tira zyak xuut
zyak xuut batobot wux tepohada ekess jaseve ve loaw


As you can see some words -- in the first verse, "unsure" and "screen" and "goodbyes" -- don't have Draconic translations yet.

---

There are several word-translators online with conlangs as target languages, especially Tolkien conlangs. But I don't think there are any other passage-translators onlin other than the ones I just used.
Yet.

[Lao Kou]

other, somewhat ingenuous, questions: The careless whisper of a good friend

Was the "good friend" the lover with whom George Michael danced, etc.? If the "good friend" is the same as his love interest, I imagine that would be parmaq.

I assumed it was a "(via this song), you now know that I know that you know" sort of thing. Then again, never really scrutinized it and assumed it was about "mend" and "friend" rhyming more than anything; hard to scrutinize when you're slow dancing after last call.