My short essay on my search for the Klingons lyrics to Total Eclipse of the Heart has become one of the most popular posts on this site.
I know the reason. Folks are trying to find those lyrics, and come across that essay in their web searches. They leave disappointed.
I’m on the Discord server for the Klingon Language Institute. I did a couple of quick searches, but apart from one attempt at a transcription, I found nothing about a formal translation (restoration?) of that song. As far as I can tell, those lyrics have not been posted anywhere.
Because of Rebecca Romijn’s heavy tera’ngan accent, I can’t tell if those lyrics were prepared by an experienced Klingon translator, or if they’re an example of Paramount Hol. That latter term refers to clumsy attempts by screenwriters to make up Klingon-sounding words for the sake of the screen.
If I learn more, I’ll prepare a separate blog post.
The main reason I’m writing this post is to mention Tongue of the Warriors: The History of the Klingon Language by Lieven L. Litaer. It doesn’t attempt to teach Klingon; Litaer already has books like Klingon at Conventions (which I highly recommend) for that. It’s a detailed look at the language’s beginnings, how it evolved through the expertise of Mark Okrand and the clumsy efforts of Paramount Hol, its relationship to other conlangs, and more.
I go over similar ground in my first essay on Klingon. However, that essay was based on half-remembered facts accumulated over a few decades. Litaer has done his homework and actual research.
Anything that I’ve ever said about Klingon that contradicts what Litaer wrote is, to put it simply, wrong.
jImuj. lugh. = “I am wrong. He is right.”