Illinois Government Website Offers Klingon Translation

Well, these are tough economic times for many Klingons....

(Photo: unknown)

So it makes sense that the Illinois Department of Employment Security would offer assistance to residents whose primary language is Klingon. Ellen Jean Hirst writes in the Chicago Tribune:

If you wanted to ask an Illinois Department of Employment Security professional how to appeal a denied claim — in Klingon — you would say: vaj tem DoQ, chay' Qu' appeal?

That means, if my claim is denied, how do I appeal?

You can learn how to ask many questions in Klingon — an unofficial language created for humanoid characters in the "Star Trek" television series and movies — on the IDES website. The site offers translations via Microsoft Translator. The current options are Spanish, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Russian and Klingon.

A department spokesman explained that the Klingon translation service doesn't cost the agency any additional money:

The unique language doesn't cost the department any money: Rivara said the Microsoft translation service is free. While the 280 or so pages on the department's website can be automatically translated, department staff members review each page in each language for accuracy and nuance. The department did not take time to review Klingon — so some words, like "appeal" and "unemployment," don't translate on the site.

News Story and IDES Website -via Dave Barry


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