All corrections
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klingon_language
1 correction found
1
Claim
To express "hello", the nearest equivalent is nuqneH, meaning "What do you want?", with "goodbye" translated as Qapla', "Success!".
Correction
KLI materials say Klingon has no true words for “hello” or “goodbye”; `nuqneH` is not “hello,” and `Qapla'` is often mistranslated as “goodbye.”
Full reasoning
This sentence is too strong and is misleading in two ways.
- The Klingon Language Institute’s phrasebook explicitly says
nuqneHdoes not mean "Hello"; it is a traditional greeting literally meaning "What do you want?". - KLI’s Duolingo lesson says
Qapla'means "success" and is often mistranslated as "Goodbye". The same lesson adds that Klingon has no word for "Goodbye".
So while English speakers may sometimes use these as rough conversational stand-ins, the article should not present them as straightforward translations of "hello" and "goodbye."
2 sources
- Klingon Phrases – Klingon Language Institute
Traditional Greeting (Literally, "What do you want?", said to someone approaching you, and does not mean "Hello") | nuqneH
- Express an Action – Klingon Language Institute
Qapla' Klingon for "success" ... This word is often mistranslated as "Goodbye" ... In fact, Klingon has no word for "Goodbye".