Translations

In Poul Anderson's "Peek! I See You!" (Homeward And Beyond, New York, 1976), when a galactic official interviews an Earthman, translation is necessary between two galactic languages and two Terrestrial languages. When the entire exchange is rendered into English for our benefit, we get some humorous effects. We also discern something of the personalities involved and wonder how much has been lost in translation.

In Interlingo-12: "'May I therefore initially request - request, mind you; we shall not compel you - request and advise that you relate to me in circumstantial detail what I wish to be apprised of, beginning with the events which led to your untoward arrival.'" (p. 57)

In Interlingo-7: "'He wants to know how the bum got here.'" (ibid.)

In Hopi: "'The honorable envoy of the Federation's guiding council asks what gods led hither the stranger's path...'" (ibid.)

In English: "'The pterodactyl character is a kind of inspector...He won't hurt you, but he would like to know a few things, like how come you stopped by.'" (p. 58)

CS Lewis generates a similar effect when his character Ransom translates from English into Old Solar:

"'...our commerce, and our transport system which is rapidly annihilating space and time. Our right to supersede you is the right of the higher over the lower.'"

becomes:

"'...he says we exchange many things among ourselves and can carry heavy weights very quickly a long way. Because of all this, he says it would not be the act of a bent hnau if our people killed all your people.'"
- CS Lewis, The Cosmic Trilogy,London, 1990, p. 121.

Lewis' purpose is more serious but Anderson also addresses the question of how rational animals, hnau in Solar, should relate to each other. So far, the Galactic Federation has admitted one Pueblo Indian village but not the Americans, Russians, British, French etc.