Qapla’! INTERNET PRAYER UPDATE: KLINGON (AUDIO)

Just when I was on a high from getting the Japanese version of the famed “Internet Prayer”Qapla’! – my spies came through with an audio recording in

KLINGON!

Maybe they finally got that old sub-space communication array fixed. They mentioned something about reversing the polarity. Whatever. It worked.

Ladies and gentleman, Klingon.

KLINGON (aka Klingonese)

TlhobtaHghach qaSpa’ poSmoH’tah Internet’li

HoSghaj je reH joH’a, ‘lv chenmoHta’ ma’Daq lij voqtaHghach je maH ja’ta nej Hoch QaQ, teH, je ‘lH, Daq lij neH puqloD, ma’joH, J’H’esus K’risti, ms tlhob SoH, vegh le’ghot J’Isador’e, lalDan vumwI’neS je O’ghojmoH’neS, qaStaHvIS ma’ylt vegh Internet’li, ma’tI yotlh ma’ghopDu’ je minDu’ Daq vetlh nuq Chen Quch SoH je pop tlhej muSHa’ tlq SlQ Hoch chaH qa’neS ma’ghom. Sum K’risti ma’joH.

Internet Prayer in Klingon

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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14 Comments

  1. Legisperitus says:

    Father, I have as much sense of humor and appreciation for Star Trek as the next guy, but on a serious note, how respectful to God is it to pray in a fake language made up for some fake space aliens on a TV show? Am I the only one who finds this troubling? Are there really people who say their prayers in Klingon?

    [HERE]

  2. Elizabeth D says:

    Whoever spoke the Klingon prayer did about as good a job as one could expect. I think the reason for it would probably make sense to anyone who was ever into Star Trek. Maybe creating a little Klingon language prayerbook of basic Catholic prayers would help to evangelize the all too secular-humanist Star Trek universe.

    Qapla’!

  3. Reconverted Idiot says:

    Legisperitus: All languages are ‘made up.’ I see a few positive sides for something like this, it’s certainly something I’ll be letting any Trekkies I know when I get chance (there’s one lives in my building).

    It brought a smile to my face.

  4. pelerin says:

    Made me smile too. Bravo! I used to enjoy watching Star Trek with my sons and was always impressed at how moral it was. From the recording I get the impression that klingon speakers have trouble with their dentures!

  5. kentghare says:

    Which brings up a question I’ve wondered. Would a Mass be valid (as opposed to licit) if it were said in Klingon or some other such conlang (constructed language) like Tolkien’s Elvish? My understanding is that Mass in Esperanto is indeed both valid and licit.

    I would still stick with Latin, of course.

  6. jflare says:

    Lest anyone become too worried about this, a bit of perspective might be useful. I have been a great fan of Star Trek in my time; in fact, Season 3 of TNG just arrived in the mail! Even so, even before I learned about Fr Z’s blog, even without any priest to warn me, even WITH my “beloved” alma mater pushing secular humanism, I still came to be aware of the hazards posed by the Star Trek idea. I agree, there is a distinctive and potentially hazardous character of secularism shot clean through it. I have often thought it could be easily be relabeled “Philosophy Trek” and still be pretty accurate.

    Having said that though, I consider this to be a great deal of fun. I don’t speak Klingon any more than I do Bajoran, Ferengan, Romulan, or … (insert species name here), but I still understand how the language generally sounds. I DID get a real kick out of this.

    Heck, even my cat perked up for a few moments!

  7. traditionalorganist says:

    Legisperitus: don’t be a bore! Who cares if anyone says their prayers in klingon, as long as they are Klingons who have goodwill? Who am I to judge?

    All I can say is that this is totally awesome.

  8. ckdexterhaven says:

    Here is Frasier Crane giving a blessing in Klingon at his son’s bar mitzvah.
    http://youtu.be/Z9xWYApbd6Y

  9. Mariana2 says:

    Great! Even brought my husband running from the kitchen!

  10. Pingback: Father Z’s Internet Prayer | The American Catholic

  11. VexillaRegis says:

    Cool! It would also be cool to have the prayer in Romani Chibb, the language of the gypsies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_language It’s closely related to Hindu, Urdu and Sanskrit and a highly interesting area to explore. Sadly I don’t personally know any Romani People.

  12. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Re: validity of Mass in a constructed language –

    All Latin Rite Mass translations which are to be used for Mass (except perhaps in missionary situations with previously unknown languages involved) have to be approved by the Vatican. (I don’t know the procedures in other Rites.) If the Mass translation is approved, then a priest can say Mass in it. If not, then not.

    I don’t see any particular pastoral reason why one would need to start Elvish or Klingon on the multi-year bureaucratic road through the Curia. If there were to be such a powerful reason, then sure, it could be done, and it wouldn’t be sacrilegious. But translations are supposed to be for the benefit of accessing hearts through a culture’s vernacular language, not for funsies. So if you had a hundred-year-old space station of colonists where the native tongue was Quenya or Klingon (or rather, the severely modified dialect the colonists would inevitably develop through daily use), then there would be a pastoral need.

  13. ajf1984 says:

    Ah! Maybe this prayer is the real reason why “half the quadrant” is learning to speak Klingonese? (http://www.chakoteya.net/startrek/42.htm)

  14. jdmcowan says:

    Oh, that’s terrible Klingon. Unintelligible really. I’m guessing that the person who submitted it used a machine translator, but unfortunately it’s just nonsense to an actual Klingon speaker (I don’t mean actual Klingons, but rather people who have actually put in the time and effort to learn to speak and write the invented language). Let me see what I can do about getting you a better translation and recording.

    [Have at and qapla’!]

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